|
Pelican
Music Publishing would like to introduce you to our
Composers
-
Jeffrey Agrell
-
Dr.
Patricia D. Backhaus
-
Timothy J. Bowlby
-
George Chaltas
-
Barton Cummings
-
Robert Denham
-
Erica Glenn
-
Justin Groeschel
-
A.
Oscar Haugland
-
Kenneth C. Henslee
-
Henry Hofmann
-
John Humphries
-
Mert Karabey
-
Aaron Keim
-
Steve Le Bel
-
Eric Lutz
-
Gregg Marolf
-
C. J. Maxwell
-
James
Papanek
-
Michael Pariza
-
Kevin
Petersen
-
Dr.
Lynn L. Petersen
-
Dale Pforr
-
Peter Rail
-
Daniel
C. Schrader
-
Michael Sczerba, D.M.A.
-
Mort Shafer
-
Nicolas Sikaczowski
-
Charles J. Smith
-
Chris
Teichler
-
John TerMaat
-
Mary Ann Tilford
-
Daniel
Vendt
-
Robert
L. Werntz Sr.
-
Anthony Wilder
Bio Coming Soon!
Visit Jeffrey Agrell web site
Click here for a complete list of
Jeffrey Agrell's works sold by
Pelican Music.
Patricia D. Backhaus is an internationally acclaimed
trumpet and cornet soloist. Pat has been a private
studio teacher for over 20 years. In addition, she has
taught band music at every level. She attended Carroll
College in her hometown of Waukesha, WI where she earned
her BA degree in Trumpet Performance. She also holds a
MM degree and a DMA degree, both in Trumpet Performance,
from the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities. Her most
notable teachers were Dr. David Baldwin, Dr. Edgar
Turrentine, Mr. Terry Bjorkland, and Elizabeth A.H.
Green. Dr. Paul E. Bierley and William H. Rehrig
influenced her development as a music historian. Byron
Autrey, former Cornet Soloist of the Detroit Concert
Band, inspired her career as a cornet soloist. Gladys
Wright, Founder of Women Band Directors International,
Inc. (WBDI) has been a mentor.
Dr.
Backhaus has written for professional journals and
magazines including “The Instrumentalist”, “Bandworld”,
“The Journal of Band Research”, “The New York Brass
Conference”, “The Woman Conductor”, “The National Band
Association Journal”, “Windjammers” and the WMEA
Journal. She authored the method book Creative
Practice. She has presented clinics at state music
educator meetings, several papers at the Great American
Brass Band Festival, the Sonneck Society for American
Music and WBDI. In 2002 she was also a presenter at the
Midwest International Band and Orchestra Clinic. Dr.
Backhaus is the current president of WBDI and a Council
member of the Wisconsin Music Educators Association.
She is also a member of the International Trumpet Guild,
National Band Association, and the Music Educators
National Conference. Pat is a National Arts Associate
of Sigma Alpha Iota and the Alpha Sigma Chapter of Pi
Kappa Lambda National Music Honor Society. She is also
on the Executive Board, and is a co-founder of Soli Deo
Gloria Institute for the Arts, Inc. which is devoted to
developing an appreciation for the arts in worship.
Patricia is an artist/clinician for the Getzen Company.
She has performed with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra,
the Milwaukee Ballet Orchestra, the Florentine Opera,
Pamiro Symphony, Waukesha Symphony and Racine Symphony.
Along with
keyboardist Valerie Floeter, she has produced 4 CD’s of
outstanding hymntune based literature. Backhaus and
Floeter have toured to Germany twice and are preparing
to return in August of 2003 when Pat will be the guest
conductor for the Evangelical Free Church - Church Music
Day held in Zwickau, Germany.
Click here for a complete list of
Pat Backhaus' works sold by
Pelican Music.
Timothy Bowlby was born
in Wolfville Nova Scotia (Canada) on 23 Dec. 1958. He
holds degrees from the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign and Acadia University (Wolfville).Ý His
principal composition teachers were Owen Stephens
(Acadia), William Brooks, Morgan Powell, and Paul Martin
Zonn; he has also studied with Brian Ferneyhough, Libby
Larsen, Anea Lockwood, and Milton Babbitt.
Tim composes music in a
number of styles for a wide variety of media, and his
scores have been performed throughout the United States
and in Canada. Recent works include a trumpet ensemble
piece inspired by the events of September 11 2001 which
was commissioned by Ronald Romm (a former member of the
Canadian Brass). Tim is currently completing a trio for
clarinet, violoncello and piano for a group in
Huddersfield England.
