Born in Brooklyn in 1924, Laderman trained at Brooklyn College and Columbia University; his teachers included composer Stefan Wolpe. He has written symphonic works for the Philadelphia Orchestra, National Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, and other ensembles; his compositions also include film scores and an opera based on the life of Marilyn Monroe.

According to G. Schirmer, his publisher, Laderman "incorporates a lyrical style into a contemporary context, using tonal material in combination with atonal elements and seeking out unusual formal structures for his compositions."

Laderman has taught at Sarah Lawrence College and the State University of New York at Binghamton; he is currently on the faculty of the Yale School of Music.