Episode 69 Kevin Puts

What a delight to talk to Kevin Puts, considered one of the most important composers of his generation, about his many achievements and endeavors, including his exciting new opera The Hours, which premiers at the Metropolitan Opera November 22, 2022. The stellar cast features sopranos Renee Fleming and Kelli O’Hara and mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato.

Our conversation covered the trajectory of Kevin’s career as it has taken off in many directions. Born in St. Louis, Missouri, and moving to Alma, Michigan with his family, he shared memories of impressionable events—being nurtured at home by parents who loved music, playing records that made indelible impressions on him as a child such as Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and Dvorak’s New World Symphony. Or his childhood wonder with the scores of John Williams when he saw movies such as Star Wars and Superman— realizing the power of storytelling through music, which ultimately informed his composing career.

He studied music at Yale University and the Eastman school of Music, where he earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree.
Now considered one of the most important composers of his generation, he has been commissioned, performed and recorded by orchestras around the world.

Kevin discussed the thrill of receiving the commission from the Minnesota Opera Company to compose the opera Silent Night, for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in 2012. He also noted his involvement as director of the Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute, and as a faculty member at the Peabody Institute where he enjoys teaching.