Tim is also active as a
singer, researcher, and conductor. He leads a number of
church-based ensembles in the Champaign area. He was
On-line Composer-in-Residence for the NETCOMM
telementoring project at UIUC for three years and has
recently begun serving University Place Christian Church
in Champaign as their first official Resident Composer.
Click here for a complete list of Timothy Bowlby's works sold by
Pelican Music.
Born in New Haven
Connecticut, George Chaltas composed his first piece at
age 12 - a mercifully brief trio for Horn, Flute and
'Cello. He began composing more seriously in college;
several of the horn duets published by Pelican Music
date from that time. Other works include pieces for
Band, Wind Ensemble, Brass Ensemble and several Woodwind
Quintets. He received a Bachelor's degree in Music
Performance (French Horn, 1980) from the University of
New Hampshire, and Master of Music in Music Theory
(1982) and Master of Computer Science (1985) degrees
from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
George resides in Portland Oregon, works for a
microprocessor manufacturer and composes as the mood
takes him.
Click here for a complete list of George Chaltas' works sold by
Pelican Music.
Barton Cummings
Barton Cummings enjoys
a distinguished international musical career. Recognized
as an author, composer, conductor, educator and
performing artist, he has pursued these activities
successfully for more than forty years.
His consistent and scholarly writing have produced three
books, more than four hundred articles, scores of
reviews and several editorship positions. His work is
constantly citied in articles, books and dissertations
by other authors.
The music of Barton Cummings has been performed
throughout the world by such prominent artists and
ensembles as Harvey Phillips, Mark Nelson, Mary Ann
Craig, Fritz Kaenzig, Dennis Askew, Kenyon Wilson, Susan
Bradley, Susan Nigro, James J. Pellerite, Jay Easton,
Tony Clements, David Deason, Carson Coorman, Janet Polk,
Jae Young Heo, San Jose (CA) Chamber Orchestra, Bowling
Green State University Euphonium-Tuba Ensemble, Colonial
Tuba Quartet, Meridian Arts Ensemble Brass Quintet, St.
John’s Brass Quintet, Prima Toni, Tokyo Bari-Tuba
Ensemble, University of Michigan Euphonium-Tuba
Ensemble, New Castle Brass Ensemble, Harmonious Brass
Choir, University of New Hampshire Concert Choir,
University of the Pacific Wind Ensemble, University of
Memphis Concert Band, University of North Carolina –
Greensboro TubaBand, Georgia Honors Euphonium-Tuba
Choir, University of Washington Wind Ensemble and The
Chicago Symphonic Wind Ensemble.
Click here for a complete list of Barton Cummings' works sold by
Pelican Music.
A native of
the San Francisco Bay Area, Robert Denham holds a DMA in
composition from the University of Cincinnati College
Conservatory of
Music CCM) where he studied with Michael Fiday, Joel
Hoffman, and
Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon. His other degrees are from UCLA
(MA
Composition) where he studied with Roger Bourland, Ian
Krouse, and the
late Jerry Goldsmith, and Biola University (BM, Trumpet
Performance).
Mr. Denham managed the annual new music festival MusicX
for four years,
and currently teaches Theory and Composition at Northern
Kentucky
University.
Denham’s music includes works of every genre and has
been performed
across the United States and Europe by such performers
and ensembles as
Timothy Lees (Concertmaster, Cincinnati Symphony
Orchestra), the CCM
Philharmonia, the Los Angeles Flute Quartet, the Orion
Saxophone
Quartet, the CCM Chamber Players, and the Academia
Musicale di San
Casciano Orchestra e Coro di bambini (Florence, Italy).
Performances of
his music include such notable venues as the 2006 SCI
National
Conference, Composers Inc., Culver City Chamber Music Series, the
Pacific Contemporary Music Center (Long Beach CA), and
the Ernest Bloch
Festival (Newport OR). He has won numerous competitions,
including the
Hvar International Composition Competition (Croatia),
the CCM
Philharmonia Composition Competition,the Gluck Brass
Quintet
Composition Competition, and was the 1998 recipient of
the coveted
Stanley Wilson Composer’s Award (UCLA). For more
information, visit
the composer’s website at http://robertdenham.blogspot.com.
Click here for a complete list of Robert
Denham's works sold by
Pelican Music.
Erica Glenn
has composed for music ensembles ranging from brass
quartets to string orchestras to musical theater
choruses. As a child, she entered the BYU Composition
Competition and took second place against contestants
twice her age. Erica’s choral compositions have been
performed by the Utah Children’s Choir, the PGHS Chamber
Choir, and the Arizona State University Women’s Chorus.
