Joseph Schwantner is an American composer born in 1943 who emerged in the late 20th century in contemporary classical music, beginning his career in the 1960s and 1970s through studies and academic posts in the United States. His work is characterised by luminous orchestration, prominent percussion writing, colourful harmonic language and textural experimentation, and over his career he composed both chamber works and large-scale orchestral and wind-ensemble pieces that reflect a shift toward shimmering timbres and extended instrumental techniques in late 20th-century American composition.
