For such a young country, the U.S. has made a significant impact in the world of contemporary classical music. Two of the deans of American music—Elliott Carter and Charles Wuorinen—are seminal figures in the development of 20th-century music and continue to be striking voices into the 21st century. The inventive spirit that makes Carter and Wuorinen’s music compelling, can also be found in the music of such 21st-century masters as John Adams, Gloria Coates, James Hartway and Joan Tower.