Daron Aric 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. In 1981, Hagen's Prayer for Peace had its premiere with the Philadelphia Orchestra, making him the youngest composer premiered by that ensemble since Samuel Barber. Hagen has written music in many genres, but works for voice are most prominent in his output. His orchestral work Common Ground won the Kennedy Center Friedheim Award. Hagen received a National Endowment for the Arts production grant for the revival of his opera Shining Brow, based on the life of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. More than 50 of Hagen's compositions have been recorded, including his 2019 song cycle, The Art of Song, which was issued in 2024.