In 2004, her children’s musical, Between the Lines
was awarded first prize in the VIP Arts Competition. One
of Erica’s most recent compositions (a two piano/eight
hand piece entitled Factal) was premiered on
February 14, 2005, in ASU’s Katzin Concert Hall by the
students of Walter Cosand (winner of the Eastman
Concerto Competition). Erica is currently studying music
composition at Arizona State University.
Click here for a complete list of Erica
Glenn's works sold
by Pelican Music.
Bio Not Available
Click here for a complete list of Justin Groeschel's works sold by
Pelican Music.
Haugland attended Drake University where he received a
Bachelor of Music Education degree in 1943. After
serving three years in the 324th ASF Band, Aberdeen, MD
as a French horn player, he went on to receive the
Bachelor of Music degree in Composition from
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL in 1947. In 1948
Haugland received a Master of Music degree in
Composition also from Northwestern University. He
studied Composition with Robert DeLaney.
He taught music theory, composition, and brass
instruments at West Virginia University, Morgantown, WVA
1949-1952. Attended Eastman School of Music 1952-1954
as a composition major and was a student of Howard
Hanson, Herbert Elwell, and Bernard Rogers. Awarded the
Performer's Certificate on French horn in 1954. Also
held a Teaching Assistantship in music theory. Received
the DMA degree in composition in 1956. Then he returned
to West Virginia University, Mogantown, WVA to teach
music theory, composition, and French horn from
1956-1960. Then he taught music theory and composition,
at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 1960-1992.
Taught French horn 1960-1995.
Haugland has composed for a great variety of musical
media, both instrumental and choral. Original works and
arrangements have been published by M. M. Cole
Publishing Co., Neil Kjos, Warner/Chappell, Brodt Music
Company, Musikk Husett (Oslo, Norway), Willhelm Hansen
Forlag (Denmark, Norway), Hoa Music Publisher, and
Boosey&Hawkes.
His works have been performed thoughout United States
and in the foreign countries of Argentina, Belgium,
Denmark, England, Norway, South Africa, Switzerland and
Taiwan.
Click here for a complete list of Haugland's works sold
by Pelican Music.
Ken received his Bachelor
of Music degree from Colorado State University in 1964.
Following a 20 year career in the United States Air
Force and several years as a computer programmer and
electronic technician, Ken reentered the music world in
1991. First as a performer on the Euphonium and French
Horn then as an arranger and composer of music for Horn,
Brass Quintet and Woodwind Quintet/Sextet. After
winning a composer’s contest, Ken started his own
publishing company in 1995 and proceeded to sell music
worldwide, gaining a good reputation for his works.
Having made the decision to retire, he has turned his
music over to others to publish and distribute.
Click here for a complete list of Ken
Henslee's works sold by
Pelican Music.
Henry Hofmann, a 1985
graduate from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater,
currently lives in Los Angeles, CA. A freelance
trombonist and arranger, he has recorded and performed
with many artists and groups, including Shije, George
Romano, Naked Fish, the Bowery Boys, Tribus and the
Pierce College Symphonic Wind Ensemble. Since 1998, he
has been a trombonist and writer/arranger for the jump
blues band
The Swingin’ Deacons. The band has performed in
clubs and at festivals across the United States and
plays regularly throughout southern California.
Click here for a complete list of Henry Hofmann's works sold by
Pelican Music.
John Humphries was born
in Sheffield, England and read musicology at Oxford
University. Subsequently he attended London’s Guildhall
School of Music, where he studied the natural horn with
Anthony Halstead. His editions of horn music have been
performed by many of the world’s leading horn players,
including Barry Tuckwell, Michael Thompson, Eric Ruske,
Anthony Halstead, Stephen Stirling and Frank Lloyd and
his reconstructions of Mozart’s incomplete horn concerto
movements have been praised for the “polish,
authenticity, good scholarship and talent”. He is also
well known as an arranger. One of his arrangements
appears on the legendary London Horn Sound CD while
others have been played worldwide. His arrangements for
young players appear on all the main examination
syllabuses in the UK. As a writer, he has contributed
booklet notes for many CDs and program notes for
hundreds of concerts. He has contributed articles and
reviews for The Horn Call, the Horn Magazine and Brass
Bulletin. His book, The Early horn, was published by
Cambridge University Press in 2000 and has been
described as “a superb book” “packed with usefulness”
“Rarely can anything have been written on the early
history of the horn that is quite as accessible and
flowing.” John is also a teacher and an examiner. He
lives in Surrey, England with his wife, son and daughter
and his hobbies include collecting brass instruments and
repairing them.
