The Jordan Lecture: Michael Abels

Finding Miracles: One Artist's Social Justice Journey in a Capitalist World

Michael Abels is a 2023 Pulitzer Prize-winning and Emmy- and Grammy-nominated composer best known for his scores for the Jordan Peele films Get Out (2017), Us (2019), and NOPE (2022). His score for Us won a World Soundtrack Award, the Jerry Goldsmith Award, a Critics Choice nomination, multiple critics' awards, and was named "Score of the Decade" by The Wrap. Both Us and NOPE were shortlisted for the Oscar for Best Original Score. 

Abels' creative output also includes many concert works, including the choral song cycle At War with Ourselves for the Kronos Quartet, the Grammy-nominated Isolation Variation for Hilary Hahn, and Omar, an opera co-composed with Grammy-winning recording artist Rhiannon Giddens. The New York Times named Omar one of the 10 Best Classical Performances of 2022. His other concert works have been performed by the New York Philarmonic, the Chicago Symphony, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and many others. 

Abels is co-founder of the Composers Diversity Collective, an advocacy group to increase visibility of composers of color in film, gaming, and streaming media. 

In addition to the keynote lecture on February 15th, Michael Abels will be in residence with the Suzy Newhouse Center for the Humanities in February 2024. The full residency schedule is as follows: 
 

Tuesday, February 13th
6:00-8:30pm - Open Class Session of CAMS 202 with Codruta Morari; Screening of Get Out (2017)
Collins Cinema

Wednesday, February 14th:
12:45-2:00pm* - Get Out Talkback with Michael Abels and Codruta Morari
Newhouse Center Lounge
(*RSVP required)
 

Thursday, February 15th:
12:45-2:00pm* - Open Class Session on Opera and Composition with Michael Abels and Reinaldo Moya
Newhouse Center Lounge
(*RSVP required)

5:00-6:30pm - The Jordan Lecture
"Finding Miracles: One Artist's Social Justice Journey in a Capitalist World"
Tishman Commons

The Jordan Lecture will be livestreamed at wellesley.edu/live. No prior registration is required to view the livestream.