Composer/conductor Rand Steiger was born in New York City in 1957. His compositions have been performed and commissioned by many leading ensembles and organizations including the American Composers Orchestra, Ircam, La Jolla Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, San Diego Symphony, Southbank Sinfonia, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where he served as Composer Fellow from 1987 through 1989. His compositions and performances are recorded on the Centaur, CRI, Crystal, Einstein, Koch, Mode, New Albion, New World and Nonesuch labels, and new projects are in development for Bridge and EMF.

Of late, his work has centered on the combination of traditional instruments with real-time digital audio signal processing and spatialization, including Ecosphere for large chamber ensemble, developed during residencies at Ircam and premiered by the Ensemble Intercontemporain, Résonateur, composed to commemorate the 80th birthday of Pierre Boulez, Dreamscape, commissioned by Mosaic, Traversing, for cellist Mathew Barley and the Southbank Sinfonia, and Cryosphere, for the American Composers Orchestra. Previously he worked with Miller Puckette and Vibeke Sorensen on the creation of a system for networked, real-time computer graphics and music, (supported by a three year grant from the Intel Research Council.)

Steiger is also active as a conductor specializing in contemporary works. He has conducted the Arditti Quartet, Aspen Chamber Ensemble, Ensemble Sospeso, La Jolla Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group, New York New Music Ensemble, Nouvel Ensemble Contemporain (Switzerland), and the California EAR Unit, of which he was the founding artistic director. Among his recordings as conductor are operas by Anthony Davis, Anne LeBaron, and Hilda Paredes, and works by Carter, Osborn, Reynolds, Stockhausen, Subotnick, and Xenakis. He has also conducted many premieres, including works of Andriessen, Babbitt, Boulez, Carter, Ferneyhough, Harvey, Kernis, Newton, Nono, Reynolds, Riley, Rudders, Rzewski, Saariaho, Scelsi, Subotnick, Takemitsu, Tavener, and Tuur.

Steiger was a member of the Faculty of California Institute of the Arts from 1982 through 1987, and is currently Chair of the Music Department at the University of California, San Diego. He will be a Visiting Professor of Music at Harvard University in Fall 2009.