Click here for a complete list of
John Humphries' works sold by
Pelican Music.
Mert was born in Ankara, in
1976. He was encouraged by Professor
İlhan Baran in his first
composition studies. Mert studied composition and
orchestration with Bujor Hoinic at Bilkent University,
Faculty of Music and Performing Arts (B.Mus.; 1999.) He
went to England; studied composition with Martin Butler
at the University of Sussex (M.A.; 2001.) He finished
his proficiency in art (doctorate) studies at Bilkent
University, Institute of Music and Performing Arts in
May 2003. Since September 2000, he has been
teaching at Bilkent University. Apart from Turkey, some
of his works were performed in Ukraine, Russia, Iceland,
Denmark, Norway, USA and England
Click here for a complete list of
Mert Karabey's works sold by
Pelican Music.
Aaron Keim is a hornist
and double bassist living in Boulder, CO, pursuing a
master's degree in Musicology from University of
Colorado. He graduated with honors from University of
Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2002 with a degree in Music
Education. Aaron is a founding member of The Hyrus
Brass Quintet, Quintette L’Etoiles and The Paradise
String Band as well as a member of the
Beloit-Janesville Symphony Orchestra. Aaron’s music
has been performed by faculty and students at
UW-Whitewater and The Semplice Harbor School of Music as
well as The Mukgwonago High School Band. He has written
chamber works for brass, winds, percussion and strings
as well as works for jazz ensemble, wind ensemble and
string orchestra.
Click here for a complete list of Aaron
Keim's works sold by
Pelican Music.
After graduating from the
University of Lowell in Massachusetts with a Bachelors
in Music Education, Steve Le Bel taught junior high and
high school instrumental and high school choral music.
The Air Force then took Le Bel around the world where he
learned to enjoy music from other cultures. Now he works
in the retail sector, conducts a church choir, sings in
a madrigal group, and is the assistant
conductor/vice-president of a community band. See
www.mvcband.org. Steve
arranges both sacred and secular music for small wind
ensembles and full concert bands.
Click here for a complete list of
Steve Le Bel's works sold by
Pelican Music.
Bio Not Available
Click here for a complete list of Eric Lutz's works sold by
Pelican Music.
Gregg Marolf is originally from Bettendorf, Iowa, and studied tuba with Robert Yeats at the University of Iowa, graduating in 1976. He has been
a resident of Dubuque, Iowa since 1980 and originally taught elementary and junior high instrumental music in both the Dyersville Beckman System and Western Dubuque County
Community School District. Since 1987, he has been teaching 5th and 6th grade instrumental music for Western Dubuque at Drexler Middle School in Farley, Iowa. In addition to
being a member of the Julien Brass Quintet, Gregg is also a member of the Big Band Express, the Tri-State Wind Symphony and the Clinton Symphony Orchestra.
Click here for a complete list of
Gregg Marolf's works sold by Pelican Music.
Bio Not Available
Click here for a complete list of C. J. Maxwell's works sold by Pelican Music.
James Papanek has a BM in
Education with a minor in classical guitar from
Roosevelt University, Chicago. He currently teaches
private lessons in Chicago and Glenview, Illinois in
addition to composing.
His areas of
interest are in the genres of symphonic, chamber, and
solo music; Christian, children's, and modern rock
songs. In addition to performing various styles of music
on the guitar (principal instrument), James has
performed in orchestras as a cellist and a violist. He
also has experience with project studio recording. Some
of James' works that have been performed are classical
guitar pieces, a song for solo voice, and his first
symphony which was performed at Concordia University at
River Forest, Illinois in the fall of 2002.
Click here for a complete list of James Papanek's works sold by Pelican Music.
Michael Pariza
MICHAEL W. PARIZA, PH.D. is the Director of the Food
Research Institute and Wisconsin Distinguished Professor
of Food Microbiology and Toxicology, University of
Wisconsin--Madison. He is recognized by Thompson-ISI as
one of the most “Highly Cited Researchers” of the last
two decades. His avocation is music composition.
Pariza began composing while in high school and his
first significant composition, entitled March and Air,
was premiered by his high school orchestra. As an
undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison he
majored in both Bacteriology and Music (theory and
history emphasis). At the UW-Madison School of Music,
Pariza studied theory and composition with several
members of the faculty including Hilmar
Luckhardt and Robert Crane, and
composed for piano, chorus, and chamber groups.
