David Lang

In the words of the New Yorker, “With his winning of the Pulitzer Prize for the little match girl passion (one of the most original and moving scores of recent years), Lang, once a post-minimalist enfant terrible, has solidified his standing as an American master.”

David Lang begins his second three-year term as IAS Artist-in-Residence, where he will pursue his creative work as part of the Institute community and exchange ideas with scholars from all disciplines. In an exploration of mastery, meaning, and experience, Lang will also curate the 2019–20 Edward T. Cone Concert Series and present a series of talks and special presentations, all connected by the theme of VIRTUOSITY.

Lang’s recent works include his opera prisoner of the state, which premiered in June 2019 with the New York Philharmonic; the score for Paolo Sorrentino’s film Youth, which received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations; man made, a concerto for So Percussion and orchestra; anatomy theater, an opera written in collaboration with visual artist Mark Dion; the public domain, a commission from Lincoln Center for one thousand amateur singers; and the loser, an opera based on the novel by Thomas Bernhard, for which Lang served as librettist, composer, and stage director. Lang is Professor of Music Composition at the Yale School of Music and Co-Founder and Co-Artistic Director of New York’s legendary music festival Bang on a Can.