Covering orchestras, opera, major international festivals, and a wide variety of contemporary music, Anthony Tommasini is the chief classical music critic for The New York Times. His books include a biography of the composer and critic Virgil Thomson and The New York Times Essential Library: Opera: A Critic's Guide to the 100 Most Important Works and the Best Recordings. He also has covered musical theater, done Times Talks with musical celebrities, earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts at Boston University, and recorded two albums of music by Thomson. In The Indispensable Composers, Tommasini offers a very personal perspective on the canon of classical composers.