One of his choral compositions, entitled You Shall
Have a Song, was performed by a choir under his
direction; the performance won first place at a choral
competition. Recently he returned to composing.
Click here for a complete list of Michael Pariza's works sold by Pelican Music.
Kevin Petersen graduated
with a B.A. in Music Education from UW-Madison in 1982
and and continued on with Master studies in Trombone
performance at UW-Milwaukee until becoming an Air
Traffic Controller in 1985. His trombone teachers were
Bill Richardson and David Ruck. Though he studied both
classical and jazz styles, the last ten years have seen
a definite progression towards jazz. He is a member and
performs regularly with the Moonlight Jazz Orchestra (an
eighteen piece Big Band jazz group,
www.moonlightjazz.com), Clutch Cargo (an oldies rock
band,
www.clutchcargorocks.com), Opanjii (a smooth jazz
group), and Bonedaddyz (a jazz trombone ensemble) When
he isn't controlling air traffic and performing, he is
at home arranging or composing music.
Click here for a complete list of Kevin
Petersen's works sold by
Pelican Music.
Lynn L. Petersen grew
up in Wisconsin and was one of five siblings in a
musical family. She began piano lesson at the age of six
with her mother as her first teacher, and showed an
interest in composition and improvisation at an early
age. While piano has always been her primary instrument,
she has also studied organ, violin, and voice. She
earned a B.S. in Elementary Education from Dr. Martin
Luther College, a Master of Church Music degree from
Concordia College-River Forest, and a Ph.D. in Music
Theory and Composition from the University of Minnesota.
Her composition teachers included Dominick Argento, Paul
Fetler, Richard Hillert, Carl Schalk, and Richard
Wienhorst. She currently holds the position of Associate
Professor of music at Carroll College in Helena,
Montana. Before arriving at Carroll she taught music at
St. Olaf College, the University of Minnesota, and St.
Cloud State University, and she held several church
music positions in Minneapolis-St. Paul and Colorado
Springs. In 2004 she was awarded a grant through the
Myrna Loy Center Grants to Artists program to compose an
original work for flute and organ for a performance in
the Helena area. She was commissioned by Regions VIII &
XI of the American Guild of Organists to arrange
“Amazing Grace” for organ, which was performed at the
Tabernacle on Temple Square during the AGO Regional
Convention held in Salt Lake City in 2003. Other
commissions include the University of Minnesota/Jerome
Foundation and the Yavapai College Symphony Orchestra.
Besides teaching at Carroll College and composing, she
remains active as an organist and pianist in the Helena
area, and she maintains a small studio of private piano
students. For more information on the composer
please visit her website:
https://www.carroll.edu/academics/arts/music/petersen/index.cc
Click here for a complete list of
Lynn Petersen's works sold by
Pelican Music.
Dale Pforr is the
Director of Music at Heritage Presbyterian Church USA in
Muskego, Wisconsin. He directs the church Chancel Choir
and conducts the Heritage Brass Ensemble made up of
church and community members. He has worked, arranged,
and written for church and school ensembles for over 45
years and has over 35 years of public school
instrumental music teaching experience. He currently is
active in studio teaching and vocal performance with the
Milwaukee Symphony Chorus. He resides with his wife
Barbara in Franklin Wisconsin.
Click here for a complete list of
Dale Pforr's works sold by
Pelican Music.
Peter D. Rail studied French horn and music theory with
Herb Winslow (Principal horn, St. Paul Chamber
Orchestra) and Kirsten Thelander (Director, Iowa school
of music) at the University of New Mexico in the 1980s.
Today as a software designer, consultant and inventor
with eleven patents, Pete transfers the concepts and
discipline of software design to music composition and
still finds time for horn choir in the Dallas area.
Click here for a complete list of
Peter Rail's works sold by
Pelican Music.
Daniel Schrader is currently studying Music at Concordia
University in River Forest, IL, specializing in music
theory and composition. He has studied under Dr.
Jonathan Stahlke and Professor Jonathan Kohrs. He has
studied several instruments including Euphonium, French
Horn, and Violin. Students at Concordia University have
performed Dan’s music since his freshman year. He has
written several pieces of music for a variety of
ensembles including clarinet trio, brass choir, symphony
orchestra, and is currently working on a piece for
symphonic band. Dan hopes to get his Masters and his
Doctorate work done in the area of composition within
the next ten years, and wishes to pursue a career
teaching while he composes.
