Gregory Fritze is a former chair of the Composition Department at the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

. Fritze has also been a performer with

Boston Ballet The Boston Ballet is an American professional classical ballet company based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1963 by E. Virginia Williams and Sydney Leonard, and was the first professional repertory ballet company in New England. I ...

, Rhode Island Philharmonic, and other orchestras.

Accomplishments

Fulbright scholar to Spain. Recipient of a Walt Disney Fellowship Recipient of several composition awards from

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadca ...

Awarded First Prize in T.U.B.A. composition contest. Received 1996 composition award "Menzione d'Onore del Premio" from Accademia Angelica Constantiniana. A Meet the Composer grant. Winner of the 1998 IBLA Grand Prize in Composition by the European International Competition Ibla, Sicily. He has Compositions performed nationally and internationally with recordings on Mark Records, Crystal Records, and CRI.

Biography

Gregory Fritze was born in Allentown, Pennsylvania in 1954. Taking up the Tuba as his principal instrument, he received his bachelor's degree in Composition from the

Boston Conservatory Boston Conservatory at Berklee (formerly The Boston Conservatory) is a private performing arts conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, music, and theater. Boston Conservatory was founded ...

. At the Boston Conservatory he studied composition with

John Adams John Adams (October 30, 1735 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, attorney, diplomat, writer, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the second president of the United States from 1797 to 1801. Befor ...

and Tuba with Chester Roberts. He then went on to receive his master's degree in 1979 in Composition from

Indiana University School of Music The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music in Bloomington, Indiana, is a music conservatory established in 1921. Until 2005, it was known as the Indiana University School of Music. It has more than 1,500 students, approximately half of whom ar ...

, where he studied Composition with Thomas Beversdorf, John Eaton and Fred Fox, while studying Tuba with Harvey Phillips. Fritze then went on to become Principal Tubist with the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as a member of the Cambridge Symphonic Brass Ensemble, and Colonial Tuba Quartet. In addition to composing over forty compositions for orchestra, band, chamber music and soloists. He has premiered many works for Tuba, several of which, written for him, such as the Concerto for Tuba and Band by John Bavicchi and the Concerto for Tuba and Jazz Ensemble by Ken Pullig. Fritze's compositions have been published by SeeSaw Music, Minuteman Music, TUBA Press and Musica Nova. Fritze has served as a faculty member at the Berklee College of Music since 1979. While in attendance served as Conductor of the Berklle Concert Wind Ensemble from 1983–98. An advocate for new music, he began the annual Berklee student composition competition, which has produced hundreds of new compositions since its initiation in 1983. In addition to his capacity as an educator, conductor, composer, and performer; Fritze has been a guest lecturer at many colleges, and festivals spanning from the United States, Canada, Japan and Europe. These include Convegno Bandistico Cantonale in Mendrisio, Switzerland, Sapporo Music Festival, Musicfest Canada Ottawa, Musicfest Canada Calgary, Musicfest Canada Winnipeg, Musicfest Canada Toronto, Musicfest Canada Vancouver, Massachusetts Instrumental Conductors Association, Rhode Island Music Educators Association, Pennsylvania Music Educators Association, American Band Association, The Mozart Festival, New York Brass Conference, New England Tuba Festivals, and Berklee College of Music High School Jazz Festivals.

Compositions

Orchestra: Wollaston Beach
Wheaton Overture Prelude for Orchestra Three Pieces for Orchestra Wind Ensemble and Concert Band: La Playa de Wólaston Sinfonía de Valencia Concertino for Euphonium and Band Mare Nostrum Fanfare Festival Overture Jupiter Effect Two Pieces for Concert Band Invertebrate A Day in Valencia Flor de Azahar Bocetos de Cullera Variaciones Sinfónicas Magallón Instrumento de Civilizaciones Vadit Super Pozolum Chamber: The Broadway Limited Prelude and Rondo Kilimanjaro Prelude and Dance Salutation Fanfare Basso Concertino Pacman Gets Caught Vertigo Fantasia Quintet for Brass Instruments Piece for Trumpet Octet Solo Music: Sonata for Piano Basso Concertino Three Pieces for Solo Flutes Yevrah Yad Thrib Bypah Sonata Six Pieces

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fritze, Gregory Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American composers 21st-century tubists 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century classical composers American male classical composers American classical composers Musicians from Allentown, Pennsylvania Boston Conservatory at Berklee alumni Jacobs School of Music alumni Berklee College of Music faculty American classical tubists Classical musicians from Pennsylvania