Composer John Harbison, MIT Institute Professor, was awarded the György Kepes Fellowship Prize by the Council for the Arts at MIT. The Prize was established in 1982 to encourage and celebrate individuals at the Institute whose creative work reflects the vision and values of György Kepes (1906-2002). Founder of MIT’s Center for Advanced Visual Studies, György Kepes revealed fundamental relations between art and science, and art and the physical environment. The Kepes Fellowship Prize is presented to a member of the MIT community who has demonstrated excellence in the creative arts: architecture, visual and performing arts, and writing.
About John Harbison
Composer John Harbison is among America's most prominent artistic figures. He has received numerous awards and distinctions, including the prestigious MacArthur Foundation's "genius" award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities. Citing his most important influences as the Bach Cantatas, Stravinsky (whom he met in Santa Fe in 1963) and jazz, John Harbison's music is distinguished by its exceptional invention and deeply expressive range. He has written for every conceivable type of concert genre, ranging from the grand opera to the most intimate; pieces that embrace jazz along with the classical forms. His prolific, personal and greatly admired music written for the voice encompasses a catalogue of over 70 works including opera, choral, voice with orchestra and chamber/solo works.
