James Lentini (born February 7, 1958 in Detroit, Michigan) is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

guitarist A guitarist (or a guitar player) is a person who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of guitar family instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselv ...

, and

academic administrator Academic administration is a branch of university or college employees responsible for the maintenance and supervision of the institution and separate from the Faculty (academic staff), faculty or academics, although some personnel may have joint ...

. After completing undergraduate studies at Wayne State University in guitar performance and composition, he pursued a master‘s degree in composition at

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

and a doctorate from the University of Southern California, where he studied composition with

Robert Linn Robert P. Linn (December 27, 1908 – August 22, 2004) was among the longest-serving mayors in the United States. Linn, a Republican, served 58 years as the mayor of Beaver, Pennsylvania, a borough around northwest of Pittsburgh. Biography Lin ...

and

Morten Lauridsen Morten Johannes Lauridsen (born February 27, 1943) is an American composer. A National Medal of Arts recipient (2007), he was composer-in-residence of the Los Angeles Master Chorale from 1994 to 2001, and is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus of ...

. In addition to composing, Lentini is a guitarist who has studied with

William Kanengiser William Kanengiser (born July 22, 1959) is a classical guitarist. He is one of the founding members of the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ). Kanengiser was born in Orange, New Jersey.Maurice J. Summerfield: ''The Classical Guitar. Its Evolutio ...

, Joe Fava, and Charles Postlewate.

Compositions

His music has been performed by solo artists such as guitarist

and by international ensembles including the Krakow Philharmonic (Poland) and the

Bohuslav Martinů Bohuslav Jan Martinů (; December 8, 1890 – August 28, 1959) was a Czech composer of modern classical music. He wrote 6 symphonies, 15 operas, 14 ballet scores and a large body of orchestral, chamber, vocal and instrumental works. He bec ...

Orchestra (Czech Republic). In addition to many commissions, his honors include first prize in the 2004 Choral Composition Contest at Bluffton University for his composition "Peace I Leave With You," the 2002 Andrés Segovia International Composition Prize for his solo guitar piece "Westward Voyage," the Atwater-Kent Composition Award (first Prize), the McHugh Composition Prize, a grant from "

Meet the Composer New Music USA is a new music organization formed by the merging of the American Music Center with Meet The Composer on November 8, 2011. The new organization retains the granting programs of the two former organizations as well as two media progra ...

," and several 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 ...

. In 2003, Lentini participated as a juror in the Segovia International Guitar Competition in La Herradura, Spain. He has been a Visiting Artist at the American Academy in Rome, and his work has been featured in new music festivals throughout Europe and the United States. In reviewing the recording "James Lentini, Chamber Music," released on the American Classics series by

Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about 1 ...

, critic Laurence Vittes, writing in Gramophone Magazine, called Lentini a "...typical classical music success story," and went on to describe Lentini's composition "Scenes from Sedona" by stating that "...the pièce de résistance of the disc may be 'Scenes from Sedona,' perhaps the best piece for viola and cello since Beethoven’s 'Eyeglasses' duet. In 2009, Lentini's suite for solo guitar entitled "The Four Seasons" was published by Mel Bay.

Academic career

From 2003 to 2007, Lentini served as the founding Dean of the School of Art, Media, and Music at The College of New Jersey. Previously, Lentini held the position of Professor of Composition at Wayne State University from 1988 to 2003, where he also served as Acting Chair and Associate Chair of the Department of Music. In 2007, Lentini accepted the appointment of Dean of the School of Creative Arts at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, overseeing the Departments of Music, Art, Theatre, and Architecture/Interior Design, in addition to the Performing Arts Series and the University Museum. He is recognized as an arts advocate and fundraiser through his efforts to promote the importance of the arts in education. In 2012, his new musical arrangement of Miami University's Alma Mater was performed in

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

. In 2013, Lentini received a Career Achievement Award in the Field of Music from Wayne State University. In May, 2013, he was named as the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost at

Oakland University Oakland University is a public research university in Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, Michigan. Founded in 1957 through a donation of Matilda Dodge Wilson, it was initially known as Michigan State University-Oakland, operating under the Mi ...

Rochester, MI Rochester is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 12,711 at the 2010 census. It is a northern suburb in Metro Detroit located 20 miles north of the city of Detroit. Rochester was the first European settleme ...

. In 2020, he was named as president of Molloy College.

Publications and recordings

His works are published by Mel Bay, Editorial de Musica Española Contemporanea, Acoma Editions, Doberman-Yppan, and the Society of Composers, Inc. Recordings appear on the Navona, Naxos, Capstone, and CRS recording labels.

References

Other sources

*James Michael Floyd
''Composers in the Classroom.''

Scarecrow Press Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group is an independent publishing house founded in 1949. Under several imprints, the company offers scholarly books for the academic market, as well as trade books. The company also owns the book distributing compa ...

, 2011. *Raymond Tuttle
"James Lentini: Building One's Own Audience."
Fanfare Magazine, Nov-Dec 2010, pp. 110–118. Retrieved through EBSCO Host Connection, Nov 2, 2012. *Michael Cameron
"Lentini, Orchestra Hall Suite."
Fanfare Magazine, Nov-Dec 2010, pp. 118–119. Retrieved through EBSCO Host Connection, Nov 2, 2012. *Mark Stryker
"Winning Music, Strong Recordings."
The Detroit Free Press, October 24, 2010. *Laima
James Lentini-Chamber Music, WRUV Reviews, September 7, 2010
*Christopher Davis
"Monday Motivation: James Lentini."
September 6, 2010. . Retrieved June 5, 2011. *Steve Hicken
"College Town."
Sequenza 21/, August 12, 2010. *Bryce Rankin, Society of Composers, Inc, ''Grand Designs''. Rev. of James Lentini's ''Music for Brass.'
21st Century Music, May, 2000
pg. 34. *Mark Stryker
"Composers Infuse Music with Electronic Sounds."
The Detroit Free Press, February 12, 1999.

External links

*
Allmusic Bio for James Lentini

James Lentini Radio at Pandora Internet Radio

Comcast Newsmakers Television Interview

The Rawlins Piano Trio, Opposites Attract by James Lentini, Azica Records

WGUC Radio Playlist: James Lentini, solo guitar
*
WCPE Radio Playlist: James Lentini's "Montage"

"The Four Seasons" by James Lentini published by Mel Bay

Naxos American Classics, James Lentini, Chamber Music

Capstone Recordings, James Lentini, Music for Brass

CRS Recordings, "Montage" recorded by the St. Clair Trio

James Lentini Wins XV Andrés Segovia Composition Competition
(listed in history of the competition)

* ttps://productionsdoz.com/nos-artistes/lentini-james?lg=en_US “Concerto for Guitar and Strings” by James Lentini, published by Doberman-Yppan {{DEFAULTSORT:Lentini, James 1958 births Living people 20th-century classical composers American male classical composers American classical composers 21st-century classical composers Miami University faculty Wayne State University faculty American classical guitarists American male guitarists USC Thornton School of Music alumni Michigan State University alumni Wayne State University alumni 20th-century American guitarists 21st-century American guitarists Guitarists from Detroit 20th-century American composers Classical musicians from Michigan 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians