Kurt Westerberg

Kurt Westerberg is a composer who was born in Naperville, Illinois in 1950. His mother was a mezzo-soprano and pianist which sparked an early interest in music. He began his musical studies at age five with piano lessons. By age ten he was composing his first pieces for himself. In 1968, he started his undergraduate degree in piano studies at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. While at St. Olaf, his interest in composition grew and he graduated in 1972 with a Bachelor of Music in Composition. During his time at St. Olaf, he took lessons with G. Winston Cassler, Arthur Campbell as well as studying with Alan Stout (composer) at Northwestern University. It was through them that he was exposed to the works of Charles Ives and György Ligeti. These composers would become a large influence in Westerberg’s style. Flynn acted as a mentor to Westerberg throughout his teaching and compositional career, and the two released a combined album May 15, 2014, entitled Dual Visions. Dual Visions includes Westerberg’s composition Vision and Prayer on a text by Dylan Thomas. and featuring the Lithuanian National Philharmonic Orchestra. Uncertain Light includes the works Winter Light (1997), Pi