Click here for a complete list of Daniel Schrader's
works sold by Pelican Music.
Dr.
Sczerba is a graduate of the University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign and has conducted his research on the
music of Stefan Wolpe and the music of India. He enjoys
writing music for a variety of ensembles, as well as
music for solo instruments in jazz and non-jazz
styles.. His mentors have included Charles Capwell, Guy
Garnett, Erik Lund, Chip McNeill, John Melby, Pat Pace,
Roland Paolucci, Morgan Powell, Nikola Resanovic, Paul
Zonn and Alexander Ringer.
Recent performances of Sczerba’s work include those with
the Society of Composers, Inc. in Illinois, Ohio and
Kentucky, and also in recitals on the east coast (Keene
State College) and at Urbana. He has written
commissions for the opening ceremony of Matthew House
Chapel in Champaign, Illinois and for the Sound
Speculations CD compilation of electro-acoustic
music issued by the Experimental Music Studios at the
University of Illinois. Two of his compositions,
Orbits for viola and Three Meditations for Tuba
Alone, are published by Frank E. Warren Music
Service of Sharon, MA. Sczerba's jazz saxophone ensemble
arrangement of Rogers and Hart's Have You Met Miss
Jones? is available from University of Northern
Colorado Jazz Press.
Dr.
Sczerba holds memberships with the American Composers
Forum, Chicago Composers Forum, College Music Society,
International Association for Jazz Education, Society of
Composers, Inc., and SEAMUS.
Click here for a complete list of Michael
Sczerba's works sold
by Pelican Music.
Shafer’s musical career began at the age of 2 ½ by
receiving a full scholarship to a new experimental class
for the very young at the
American Conservatory of Music in Chicago, IL. He
began private piano lesson at 6 and horn at 13 with
H. E. Nutt at the VanderCook School of Music and
then
Harry Jacobs, 3rd Horn of the Chicago
Symphony. At age 14, began playing in Chicago-area
community orchestras including Olivet Institute,
Garfield Park, Roosevelt College, Wilson Jr. College and
First National Bank. At age 16 began playing in the
newly-reorganized Phoenix Symphony. Entering Eastman
School of Music at age 17, Mort studied with Arkady
Yegudkin (“the General”).
After Eastman, he was drafted and became a member of the
6th Infantry Division Band at Fort Ord, CA
and became 1st horn of the Monterey Peninsula
Symphony. During this time, he began to teach horn
privately. Shafer’s performing career continued in
1953, when Shafer joined the Humanist Orchestra in Los
Angeles (devoted to breaking down pattern of racial
discrimination in Southern Calif. among symphony
players, and drawing such talent as Ted Dale and
Elmer Bernstein for conducting,
Buddy Collette and
Red Callendar as orchestra members, and many other
regulars from the movie studio orchestras, with hornists
including recently-deceased Gale Robinson, who was first
horn with Universal Studios at the time.) He then went
on to join the Whittier Symphony in 1955 and the Downey
Symphony and began teaching horn in 1956 in the Whittier
area. In 1965, he played under
Elmer Bernstein again with the Valley Symphony in
San Fernando Valley. In 1968, he was hired to play 1st
horn in Victoria, B.C., Symphony, and returning in 1969,
to play with the Santa Monica Symphony. Shafer began
playing in the
Casa Italiana Opera Orchestra, in Los Angeles.
During this period, he also conducted for the Plummer
Park Opera Workshop, Wilshire-Ebell Theater (Hollywood
Opera Ensemble) and the Casa Italiana Opera. In 1998,
he moved to Seattle and joined the Emerald City Symphony
and finally retired from performing in 1999.
Shafer also had a successful career in teaching
orchestra and band at Whaley Jr. High, Compton, CA and
then Jr. High Band and Chorus in Rialto, CA with both
ensembles rising to the top of their respective area
In 1969, he began his
composing career. He wrote several original
compositions for full orchestra, including his “First
Suite (the “Life Is” suite), “2nd Suite”, and
“Winning Number”, which is based on a telephone number
of a sweetheart. “Winning Number” was premiered in 1975
by the Pacific Palisades Symphony. In 1976, Shafer was
commissioned by the Cousteau Society to write the music
for their forthcoming planned educational filmstrip, “A
Day In The Life Of The Sea”, which he orchestrated for
woodwind nonet. However, the project was put aside due
to objections by oil company sponsors. Shafer was paid
for the project by Jacques Cousteau himself. The work,
“A Day In The Life Of The Sea” was premiered in 1977 by
players of the San Bernardino College Symphony and
performed again in 2001 by the Pacific Chamber
Ensemble. In 1999, began composing horn ensemble
arrangement for the Puget Sound Horn Society. Shafer
has previously been published by “The Hornist’s Nest”,
but is now exclusively published by Pelican Music
Publishing.
