Composer/conductor Rand Steiger was born in New York City in 1957. He became a faculty member at the California Institute of the Arts in 1982, remaining there until 1987. He next joined the faculty of the University of California San Diego; as of 2006, he is the chair of the school’s music department.
As a composer, Steiger first won notice in the 1980s for his work Quintessence. He was a fellow with the Los Angeles Philharmonic from 1987 to 1989, and has had compositions recorded by contemporary classical music ensembles recording for Centaur, CRI, Crystal, New Albion, and New World. His work often features elements of computer music and digital manipulation alongside traditional orchestral forces.
Steiger was a member of the California EAR Unit, for whom he served as founding artistic director. He has also conducted contemporary ensembles such as the Arditti Quartet, Ensemble Sospeso, La Jolla Symphony, and the New York New Music Ensemble, and has conducted recordings on Einstein, Koch, Mode and Nonesuch.