Daron Hagen

The music of composer Daron Hagen draws on sources from soft rock to serialism. He writes music in many media but has focused especially on vocal music and opera. Hagen (pronounced HAH-gen) was born in Milwaukee in 1961 and grew up in suburban New Berlin, Wisconsin. His mother was an artist and advertising executive, and his father was an attorney. Hagen began writing music in his early teens after his brother gave him a recording (with score) of Benjamin Britten's opera Billy Budd. His early music came to the attention of Leonard Bernstein, who urged him to study with David ...