Sean Friar was born in 1985 in Los Angeles, California. His music combines the raucous energy and directness of his musical roots in rock and blues with a diverse classical sensibility. He is an Honorific Fellow at Princeton University, and graduated summa cum laude from the University of California, Los Angeles.
The youngest winner of the Rome Prize in over 25 years, Friar’s music has been performed throughout the world by ensembles including the American Composers Orchestra, New York Youth Symphony, So Percussion, Ensemble Klang, Orkest de Ereprijs, Psappha, NOW Ensemble, and Darmstadt Staatsorchester. Festivals featuring his music include Aspen, Bang on a Can, Bowdoin, GAUDEAMUS, International Young Composers Meeting, Norfolk, Nuovi Spazi Musicali and Perlman Music Program. Recordings of his music can be found on New Amsterdam Records and Darling Records.