Influenced by futurism, Igor Stravinsky brought bold, primal sounds to his classical scene. His famous ballet, "The Rite of Spring," even caused riots after people heard it in Paris. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential persons of the century. Stravinsky is known as the first great composer of the 20th century, a master of neoclassicism, and a prime influence on the outplay of how the rest of the century would play out in the classical music world.
Perhaps the most famous conductor of modern classical music, Leonard Bernstein was the music director of the New York Philharmonic for decades. He wrote music for orchestras, films and musicals, his most popular being for "West Side Story." He has received multiple Grammy awards for his works.
With a difficult palette of work, even for some classical purists, John Cage is the paradigm of experimental classical music. His most infamous work is "4'33," in which the musicians hold their instruments ready to play, but never make a sound. Cage was also a philosopher, who believed that music was all around, not something that could be determined by Western sentimentalities. His hyper-minimalism later influenced composers like Philip Glass and electronic music pioneer Brian Eno.
Aaron Copland is an American composer who became famous for combining classical and American folk styles. His music conveyed the vast feeling of the western American landscape. His film scores for "Of Mice and Men," "The North Star" and "The Heiress" are notable works.
Just as Copland fused another American style with a classical music, George Gershwin invoked jazz into his compositions. Most renowned for Rhapsody in Blue, Gershwin's music was both easily melodic and complex in scope. He often worked with his brother Ira, a lyricist who wrote mostly for Broadway musicals.