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Michael
Daugherty photo by 2004 ArtServe Michigan
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 Michael
Daugherty
is a man who
regales in wearing many hats, both figuratively and literally. He moves with stealthy determination among the streets of Detroit and surrounding areas, capturing the sights and sounds of his adopted home. Daugherty translates those impressions so effectively into the memorable notes of his compositions that this former Iowan is hailed repeatedly for astute observations of the blue-collar town and his ability to commit them to sound. In Motor-City Triptych, classical music is sprinkled with jazz riffs and infused with gospel in a well-received tribute to Daugherty’s new roots. His symphonic homage centers on what he says Detroiter and civil rights activist Rosa Parks symbolized: “The willingness to challenge boundaries and cross over them.” Daugherty, the 1999-2003 composer-in-residence of The Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and professor of music composition at the University of Michigan, has crossed over city borders and successfully immersed into what makes Detroit Detroit. His resulting triumphs have earned him the 2004 Michigan Artist Award in the 19th annual ArtServe Michigan Governor’s Awards for Arts & Culture. Daugherty will be honored on November 18th at The Henry Ford in Dearborn. “I feel a strong connection with Michigan as result of my various musical collaborations over the last decade with some of Michigan’s finest musical organizations,” Daugherty said. “This award inspires me to continue my vision of contemporary music and its important place in our culture and community. Hailing from a family of musicians in his native Iowa, Daugherty has studied, composed and been honored around the globe. He received international acclaim following his 1995 Carnegie Hall tribute to the Superman comics, Metropolis Symphony. The London Times described Daugherty as “a master icon-maker…(whose) music has the uncanny knack of speaking everybody’s language at once… Capturing the essence of the assembly line and grit of Detroit’s Ford River Rouge plant inspired Daugherty’s Fire and Blood (2003). The musical montage focuses on the same theme as the famed Detroit Institute of Art’s Detroit Industry frescos by Diego Rivera. Likewise, travels around town with Rosa Parks played a large part in incorporating an African-American perspective for his Motor City piece, Motor-City Triptych. “My music is inspired by where I live and work as an artist,” said Daugherty. An eye for detail encompasses interests in his off-duty hours as well. A favorite hobby is collecting antiques — in particular, old matchbooks, postcards, maps and autographs. Daugherty says he prefers small items “that are easy to transport if I ever have to move!” Married to Johanna Prins and father to Evelyn, 15, Daugherty also enjoys films, swimming and bicycling, and collects hats in a one-man tribute to classic movies spanning the 1940s-1960s.
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