One of the most renowned American composers of the twentieth century. He has been called by the New York Times “our greatest living composer”. The Guardian writes that “There’s just a handful of living composers who can legitimately claim to have altered the direction of musical history and Steve Reich is one of them.” From his early works with voice recording to his collaborations with the artist Beryl Korot, the digital video opera Three Tales, the development of Reich’s work has encompassed not only aspects of Western music, but also influences from Africa, Far East and jazz forms. In April 2009 he received the Pulitzer Prize for music for his work, Double Septet. He has received commissions for works from such institutions as the Barbican Centre in London, the Holland Festival, the San Francisco Symphony, the Wiener Festwochen, the Hebbel Theatre in Berlin, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Spoleto Festival USA and many others. Steve Reich’s music is performed by the most important orchestras and ensembles in the world, including the London Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony , the Ensemble Modern, Ensemble Intercontemporain, London Sinfonietta, Theater of Voices and many others. In 1994 he was awarded membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and in 1995 in the Bavarian Academy of Fine Arts. In 1999 he was granted the title of Commandeur de l’ordre des Arts et Lettres.