Born in New York City on 11 December 1908, Elliott Carter began to be seriously interested in music in high school and was encouraged at that time by Charles Ives. He attended Harvard University where he studied with Walter Piston, and later went to Paris where for three years he studied with Nadia Boulanger. He then returned to New York to devote his time to composing and teaching.
With the explorations of tempo relationships and texture that characterize his music, Carter has been one of the prime innovators of 20th-century music. The challenges of works such as the Symphony Of Three Orchestras are richly rewarding.