Stephen Barber
ARE Welcomes Mr. Barber to our family of artists for See The Music, Hear The Dance, July 2009. From the time he picked up his first musical instrument at the age of three, Stephen Barber knew that music was his calling. Genealogically speaking, his career path was preordained: his mother, grandparents and a host of cousins were all musically gifted.
Barber is part West Texas renegade, part classical composer, part poet, and part rock-n-roller. His work is a convergence of Renaissance and Baroque literature, Episcopal church influence, a life long love affair with rhythm and blues, and a near overdose of rock and roll.
His classical training began in Texas and led to New York City and a private study with reknown composer, John Corigliano.
Today, from his south-of -the-river studio in Austin, Texas, Barber's compositions result from, as he puts it, ' an inner conversation free from constraints'. That converstion inspired him to migrate between Austin and New York off and on for 32 years where he has collaborated with music and film luminaries such as David Byrne, Keith Richards, Josef Zawinul, Ornette Coleman, T Bone Burnett, Giberto Gil, Natalie Merchant, Shelley Duvall, and many more.
Returning to Texas in 2000, Barber brought with him musical influences from the streets of Manhattan, his experiences as an international musical linguist and a determination to explore his own voice, which springs from his world travels and is informed by his mentors, his genres, and his loves.
To the artists who have worked with Barber, his persona and style are legendary. Awaiting those whose paths have yet to intersect with Barber as a composer, arranger, musician or muse, is a journey into a strange and mystical place where his passion for global musical dialects and classical music perfectly interlock with his rock-n-roll roots and produce a truly amazing range of possibilities.
ROB DEEMER
Rob Deemer is extremely active today as a composer, conductor, educator and advocate for thearts. Such groups as the U.S Army Orchestra (Pershing's Own), Millar Brass Ensemble, Austin Civic Orchestra, the University of Texas Symphony, wind bands at the University of North Texas, Roosevelt University, Texas State University and Northern Illinois University and the new music ensembles at the University of Texas and University of Oklahoma have performed Deemer's works. His music has been received recognitions by BMI, Down Beat Magazine, Voices of Change, the Austin Civic Orchestra, the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra and Manhattan Beach Music. In 2007, Rob was received a nomination from the Austin Critics Table for Best Composition for ARE's performance of his work, La Maja Dolorosa.
In addition to his work as an educator, conductor, arts administrator and radio host, Rob Deemer continues to compose music that is both thoughtful and playful. His work has been commissioned and performed by such groups as the American Repertory Ensemble, Rascher Saxophone Quartet, U.S Army Orchestra (Pershing’s Own), Quintet of the Americas, Millar Brass Ensemble, Chicago Trombone Quartet, Austin Civic Orchestra, University of Texas Symphony, wind bands at the University of North Texas, SUNY-Fredonia, Roosevelt University, Texas State University and Northern Illinois University and the new music ensembles at the University of Texas and University of Oklahoma. In addition, artists such as violists Aurélien Pétillot and David Rose, saxophonist David Box, trombonists Mark Fisher and Peter Ellefson, singers Joe Dan Harper, Angela Haas, Rebekkah Hilgraves and Aurora Sein Perry, trumpeter Christopher Carrillo, harpists Delaine Fedson and Megan Metheny and tubist Janet Tracy have all commissioned works from him.
In 2005, Rob teamed up with choreographer David Justin to create the American Repertory Ensemble with whom his music has been nominated twice for an Austin Critics Table award. In 2007 he stepped down from his position as Artistic Director of Music to begin his current position of Assistant Professor and Head of Composition in the School of Music at the State University of New York at Fredonia in western NY state.
Composers
HYWEL DAVIES
Hywel Davies is a composer and sonic artist. He is currently at work on a permanent sound installation for the remodelled Sevenoaks Library and Arts Gallery and a piece for the Arts Council England telephone system. Concert works in progress include new works for piano solo for Marc Ryser (Switzerland) and Luciane Cardassi (Brazil); for Mexican harpist Mercedes Gomez; and for Canadian ensemble Méduse.
DAVE DOUGLAS
Dave Douglas is widely recognized as one of the most important and original American musicians to emerge from the jazz and improvised music scene of the last decades. His collaborations as a trumpeter read like a who's who of important contemporary artists: John Zorn, Joe Lovano, Bill Frisell, Don Byron, Steve Lacy, Fred Hersch, Anthony Braxton, Myra Melford, Andy Bey, Nick Didkovsky, Trisha Brown, Terry Winters, Jennifer Tipton, Louis Sclavis, Henry Grimes, Tim Berne, Tom Waits, Rabih Abou-Khalil, DJ Olive, Ikue Mori, Han Bennink, Misha Mengelberg, Chris Potter, Uri Caine, Mark Turner, Roswell Rudd, Andrew Cyrille, Marc Ribot, Karsh Kale, Mark Dresser, Mark Feldman, Marty Ehrlich, and many others.
From 1996 - 2001 led the Dave Douglas Quartet, featuring Chris Potter, James Genus, and Ben Perowsky, to record two albums of new material. In 1996 & 1997 Dave composed for, recorded and toured with a double quartet entitled Sanctuary in homage to Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz, and John Coltrane's Ascension. From 1999 to 2001 composed the score for "EL Trilogy", an evening length dance choreographed by Trisha Brown and staged by Terry Winters. Multi-day overviews of his music have been presented at the San Sebastian Jazz Festivalk, Groningen Jazz Marathon, Cologne Music Trienale, Vancouver Jazz festival, and the New York Jazz Festival.
For the past half decade Dave Douglas has repeatedly been named trumpeter, composer, and jazz artist of the year by such organizations as the New York Jazz Awards, Down Beat, Jazz Times, Jazziz, and the Italian Jazz Critics' Society. In addition to his work as a trumpeter, composer and bandleader leading a wave of innovative, ground breaking and socially and politically aware artists, Douglas is also a sought after educator. Douglas is currently Artistic Director at the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music.
Douglas' own ensembles have toured widely since 1994, performing at major jazz and new music festivals in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Ireland, Germany, Austria, France, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Finland, Estonia, Australia and New Zealand.
photo of Dave Douglas by Jimmy Katz
Johannes Brahms
Bohuslav Martinu
Dmitri Shostakovich
Igor Stravinsky
Pyotr Iiyich Tchaikovsky
Ralph Vaughn Williams
© American Repertory Ensemble 2007
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