The following is a list of famous gay, lesbian, or bisexual composers of music from many genres.

See also: List of gay, lesbian or bisexual people

__NOTOC__

A

• Peter Allen ^*, once married Liza Minnelli, partnered with Gregory Connell from 1973 until his own death in 1992
• Ruth Anderson ^*

B

• Samuel Barber ^{*," target="_blank" >[5}
• Jean Barraqué ^*, dated Michel Foucault
• Eve Beglarian ^*
• Leonard Bernstein ^*,*, though married had "indiscretions"
• Chester Biscardi ^*
• Chris de Blasio ^*
• Marc Blitzstein ^*,*,*
• Konrad Boehmer ^*
• David Bowie, ^*, came out as bisexual to Playboy in 1975, married Iman in 1992 and said he had been 'a closet heterosexual' in the 70's but that he does not regret it
• Paul Bowles, ^*,*, though married to lesbian Jane Auer
• Benjamin Britten ^*,*, (Lord Britten of Aldeburgh) partnered with singer Sir Peter Pears from 1936 till his own death in 1976
• Sylvano Bussotti ^*,*
• Madelyn Byrne ^*

C

• John Cage ^*,*
• Cazuza ^* bisexual
• Aaron Copland ^*,*
• John Corigliano ^*,*,*
• Arcangelo Corelli ^*
• Jayne (formerly Wayne) County
• Noël Coward ^*
• Henry Cowell ^*,*
• Conrad Cummings ^*
• Luisa Barwiski - brazilian pop singer ^*

D

• Peter Maxwell Davies ^*,*
• David Del Tredici ^*,*,*
• David Diamond ^*,^*,^*,^*
• Ani DiFranco ^*,*, bisexual, she was married to Andrew Gilchrist for five years starting in 1998

F

• Manuel de Falla
• Gareth Farr, New Zealand classical composer who also appears in his alter ego "Lilith" in cabaret performances.
• Wolfgang Fortner ^*
• Lori Freedman ^*

G

• Karel Goeyvaerts ^*
• Eugene Goosens ^*
• J. Lee Graham J. Lee Graham's profile at Young Composers Music Forum
• Charles Tomlinson Griffes ^*,*

H

• Reynaldo Hahn ^*,*
• Rob Halford ^*
• Lou Harrison ^*,*
• Robert Helps ^*
• Hans Werner Henze ^*
• William Alden Hibbard ^*
• Jennifer Higdon ^*
• Lee Hoiby ^*
• Jerry Hunt ^*,*

I

• Janis Ian ^* http://www.janisian.com/wedannounce.html
• Norman Iceberg ^*
• John Ireland ^*

K

• Paula Kimper ^*
• Dave KozDave Koz, "The beauty of coming out", in: The Advocate, 2005

L

• k.d. lang
• John Lennon - bisexual according to Albert Goldman in The Lives of John Lennon (First edition 1988, ISBN 0688047211; 2001 edition: ISBN 1556523998)
• Marilyn Lerner ^*
• André Éric Létourneau ^*
• Annea Lockwood ^*

M

• Robert Maggio ^*
• Andy Martin
• Richard Maxfield
• Colin McPhee ^*
• Gian Carlo Menotti ^*
• Freddie Mercury ^*
• George Michael
• Dimitri Mitropoulos ^*
• Linda Montano ^*
• Angela Morley (formerly Wally Stott)
• Bob Mould

N

• Alwin Nikolais ^*

O

• Pauline Oliveros ^*

P

• Harry Partch ^*
• Thomas Pasatieri ^*
• Dominique Phinot, executed in Lyon, France for homosexuality in 1556 ^*
• Tobias Picker
• Daniel Pinkham ^*
• Cole Porter ^*
• Francis Poulenc ^*,*,* French composer, openly gay from his first serious relationship, that with painter Richard Chanelaire to whom he wrote, "You have changed my life, you are the sunshine of my thirty years, a reason for living and working." He also said, "You know that I am as sincere in my faith, without any messianic screamings, as I am in my Parisian sexuality."

Q

• Roger Quilter ^*

R

• Øyvind Rauset, ^*
• Tom Robinson
• Ned Rorem ^*,*,*

S

• Marc Shaiman ^*, coupled with lyricist/director Scott Wittman since 1979
• Sławek Słarosta, ^*
• Dame Ethel Smyth ^*
• Jimmy Somerville ^*,*
• Stephen Sondheim ^*,*
• MidiMacMan
• William Thomas Strayhorn ^*
• Conrad Susa ^*
• Sylvester ^*
• Karol Szymanowski ^*
• Miles Saunders

T

• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ^*,*
• Virgil Thomson ^*,*
• Nurit Tilles ^*
• Sir Michael Tippett ^*,*, Of his one time partner painter Wilfred Franks Tippett wrote, "Meeting with Wilf was the deepest, most shattering experience of falling in love; and I am quite certain that it was a major factor underlying the discovery of my own individual musical voice...all that love flowed out in the slow movement of my First String Quartet. He was partnered with Meirion Bowen till his own death in 1998.
• Hordur Torfason, ^*

V

• Claude Vivier (^*)

W

• Rufus Wainwright ^*
• Ben Weber ^*,*,*
• Charles Wuorinen ^*

Sources

1. Encyclopedia of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Culture
2. included on CRI's Gay American Composers Vol. 1 or 2, or Lesbian American Composers
3. Aldrich, Robert and Wotherspoon, Gary (Eds.) (2001). Who's Who in Contemporary Gay & Lesbian History: From World War II to the Present Day. New York: Routledge. ISBN 041522974X.
4. Larivière, Michel, Homosexuels et bisexuels célèbres: le dictionnaire, preface by Pierre Bergé, drawings by Jean Cocteau - Paris, Delétraz, 1997. - 393 p., ill., 22 cm. - ISBN 2911110196
5. Lesbian and Gay Music by Philip Brett and Elizabeth Wood
6. Roger Jacob: "Dominique Phinot", Grove Music Online, ed. L. Macy (Accessed January 1, 2006), (subscription access)

Notes

Reference

• Bredel, Marc, Erik Satie - Paris, Mazarine, 1982 - 232 p. - ISBN 2863740555

External links

• UC Press: The Queer Composition of America's Sound Gay Modernists, American Music, and National Identity by Nadine Hubbs
• The Rest Is Noise: How gay is it? by Alex Ross

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender people | Lists of composers