Click here for a complete list of
Mort Shafer's works
sold by Pelican Music.
Nicolas
Demetrius Sikaczowski started playing music when he was
eight years old. Though he has studied piano, saxophone
and percussion, he began to study guitar, his primary
instrument, at age 12. At age 18, he began to study
classical guitar. Three months later, he received the
Helen Wright Award for his classical guitar playing, and
received the opportunity to perform at the Woodstock
Opera House.
Sikaczowski is currently attending Millikin University
as a commercial music major, where he has studied
composition with Dr. Jeff Morton, Dr. Jeremy Brunk, and
Professor John Stafford, and studies guitar with
Professor Manley Mallard. Recently, he took leave from
his studies at Millikin for a semester to study
electronic music composition and philosophy at the
University of Adelaide in Australia.
Nicolas has completed composing the full soundtracks for
three Independent films, including one full-length
film. He recorded a CD, entitled “Underwater”,
consisting of the soundtracks for these three films. He
invites you to visit his website at
http://music_4_film.tripod.com.
Click here for a complete list of
Nicolas Sikaczowski's works
sold by Pelican Music.
Charles Joseph Smith started playing the piano when he
was 8 and composing music when he was ten. His piano
teachers included James Williams, Sophia Zukerman,
Emilio del Rosario, Pawel Checinski, Sharon Rogers,
Kenneth Drake, Gustavo Romero and William Heiles. His
composition teachers were Charlotte Lehnhoff and Sever
Tipei.
Charles graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Music in
Piano Performance at the Chicago Musical College of
Roosevelt University (which is now the Chicago Center
for the Performing Arts). He also earned a Master of
Music in Piano Performance and a Doctor of Musical Arts
in Piano Performance and Literature at the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
As a
high school student, Charles was a frequently awarded
musician. For instance, in 1984, he won first place in
the CAMTA (Chicago Area Music Teachers Association)
piano contest. He received the Zoltán Kodály Academy
and Institute Honorary Award in 1987 at the Three Arts
Club in Chicago—one of the youngest musicians to ever
receive the award. In 1988, he won first place in the
Society of American Musicians (SAM) competition at
Roosevelt University, in Chicago. In the same year, he
won first place in the Classical Music and Composition
categories in the ACT-SO competition in Chicago. He
then represented ACT-SO in the national Competition in
Washington D.C. and won second place in Classical
Music. In 1989, he took first place in the local
competition in the same categories and again represented
ACT-SO in the National Competition. Then in 1990, he
won the ACT-SO First Place Award in Musical Composition
at the local level, and represented ACT-SO in the
National Competition in Los Angeles.
During undergraduate studies at Roosevelt University,
Charles earned a Franklin Honor Society Award. In
addition, he also was featured as a guest soloist with
the South Side Family Chamber Orchestra on at least
seven occasions, under conductors like Delano O’Banion
and Terrance Gray. They did performances of piano
concertos from Beethoven, Mozart, and Edvard Grieg. At
one time, Charles and the orchestra performed outside
the Daley Plaza in Chicago in July 1987.
He
has also had success as a pianist abroad. He attended
the French Piano Institute in Paris in July 2000 and won
an Honorable Mention in their final recital and
competition. He went to Italy in 2001 to compete in the
IBLA Grand Prize International Competition in Sicily,
where he won Honorable Mention for Musicianship. In the
same year, he also performed in a master class under the
famous Hungarian pianist Csaba Király at the
International Piano Master Class in Budapest.
In
addition to his piano accomplishments, Charles also has
an interest in creative writing, especially poetry. He
adores ballroom, Latin, and swing dancing, and his
favorite dance is the salsa. He also continues to
compose music.
Click here for a complete list of Charles
Smith's works sold by
Pelican Music.
Dr. R. Christopher
Teichler has been an active musician for
over 20 years as composer, conductor,
performer, and teacher. He earned a Bachelor
of Music degree in Composition from the
Wheaton College Conservatory of Music, and a
Master of Music and Doctor of Music degrees
in Composition from Northwestern University.
