The American composer Michael Friedman was among the pioneering creatives behind The Civilians theater ensemble. His theatrical compositions graced the stages of Broadway, captivating spectators and garnering acclaim from discerning critics. The composer won many awards and received prestigious scholarships. Unfortunately, his life ended at the age of 42. We will tell you more about M. Friedman’s creative heritage and life. Follow us on iphiladelphia.
Early years
Michael was born on September 24, 1975, in Boston. Later, the family moved to Philadelphia, where he grew up. He attended Germantown Friends School and then entered Harvard University, where he studied history and literature.
At the same time, he started making music and dedicated his career to creating it. Michael has been composing a variety of music for two decades and has achieved considerable success in this field. He has been a recipient of the MacDowell, Hodder and Meet The Composer fellowships. In 2007, he received the prestigious Obie Award. Two years later, the man was invited to become a visiting professor at the Princeton Environmental Institute. He began this journey by composing his own music and writing musicals that have captivated audiences and critics alike.
Music career
Americans could and still do hear the music of this composer in many theaters across the country. He paid most attention to the creation of musicals and achieved significant success in this area. Among the most famous works by M. Friedman are the following:
- the musical Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, which was first shown to the public at the Public Theater in New York and later on Broadway
- the musical Unknown Soldier, which was first performed at the Williamstown Theatre Festival, where it was highly praised by critics
- the musical Love’s Labour’s Lost, which was performed in Central Park and nominated for the Drama Desk Award for Best Musical.
In addition to composing music and creating unique musical performances, the composer worked on book adaptations. For example, together with Itamar Moses, he began work on The Fortress of Solitude.
In 2016, Michael traveled around the country and conducted many interviews, based on which he wrote a series of unique songs. Later, he combined them into the State of the Union Songbook and presented it on the radio. It was a rather unusual work that also brought him recognition.
One of the most important and significant areas of the composer’s work was his participation in the founding of the theater company, The Civilians. The musicals he created as part of this collaboration included Gone Missing, The Great Immensity, In the Footprint, (I Am) Nobody’s Lunch, Paris Commune and This Beautiful City. The man also wrote the score for Mr. Burns, a Post-Electric Play. His last collaboration with the company’s artistic director was called The Abominables and was presented at Children’s Theatre Company in 2017.
In addition, Friedman’s music has been included in the program of the New York Shakespeare Festival and New York Theatre Workshop. It also has been performed in many local theaters, which have used it to enrich their productions. The composer’s musical works have also been performed by theaters in various cities across the US. Internationally, they have been presented at the Edinburgh Festival and in London theaters.
The famous composer also had some administrative work. For example, he was the director and resident of the Public Forum at the Public Theater and the artistic director of Encores! Off-Center. So his creative life was quite busy, but he managed to do a lot, worked tirelessly and created a lot of quality music.
Death and memory
In the summer of 2017, the composer was confirmed HIV-positive. By that time, the disease had already developed significantly, and therefore the doctors’ prognosis was not favorable. Michael began taking the necessary therapy and still continued to work because he could not imagine his life without music.
Unfortunately, his health began to deteriorate rapidly. A few months after he was diagnosed and started treatment, he developed acute respiratory distress syndrome. This is a fairly common and dangerous complication of HIV and AIDS. The composer was hospitalized in a Manhattan hospital, but his life could not be saved. Friedman died on September 9, 2017. He was only 41 years old.
Before his death, the composer began working on music for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He and his colleagues were also writing a musical about the adult film industry. Unfortunately, these works remained unfinished.
Nevertheless, his colleagues honor Friedman’s memory and continue to use his music in theater. In 2018, he was posthumously awarded a star at the Playwrights’ Sidewalk at the Lucille Lortel Theater. Also, after his death, recordings of the show, which Michael co-wrote, were created. In 2019, The Great Immensity, This Beautiful City and The Abominables were released. The following year, recordings of two more musicals were presented.
Thus, M. Friedman’s music continues to be played on stage even after his death.