Máximo Flügelman was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He earned a BM from the Manhattan School of Music and a Master's degree in composition from the Juilliard School, where he studied under David Diamond and John Corigliano.
Flügelman's first work for orchestra, Symphonic Variants, earned warm commendation from Samuel Barber and celebrated Argentine composer Alberto Ginastera and was the winner of the 14th Annual Contemporary Orchestral Composition Prize, co-sponsored by Indiana State University and by the Indianapolis Symphony, who premiered it. A critic from the Washington Post who attended the Kennedy Center performance of the piece, conducted by Jorge Mester, described it as being a “handsome work, with an air of virtuosity in its impressive winds, brass and percussion writing”. Similarly, the Miami Herald’s review of a Florida Philharmonic performance of the piece extolled the work as being a “first-rate score”. Flügelman’s Divertimento for Woodwind Quartet and Orchestra obtained First Prize in the Argentine State Radio Orchestra Composition Competition. Máximo Flügelman was named ‘Outstanding Young Person’ [Music] by the Argentine Junior Chamber of Commerce. His Sonatina for Strings earned the ‘Amigos de la Música’ prize in Buenos Aires. An expanded orchestral version of this work was commissioned by the Connecticut Chamber Orchestra in New York’s Merkin Hall; the New York Times found this version notable for its “zest and compositional skill”. Máximo Flügelman’s Rapsodi was commissioned for the 50th Anniversary Season of the Buenos Aires Philharmonic, which premiered the work at the Teatro Colón. Flügelman’s Concerto Breve for piano and orchestra was selected by the American Composers Orchestra for performance in its ‘Sonidos de las Americas’ series at Carnegie Hall. His Dialogues for Orchestra was one of the scores selected for symphonic readings in Minneapolis by the jury of the Plymouth Music Series. Dialogues for Orchestra was also declared a finalist by the Jury of the Nissim Composition Prize, sponsored by the American Society of Composers (ASCAP). The piece received a formal premiere at Benaroya Hall by the Seattle Symphony Orchestra under the baton of its Music Director Gerard Schwarz. The Puerto Rico Symphony first performed Flügelman’s Sea Sonnets for soprano and orchestra in the U.S. and South America before presenting the piece at the closing concert of the San Juan Contemporary Music Festival. Máximo Flügelman’s Cello Concerto was premiered in Paris with cellist Gary Hoffman as soloist. The piece was subsequently performed at the Castleton Festival under the direction of Lorin Maazel with Inbal Segey as the soloist and later by the Buenos Aires Philharmonic at the Teatro Colón under guest conductor Michael Seal, with Gary Hoffman as the soloist once again. Recent performances of Flügelman's works include Dialogues (National Symphony of Argentina, Kalamazoo Symphony); Concerto Breve (Buenos Aires Philharmonic), and Divertimento (Berlin Philharmonic). Concert performances of Flügelman’s Symphonic Variants and Sea Sonnets have been broadcast by National Public Radio.
Máximo Flügelman's compositions have been performed under conductors including Philip Brunelle, Guillermo Becerra, Guillermo Brizzio, Pedro Ignacio Calderón, William Curry, Duilio Dobrin, Kenneth Evans, German Gutierrez, Raymond Harvey, Paul Lustig-Dunkel, David Lloyd-Jones, Lorin Maazel, George Manahan, Adrian McDonnell, Jorge Mester, Alfredo Saura, Gerard Schwarz, Carlos Vieu, and Jaap van Zweeden. Critics have often characterized Flügelman— a polyglot who also holds degrees in economics from Geneva University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School — as a “follower in the footsteps of financier and composer Charles Ives”. Flügelman’s works are published by Messrs. and Carl Fischer, LLC.
Cello Concerto