Elliott Carter (1908–2012) was an American modernist composer. Over the course of his career, Carter received two Pulitzer Prizes, and was the first composer to receive the National Medal of Arts, "the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United States government." Carter was also the first American composer to receive from the Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste the Ernst von Siemens Music Prize, which has been called the "Nobel Prize of Music." Carter also had the rare honor of being inducted into the American Classical Music Hall of Fame during his lifetime.
Awards for career and lifetime achievements Year Award Sponsor 1965 Creative Arts Award Brandeis University 1971 Gold Medal for Eminence in Music American Academy of Arts and Letters 1978 Handel Medallion City of New York 1981 Ernst von Siemens Music Prize Bayerische Akademie der Schönen Künste and the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation 1983 Edward MacDowell Medal MacDowell Colony 1984 George Peabody Medal The Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University 1985 National Medal of Arts The President of the United States and the National Endowment for the Arts 1987 Commandeur of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres Government of France 1991 Commendatore of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Government of Italy 1992 American Eagle Award National Music Council 1995 Royal Philharmonic Society Gold Medal Royal Philharmonic Society 1998 Inductee American Classical Music Hall of Fame 2005 Thomas Jefferson Medal for Distinguished Achievement in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences American Philosophical Society 2009 Trustees Award at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards"Recording Industry Salutes Musical Alums." The Horace Mann Report. Vol 106: Issue 9. January 23, 2009. (Retrieved February 9, 2009) The Recording Academy 2012 Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur Government of France
Awards and nominations for specific compositions Year Composition Award Sponsor Result 1939 To Music Federal Music Project Choral Competition Federal Music Project, Columbia Broadcasting System, Columbia Records 1940 Pocahontas Juilliard Publication Award The Juilliard School 1945 Holiday Overture Independent Concert Music Publisher's Contest Judges included Serge Koussevitzky, Nicolai Berezowsky, and Aaron Copland Canonic Suite BMI Publication Prize American Composers Alliance and Broadcast Music, Inc. 1953 String Quartet No. 1 Concours international de quatuors à cordes Liège, Belgium 1956 Sonata for Flute, Oboe, Cello and Harpsichord Walter W. Naumburg Musical Foundation Award Walter W. Naumburg Foundation 1960 String Quartet No. 2 Pulitzer Prize for Music The Pulitzer Prizes — Columbia University String Quartet No. 2 New York Music Critics’ Circle Award New York Music Critics’ Circle 1961 String Quartet No. 2 UNESCO Prize for Outstanding Musical Work UNESCO Double Concerto New York Music Critics’ Circle Award New York Music Critics’ Circle Double Concerto Sibelius Award for Music Harriett Cohen Foundation 1962 String Quartet No. 2 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition at the 4th Annual Grammy Awards The Recording Academy 1973 String Quartet No. 3 Pulitzer Prize for Music The Pulitzer Prizes — Columbia University 1992 Oboe Concerto Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Composition at the 34th Annual Grammy Awards The Recording Academy 1994 Violin Concerto Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Composition at the 36th Annual Grammy Awards The Recording Academy 1996 "Adagio tenebroso" Pulitzer Prize for Music The Pulitzer Prizes — Columbia University 1997 String Quartet No. 5 Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award for Chamber-Scale Composition Royal Philharmonic Society 1998 "Allegro scorrevole" Lauréat du Prix de Composition Musicale Jury led by Henri Dutilleux "Allegro scorrevole" Musical Composition Award Prince Pierre Foundation 1999 90+ Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition at the 41st Annual Grammy Awards The Recording Academy 2005 Dialogues Pulitzer Prize for Music The Pulitzer Prizes — Columbia University 2007 Boston Concerto Grammy Award for Best Classical Contemporary Composition at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards The Recording Academy 2011 What Are Years Musical Composition Award Prince Pierre Foundation
Grants and fellowships Year Name of award Sponsor 1945 Guggenheim Fellowship John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation 1950 Guggenheim Fellowship John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Arts and Letters Award in Music American Academy of Arts and Letters 1953 Rome Prize Fellowship American Academy in Rome
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