Peter Lieberson (1946-2011)

Posted at 2:40 PM on April 25, 2011 by Daniel Gilliam

Composer Peter Lieberson passed away over the weekend. He was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2006, shortly after his wife, soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, lost her battle with breast cancer.

Lieberson was a practicing Buddhist and influenced by the teachings of Chogyam Trungpa. He won the Grawemeyer Award in 2007 for Neruda Songs, a loving cycle for soprano and orchestra setting some of the Love Sonnets of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, and composed for Lorraine Hunt Lieberson. In addition to his work with major orchestras such as Boston, New York, Cleveland, Chicago, and Los Angeles, Lieberson collaborated with musicians, such as Peter Serkin, Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, and Oliver Knussen.