Born in in New York City in 1909, Siegmeister studied composition with Nadia Boulanger in the 1920s, after which he returned to New York to initiate his career as a composer, writer and champion of the contemporary American music scene. He immersed himself in the expressive potential of the American folk-song, becoming one of a handful of native composers who gave rise to a distinctly “American” style of music in the 20th century. He extended his own imaginative and stylistically diverse use of musical colour and drama over virtually every instrumental and vocal genre. With the piano, however, Siegmeister found one of his most potent vehicles for creative expression.