Skip to main content

Steve Reich

minimalismcontemporary classicalavant-gardemusique concrèteclassicalelectroacousticexperimentalambient

American composer, born October 3, 1936, in New York City. He studied composition privately with Hall Overton, then moved on to Juilliard School in New-York to study with William Bergsma and Vincent Persichetti (1958 to 1961). Subsequently he attended Mills College in Oakland where he was taught by Luciano Berio and Darius Milhaud (1961-63) and earned a master's degree in composition.

Early on, he was influenced by fellow minimalist Terry Riley's loosely-structured aleatoric works which combines simple musical patterns, offset in time, to create a slowly-shifting, cohesive whole. Reich adopted this approach to compose his first major work written in 1965: "It's Gonna Rain...". He moved on from the "phase shifting" technique he had pioneered to more elaborate pieces. He investigated other musical processes such as augmentation (the temporal lengthening of phrases and melodic fragments).

Reich's mother is the Broadway singer and lyricist [a=June Carroll].

Upcoming Shows (1)

Elevate Festival 2026

Dom im Berg · All

Discography (4)

Collected Works
Album Spotify

Collected Works

Steve Reich

· Nonesuch
Steve Reich: Jacob's Ladder/Traveler's Prayer
Album Spotify

Steve Reich: Jacob's Ladder/Traveler's Prayer

Colin Currie Group, Colin Currie, Synergy Vocals, Steve Reich, New York Philharmonic, Jaap Van Zweden

· Nonesuch
"Patterns in Motion - The Great Minimalists: Vol. II"
Album Spotify

"Patterns in Motion - The Great Minimalists: Vol. II"

Arvo Pärt, Michael Nyman, John Cage, Philip Glass, Morton Feldman, Erik Satie, Graham Fitkin, John Tavener, John Adams, Steve Reich

· UME - Global Clearing House
ambientexperimental
"Cold Landscapes - Minimalism"
Album Spotify

"Cold Landscapes - Minimalism"

Philip Glass, Arvo Pärt, Erik Satie, Michael Nyman, Steve Reich, John Adams

· UME - Global Clearing House
ambient

Frequently Asked Questions

Steve Reich creates minimalism, contemporary classical, avant-garde, musique concrète, classical, electroacoustic, experimental, ambient music. They are known for their work in electronic music.

Yes, Steve Reich has 1 upcoming show scheduled. Check their artist page for dates and locations.