Roger Briggs
Encyclopedia
Roger Briggs is an American
composer
, conductor
, pianist, and educator.
, began playing the piano at age 8 and composing by age 11. His earliest teachers were Norman Hill (1960-67) and Walter Urben (1967-70) who taught at the University of North Alabama. He earned a Bachelor of Music Degree (1974) in Composition and Piano Performance from the University of Memphis
where he studied composition with Johannes Smit and Don Freund, piano with Herbert Hermann, and conducting with Richard Earhart. He then studied at the Eastman School of Music
, where he earned a Master of Music (1976) and Ph.D (1978) in Music Composition. At Eastman he studied composition with Samuel Adler
, Joseph Schwantner
, Eugene Kurtz
, Warren Benson
, and Russel Peck. He studied conducting with Gustav Meier
.
In 1978, he was appointed Professor of Composition and Conducting at Saint Mary's College
, Notre Dame, Indiana
, where he founded the Michiana New Music Ensemble, and received his first national and international recognition as a composer with works such as the solo piano work, Spirals, the chamber orchestra work, Gathering Together, and the chamber work, Chamber Music.
During this period he completed post-doctoral work at the Dartington Institute in Totnes
, England where he studied composition and contemporary conducting techniques with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
and John Carewe. In 1984 he studied vocal composition with composer Ned Rorem
. He received several awards including three MacDowell Colony
Fellowships, an NEA Composer Grant, two Meet the Composer Grants, and an ASCAP Award for Young Composers, among others.
In 1989 he was appointed Professor of Composition and Piano at Western Washington University
, where he founded the Contemporary Chamber Players and was appointed conductor of the University Symphony and the Opera Program. He received a Logan Seminar Fellowship, the Washington State Composer of the Year Award, and two Washington State Arts Commission Awards.
In 1996, he accepted the Artistic Director post with the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra and soon established the Whatcom Symphony Chamber Orchestra and the Music by American Composers Commissioning Series. He has also helped establish an impressive orchestral/educational outreach program in the Bellingham
area.
In 2005 the American Academy of Arts and Letters honored him with the Lieberson Award for excellence in composition. He has conducted and recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra
, the Czech Radio Orchestra, and the Prague Symphony Orchestra
. His orchestral music has been performed by the Prague Symphony, the Seattle Symphony
, the South Bend Symphony, and many other chamber orchestras in the United States. His chamber works have been performed by many established ensembles including the Da Capo Chamber Players, the New Performance Group, the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, Fear No Music, Zephyr, Third Angle and the Buffalo New Music Ensemble. His works for piano have been performed around the world. He also contributed music to the video game Civilization III
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
, pianist, and educator.
Biography
Roger Briggs, born and raised in Florence, AlabamaFlorence, Alabama
Florence is the county seat of Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the northwestern corner of the state.According to the 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the city's population was 36,721....
, began playing the piano at age 8 and composing by age 11. His earliest teachers were Norman Hill (1960-67) and Walter Urben (1967-70) who taught at the University of North Alabama. He earned a Bachelor of Music Degree (1974) in Composition and Piano Performance from the University of Memphis
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis is an American public research university located in the Normal Station neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee and is the flagship public research university of the Tennessee Board of Regents system....
where he studied composition with Johannes Smit and Don Freund, piano with Herbert Hermann, and conducting with Richard Earhart. He then studied at the Eastman School of Music
Eastman School of Music
The Eastman School of Music is a music conservatory located in Rochester, New York. The Eastman School is a professional school within the University of Rochester...
, where he earned a Master of Music (1976) and Ph.D (1978) in Music Composition. At Eastman he studied composition with Samuel Adler
Samuel Adler (composer)
Samuel Hans Adler is an American composer and conductor.-Biography:Adler was born to a Jewish family in Mannheim, Germany, the son of Hugo Chaim Adler, a cantor and composer, and Selma Adler. The family fled to the United States in 1939, where Hugo became the cantor of Temple Emanuel in...
, Joseph Schwantner
Joseph Schwantner
Joseph C. Schwantner is a Pulitzer Prize winning American composer and educator and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was awarded the 1970 Charles Ives Prize....