As a gifted composer, Dr. Teichler has
received awards from Wheaton College, the
Elmhurst Jazz Festival, WFMT 98.7 FM
Chicago, and the National Band Association’s
Young Composer Mentor Project, where he was
privileged to work with composers Mark
Camphouse, Julie Giroux, and James Curnow.
As an accomplished conductor, Dr. Teichler
has directed numerous ensembles including
orchestra, wind ensemble, jazz band, choir,
musical theatre, and opera for Wheaton
College, Trinity International University,
the Round Lake Area Community Band, and West
Suburban Community Church.
As a respected teacher, he has taught
composition, conducting, aural skills,
trumpet, and piano, and his experience
includes teaching at Wheaton, Trinity, and
Northwestern University, as well as
privately. Currently, Dr. Teichler is on
faculty at Trinity International University,
where he directs the Trinity Community
Philharmonic Orchestra, founded and directs
the jazz band, and teaches composition. He
also serves as the music director at West
Suburban Community Church in Elmhurst, IL.
He resides in Aurora with his wife, Sarah,
and their four beautiful children.
Visit Chris Teichler personal web site
Click here for a complete list of Chris
Teichler's works sold by
Pelican Music.
Bio Not Available
Click here for a complete list of John TerMaat's works sold by
Pelican Music.
Bio Not Available
Click here for a complete list of Mary Ann Tilford's works sold by
Pelican Music.
Daniel P.
Vendt is an award-winning composer who is pursuing a
career in film and television music. Recent honors
include the premier of his score for the silent film
Persephone (Blue Damen Pictures), recording and
conducting a score at Capitol Records, and being
selected as a Graduate Student Speaker for the 2008
Commencement Ceremonies at Columbia College Chicago.
While in High
School, Daniel demonstrated unique talent and ability
through many awards and recognitions, including being a
member of two All-State Bands, being chosen as a Drum
Major, and being recognized as the Most Outstanding
Music Student at his High School.
Graduating cum
Laude from Illinois Wesleyan University in 2005, Daniel
was a pioneer in the composition program by being the
first student to have original film music performed at a
student recital. Two years later, he repeated this feat
by being the first to feature original film music at
their Senior recital. While at IWU, he also wrote and
directed three short films about student life, that he
then scored and produced.
Shortly after
graduating from IWU, Daniel was the first student
accepted to a brand new MFA Music Composition for the
Screen program at Columbia College Chicago, also
receiving the prestigous Follett Fellowship from the
school. A founding director of Chicago-based Blue Damen
Pictures, Daniel keeps busy with many score projects,
collaborating with both independent artists and
Columbia-sponsored films.
Daniel is an accomplished Pianist and Horn player, but
also brings his experience with countless other
instruments to a score.
Visit
Daniel Vendt's web site.
Click here for a complete list of Daniel Vendt's works sold by
Pelican Music.
Robert (Bob) Werntz, son
of music instructor Lester Werntz, has extensive
experience in professional performance, recording and
composing. As a performer (trumpet), Bob has played in
numerous jazz bands. He played in an all-star Dixieland
Band in Door County, Wisconsin with musicians from
around the nation, and directed the
Moonlight Jazz Orchestra in Rockford, Illinois for
several years. He was awarded the Outstanding Soloist
Award at a Governor’s State University jazz competition
and graduated from Northern Illinois University.
Bob is an award-winning
(Keyboard Magazine) composer, and has composed a
wide-range of music: music for ballet and jazz dance
classes, ‘Alice’ a score for ballet based upon ‘Alice in
Wonderland’, big band charts, brass quintet pieces
(including works commissioned by the Branson Brass
Quintet, Branson, MO), television and radio jingles and
commercials, television theme songs and background
music, and Christian, Adult Contemporary and Country
songs. He has also written a book called ‘Creative
Improvisation’, reviewed and endorsed by Clark Terry,
which teaches a unique method for learning to create
interesting jazz improvisations and solos.
Bob served Park Hills
Evangelical Free Church in Freeport, Illinois as their
Pastor of Worship for several years. He and his wife
have three sons (Craig, Chad and Rob) and currently live
in Tegucigalpa, Honduras with their youngest, where they
lead a team of Christian missionaries planting churches
with the Evangelical Free Church of America –
International Mission. He enjoys the tranquil lifestyle
in Honduras, leads worship in a church plant, works as a
studio musician, and appears frequently on television
and in various types of jazz dates around the country.
Click here for a complete list of Robert
Werntz's works sold by
Pelican Music.
Bio Not Available
Click here for a complete list of Anthony Wilder's works sold by
Pelican Music.
|
