The National Symphony Orchestra has announced the selection of three composers from American Residency states: Nebraska, Arkansas, and South Carolina. Composers Tyler White (Nebraska), Philip Parker (Arkansas),  and John Fitz Rogers (South Carolina) will create chamber music works to be premiered by members of the NSO at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Commissions are in progress, and premiere dates will be announced at a later time.


    The Composers:

    Nebraska: Tyler White is a composer and director of orchestral activities at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has received commissions from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Chamber Symphony, and other ensembles. In 1997, Dr. White became the first Nebraskan to win the Omaha Symphony’s International New Music Competition, for his cello concerto Threnos (William Schuman in memoriam), and in 2001, the Nebraska Music Teachers Association named him Composer of the Year. Other distinctions include awards from ASCAP, BMI, the American Conservatory at Fontainebleau, and, in 2003, the Masterworks Prize for Elegy “for the orphans of terror”, which was recorded on the inaugural volume of ERMMedia’s “Masterworks of the New Era” CD series. Dr. White earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in composition from Cornell University, where he studied with Pulitzer Prize winners Steven Stucky and Karel Husa.  

    Arkansas:  Philip Parker is an Associate Professor of Music at Arkansas Tech University, where he teaches percussion, music theory, and composition. His works have been performed at conventions of the International Clarinet Society, International Trumpet Guild, and the Percussive Arts Society, among others. Awards include an Arkansas Arts Council fellowship, two prizes from the National Flute Association, and Arkansas Tech’s Excellence in Scholarship Award. In 2006, Mr. Parker served as composer-in-residence at the Fort Smith Symphony. He holds an M.M. from Indiana University and a B.A. from Wichita State University.

South Carolina: John Fitz Rogers is an Associate Professor of Composition at the University of South Carolina School of Music. His music has been performed at Carnegie Hall and the Bang on a Can Marathon, and by ensembles such as the Albany, Louisville, Charleston, and Tulsa Symphony Orchestras. Dr. Rogers is the founder and artistic director of the Southern Exposure New Music Series, a set of concerts devoted to contemporary music.  The project received the 2005-2006 Chamber Music America/ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming. He has also been honored by the American Composers Forum, the American Music Center, and the South Carolina Arts Commission. Dr. Rogers holds bachelor’s degrees from Oberlin College, a master’s degree from the Yale School of Music, and a doctoral degree from Cornell University.
 
    Composers from every state in the United States were reviewed by a committee including members of the NSO, Associate Conductor Emil de Cou, and NSO administrators, and a single composer from each state was selected for final consideration.  The finalists were then reviewed by the Music Director or Principal Conductor, who confirmed the ultimate selections.

The NSO would like to recognize the three state organizations which helped make these commissions possible:

    The Nebraska Arts Council is an agency dedicated to promoting, cultivating, and sustaining the arts for the people of Nebraska. It offers a variety of grant programs for both individuals and arts organizations, and provides financial support for schools and community groups across the state. In addition to these services, the NAC oversees the Nebraska One Percent for Art program, manages two exhibition venues for Nebraska visual artists, honors Nebraska artists annually through the Individual Artist Fellowship program, and provides arts-related resource assistance to constituents. In 1974, the Nebraska Legislature established the NAC, which is funded by the state, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. 

In Arkansas, the impetus for the Residency came from The College of Fine Arts and Communications of the University of Central Arkansas.  The College of Fine Arts and the Department of Music selected three judges (Michael Ching, Artistic and General Director of Opera Memphis in Memphis, TN; Karen Griebling, Chair of the Music Department at Hendrix College in Conway, AR; and Edward Jacobs, Associate Professor of Composition and New Music Festival Director at East Carolina University in Greenville, NC) who narrowed the applicants to four.     

The South Carolina Arts Commission works to create and sustain a thriving arts environment throughout the state. The organization focuses on arts education, community arts development, and artist development by providing services, grants, and leadership initiatives aimed at increasing public participation in the arts. The South Carolina General Assembly created the Arts Commission in 1967, and it is funded by the state and federal government through the National Endowment for the Arts.

For more information, please contact the National Symphony Orchestra:  Patricia O’Kelly, (202) 416-8443, pjokelly@kennedy-center.org