Gerald Plain is one of the most original and creative of today’s American composers. Born in Sacramento, Kentucky, in 1940, Plain has borrowed heavily from his early exposure to folk music through his parents and his Grandfather Salmon. In addition, his music reflects his passionate interest in the pedal steel guitar, which he played as an adolescent. Studying principally with Ross Lee Finney and Leslie Bassett, both of the University of Michigan, Plain has received numerous awards, including the Rome Prize Fellowship (Prix de Rome) in 1974, the Prince Pierre of Monaco Prize in Music Composition in 1980, the Charles Ives Fellowship in 1988, and the Academy Award in Music in 2001, the latter two awards from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters in New York City. Most recently, he earned the 2011 Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship by the Kentucky Arts Council. Plain’s professional career includes teaching at DePaul and Roosevelt Universities in Chicago and the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. His music has been performed by numerous orchestras in the United States and in Europe.