| 1927 |
Born October 27 in
York, Pennsylvania |
| 1943-45 |
Begins piano lessons;
teaches himself harmony
and orchestration from library books. |
| 1945-47 |
Cryptographer with
U.S. Army in East Africa. |
|
1951
|
Bachelor of Music degree
in composition from Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, winning composition
prize three years in a row; completes Songs about Spring. |
1951-52
|
Fulbright Fellow in
Florence, Italy. |
1954
|
Master of Music degree
from Peabody; marries soprano
Carolyn Bailey, who will premiere many of his works. |
1957
|
Ph.D. from Eastman
School of Music in Rochester, New York; opera The Boor results in
contract with Boosey & Hawkes. |
| 1958 |
Guggenheim Fellow in
Florence; composes Six Elizabethan Songs. |
|
1963
|
Joins faculty of University of
Minnesota.Cofounder of Center Opera Company (now the Minnesota
Opera); composes inaugural opera, The Masque of Angels.
|
| 1964-65 |
Second Guggenheim Fellowship;
completes Variations for Orchestra. |
| 1971 |
Postcard from Morocco,
commissioned by Center Opera Company, draws national attention. |
| 1975 |
From the Diary of Virginia
Woolf, premiered by Dame Janet Baker, wins Pulitzer Prize. |
| 1976 |
The Voyage of Edgar
Allen Poe commissioned by the University of Minnesota for the
American Bicentennial. |
| 1979 |
Elected to the American
Academy of Arts and Letters. |
| 1980 |
Appointed Regents Professor
at University of Minnesota. |
|
1983
|
Casa Guidi performed
by Frederica von Stade and Neville Marriner on the Minnesota Orchestra's
East Coast tour; Håkan Hagegård premieres The Andrée
Expedition. |
|
1984
|
Casanova's Homecoming
commissioned for the opening of theOrdway Music Theatre in St. Paul. |
1986
|
Casanova's Homecoming
receives National Music Theatre Award. |
1988
|
The Aspern Papers
premieres in Dallas; telecast on PBS's Great Performances series. |
|
1990
|
The Voyage of Edgar
Allen Poe selected by Chicago Lyric Opera to inaugurate a decade-long
program of American operas. |
| 1991 |
Grammy Award nomination
for recording of Te Deum. |
|
1993
|
Receives Award for
Achievement from Opera America and Peabody Medal from Johns Hopkins
University; The Dream of Valentino co-commissioned by Washington
Opera and Dallas Opera. |
| 1994 |
Receives Founders Award
from Chorus America. |
|
1996
|
Song cycle for Frederica
von Stade and Hakan Hagegard,
A Few Words About Chekhov, premieres at the Ordway
and is featured on Hagegard's world tour. |
| 1997 |
Appointed Composer
Laureate of the Minnesota Orchestra;
retires December 31 from the University of Minnesota. |
|
1998
|
Receives McKnight Foundation Distinguished
Artist Award.
Reverie, commissioned by the Minnesota
Orchestra, performed in New York and Europe on the orchestra's
first European tour.
|
| 2004 |
GRAMMY : Classical Contemporary Composition: " Argento : Casa Guidi," Dominick Argento (Frederica von Stade, mezzo soprano; Eiji Oue; Minnesota Orchestra). |
