To the Young Man

Robert Een is an acclaimed composer, singer and cellist. The recipient of an OBIE Award for music composition and a New York Dance and Performance Award (BESSIE) for sustained achievement, Een’s music is heard worldwide.

Known for his use of extended vocal and cello techniques, Een has recorded sixteen albums of genre-bending original music, including “The Mystery of You”, “Subtle Electric Fire”, “Hiroshima Maiden”, “Mystery Dances”, “Expanding Universe”, “Fertile Fields”, “Your Life is Not Your Own”, “Big Joe”, “The Saga”, and “Music from Blue Earth”.

A concert version of Een’s opera, “The Escape Artist” based on an original story developed in collaboration with writer Karin Levitas has been presented in New York and Los Angeles and is the subject of the documentary “Be Warned! Your Life Beckons You” by Sabine Sigachelli and Jurgen Gottchalk.

His scores for film and documentary include: “My Horrible Year” directed by Eric Stoltz, “Mr. Jealousy” directed by Noah Baumbach, “Trouble on the Corner” starring Edie Falco, Tony Goldwyn and Debi Mazur, “The Rook” starring Martin Donovon and “Sleep Disorder” directed by Mitchell Rose. Een’s music is featured in Gregory Colbert’s photography and film exhibition “Ashes and Snow” seen in the unique Nomadic Museum in New York, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Shanghai and Tokyo.

Robert Een has performed on concert stages and in unusual venues throughout the world including: the Buddhist caves of Ellora, India; the Shinto Shrine in Tsurugi, Japan; a theater above the Arctic Circle in Norway; the Pushkin Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia; the Wuppertal Opera House in Germany; the Fringe Club in Hong Kong and such New York venues as Lincoln Center, the Whitney Museum, Roulette, St. Ann’s Warehouse, the Knitting Factory, and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.

As composer and music director for numerous theater and dance companies Een’s music can be heard in the work of Liz Lerman, Dan Hurlin, David Dorfman, Jennifer Muller, Ron K. Brown, Yoshiko Chuma, Art Bridgman and Myrna Packer, Stephan Koplowitz, Brian Selznick, Sara Pearson and Patrik Widrig, Yin Mei, Risa Jaroslow, and Christopher Williams among others.

Support for his various creative projects has come from the Rockefeller Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, New York Foundation for the Arts, MacDowell Colony, Creative Capital, New England Foundation for the Arts, Asian Cultural Council, American Composer’s Forum, Creative Time, Meet the Composer, American Music Center, the World Festival of Sacred Music and the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Robert Een has led stellar musicians in ensembles performing his compositions: BIG JOE with Carter Burwell - accordion, Hearn Gadbois - percussion, Steve Elson - reeds, Anne DeMarinis - accordion; CRASH ORCHESTRA with Robert Black - double bass, Mark Bennett - piano, Nicky Paraiso - piano & voice, Hiroshi Yoshino - double bass, Aska Kaneko - violin; THE MUSICAL GIANTS OF MANHATTAN featuring Steve Gorn - flutes, Bill Ruyle - hammer dulcimer, Jeff Berman - vibraphone, marimba & lap dulcimer, Katie Geissinger - voice, Toby Newman - voice Tim Hill - voice; THE INTERNATIONAL MYSTICAL ALL STAR BAND with Billy Goodrum - piano, Jesse Manno - bouzouki, Shamou - percussion, Sizzle Ohtaka - voice, Yuval Ron - oud, Mader - accordion & guitar, Valecia Phillips - voice, Angel Bazigou - voice, Gwen Wyatt - voice.

Robert Een worked for many years with Meredith Monk, creating and performing leading roles in such seminal pieces as Dolmen Music, Ellis Island, Turtle Dreams, Recent Ruins, Specimen Days, Book of Days, Atlas and Facing North. He studied music composition with Julius Eastman.