John Corigliano (born February 16, 1938) is an American composer of classical music. He is a former student of Otto Luening, Vittorio Giannini, and Paul Creston. His students include Eric Whitacre, Elliot Goldenthal, Mason Bates, Jefferson Friedman, among others.

Most of Corigliano's work has been for full symphony orchestra. He employs a wide variety of styles, sometimes even within the same work, but aims to make his work accessible to a relatively large audience.

He has written symphonies, concertos for clarinet and oboe, film scores, and various chamber works.

In 2001 he received the Pulitzer Prize for his Symphony No. 2 for String Orchestra. His score for the motion picture The Red Violin won an Academy Award for best score.

Corigliano comes from a musical family. His father was concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic for 23 years, and his mother played piano. He studied composition at Columbia University and at the Manhattan School of Music. He is gay.

Professional bio