"Trail of Tears" for flute and Chamber orchestra

Michael Daugherty (1954) is one of the most performed and commissioned American composers of his generation, widely recognized for his "Pop Art" aesthetic that translates American cultural icons and history into sophisticated concert music.
Born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Daugherty grew up in a remarkably musical family. His father was a dance-band drummer, and his mother was an amateur singer. All four of his brothers became professional musicians. From 1963 to 1972, Daugherty was a professional jazz pianist, performing in dance bands and lounge acts across the Midwest.
He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) from Yale University, studying with Jacob Druckman and Bernard Rands. He also studied at IRCAM in Paris and spent two years in Hamburg as a protégé of György Ligeti. Since 1991, he has been a Professor of Composition at the University of Michigan.
Daugherty is famous for his "Post-Modern" approach, in which he takes subjects like Superman (Metropolis Symphony), Elvis (Dead Elvis), and Rosa Parks (Letters from Lincoln) and reinterprets them through a classical lens. He is a multiple Grammy Award winner, with his albums Metropolis Symphony (2011) and Tales of Hemingway (2017).
Daugherty has been described as a composer who "democratizes the orchestra." By blending Stravinsky's neoclassicism with the energy of rock and jazz. He has become a central figure in the movement to make contemporary orchestral music relevant to 21st-century audiences.