Farberman studied percussion at Juilliard, and composition at the New England Conservatory and at Tanglewood with Aaron Copland.
[2] Farberman's conducting positions included principal guest conductor of the Denver Symphony Orchestra in 1963, and music director and conductor of the Colorado Springs Orchestra from 1967 to 1970, and the Oakland Symphony Orchestra (later reorganized as the Oakland East Bay Symphony) from 1971 to 1979, where he gave a rare concert performance of Scott Joplin's folk opera Treemonisha.
During Farberman's tenure with the Oakland Symphony, there were concerns about his work as music director, and his difficult relationship with the orchestra.
[4] Farberman founded the Conductors' Guild in 1976, and was founder and director of the Conductors' Institute, a summer conducting program initiated at the Hartt School,[5] and now located at Bard College.
Farberman's compositions included three operas; many works for orchestra and chamber ensembles; the film score to the Academy Award–winning documentary, The Great American Cowboy; and music for dance companies.