, Eugene Kurtz
Eugene Kurtz
Eugene Allen Kurtz was an American composer of contemporary classical music.He received an M.A. in music from the Eastman School of Music in 1949. His instructors included Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, and Max Deutsch...
, Warren Benson
Warren Benson
Warren Benson was an American composer. His compositions consist mostly of music for wind instruments and percussion...
, and Russel Peck. He studied conducting with Gustav Meier
Gustav Meier
Gustav Meier is the director of the Orchestra Conducting Program at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. He is also Music Director of the in Connecticut.-Biography:...
.
In 1978, he was appointed Professor of Composition and Conducting at Saint Mary's College
Saint Mary's College (Indiana)
Saint Mary's College is a private Catholic liberal arts college founded in 1844 by the Sisters of the Holy Cross. It is located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community northeast of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States — as are the University of Notre Dame and Holy...
, Notre Dame, Indiana
Notre Dame, Indiana
Notre Dame is a census-designated place north of South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States; it includes the campuses of three colleges: the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's College, and Holy Cross College. Notre Dame is split between Clay and Portage Townships...
, where he founded the Michiana New Music Ensemble, and received his first national and international recognition as a composer with works such as the solo piano work, Spirals, the chamber orchestra work, Gathering Together, and the chamber work, Chamber Music.
During this period he completed post-doctoral work at the Dartington Institute in Totnes
Totnes
Totnes is a market town and civil parish at the head of the estuary of the River Dart in Devon, England within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
, England where he studied composition and contemporary conducting techniques with Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
Peter Maxwell Davies
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, CBE is an English composer and conductor and is currently Master of the Queen's Music.-Biography:...
and John Carewe. In 1984 he studied vocal composition with composer Ned Rorem
Ned Rorem
Ned Rorem is a Pulitzer prize-winning American composer and diarist. He is best known and most praised for his song settings.-Life:...
. He received several awards including three MacDowell Colony
MacDowell Colony
The MacDowell Colony is an art colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire, U.S.A., founded in 1907 by Marian MacDowell, pianist and wife of composer Edward MacDowell. She established the institution and its endowment chiefly with donated funds...
Fellowships, an NEA Composer Grant, two Meet the Composer Grants, and an ASCAP Award for Young Composers, among others.
In 1989 he was appointed Professor of Composition and Piano at Western Washington University
Western Washington University
Western Washington University is one of six state-funded, four-year universities of higher education in the U.S. state of Washington. It is located in Bellingham and offers bachelor's and master's degrees.-History:...
, where he founded the Contemporary Chamber Players and was appointed conductor of the University Symphony and the Opera Program. He received a Logan Seminar Fellowship, the Washington State Composer of the Year Award, and two Washington State Arts Commission Awards.
In 1996, he accepted the Artistic Director post with the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra and soon established the Whatcom Symphony Chamber Orchestra and the Music by American Composers Commissioning Series. He has also helped establish an impressive orchestral/educational outreach program in the Bellingham
Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...
area.
In 2005 the American Academy of Arts and Letters honored him with the Lieberson Award for excellence in composition. He has conducted and recorded with the London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
, the Czech Radio Orchestra, and the Prague Symphony Orchestra
Prague Symphony Orchestra
The Prague Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1934 by Rudolf Pekárek. In the 1930s the orchestra performed the scores for many Czech films, and also appeared regularly on Czech radio. An early promoter of the orchestra was Dr...
. His orchestral music has been performed by the Prague Symphony, the Seattle Symphony
Seattle Symphony
The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra's season runs from September through July, and serves as the pit orchestra for most productions of the Seattle Opera in addition to its own concerts...
, the South Bend Symphony, and many other chamber orchestras in the United States. His chamber works have been performed by many established ensembles including the Da Capo Chamber Players, the New Performance Group, the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, Fear No Music, Zephyr, Third Angle and the Buffalo New Music Ensemble. His works for piano have been performed around the world. He also contributed music to the video game Civilization III
Civilization III
Sid Meier's Civilization III, commonly shortened to Civ III or Civ 3, is the third installment of the Sid Meier's Civilization turn-based strategy computer game series. It was preceded by Civilization II and followed by Civilization IV. The game offers very sophisticated gameplay in terms of both...
.