Aaron Copland

Born into a Judeo-Lithuanian family that had emigrated to the United States, Aaron Copland studied piano at the age of 13 with Rubin Goldmark. A future teacher of George Gershwin, he chose France to perfect his skills. Nadia Boulanger welcomed him to Fontainebleau. He appreciated Darius Milhaud, Serge Prokofiev and Albert Roussel, and was enthusiastic about Igor Stravinsky, without ever forgetting jazz. Back in the USA, he became the creator of a typically American style based on folklore. Professor at Harvard and Tanglewood, creator of film scores, writer, Pulitzer Prize winner in 1945, he took part in fifty-nine television programs (1959-1972) as conductor, pianist and presenter.