Morten Lauridsen was born in Colfax, Washington in 1943 and raised in Portland, Oregon. He attended Whitman College and the University of Southern California where he studied advanced composition. As a longtime professor and Chair of the Department of Composition at USC, Lauridsen has served as composer in Residence of the Los Angeles Master Chorale since 1994. He possesses exceptional composing abilities and to truly appreciate his talent, listening to Les Chansons De Roses (recently recorded by the Los Angeles Master Chorale and Sinfonia Orchestra RCM 19705) would be more fulfilling than simply reading about this living composer.