Simon Sargon

Simon Arthur Sargon (April 6, 1938 – December 25, 2022) was a composer, pianist, conductor, music educator, and major creative figure in contemporary American Jewish music. His compositions include liturgical and secular pieces; opera and musical theatre; works for youth ensemble; choral and art song; and chamber ensemble and symphonic works. Early life Sargon was born April 6, 1938 in Mumbai, India. His mother was of Ashkenazi (Russian) descent and his father was a Sephardic Jew whose family had settled in Mumbai. Sargon was brought to America at an early age and grew up in Winthrop, a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts. Education Beginning his studies at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Sargon went on to graduate magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Brandeis University with a B. A. in Music. He later attended the Juilliard School to obtain an M. S. in Composition in 1962. He also attended the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music School in Blue Hill, Maine; the Aspen Music Festival and School; and the Tanglewood Institute. His major teachers included Darius Milhaud, Irving Fine, Vincent Persichetti, Miecyslaw Horszowski, and Sergius Kagen. In 1974, Sargon was appointed