Robert W. Parker (August 13, 1960 – April 13, 2020) was an American

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 ...

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

, and

percussionist A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

based in Southern California. He is best known for his

sacred music Religious music (also sacred music) is a type of music that is performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence. It may overlap with ritual music, which is music, sacred or not, performed or composed for or as ritual. Relig ...

and compositions for

concert band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion famil ...

. He also wrote

incidental music Incidental music is music in a play, television program, radio program, video game, or some other presentation form that is not primarily musical. The term is less frequently applied to film music, with such music being referred to instead as t ...

for the theater. He began his career as a professional musician in his teens, playing organ for a small church meeting that met in a YMCA.
Robert W. Parker biography at American Composers Forum website. Retrieved 2008-06-11. He went on to earn a bachelor's degree from

Yale College Yale College is the undergraduate college of Yale University. Founded in 1701, it is the original school of the university. Although other Yale schools were founded as early as 1810, all of Yale was officially known as Yale College until 1887, ...

(1982), a master's degree from the

Yale School of Music The Yale School of Music (often abbreviated to YSM) is one of the 12 professional schools at Yale University. It offers three graduate degrees: Master of Music (MM), Master of Musical Arts (MMA), and Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA), as well as a joi ...

(1985), and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from

Claremont Graduate University The Claremont Graduate University (CGU) is a private, all-graduate research university in Claremont, California. Founded in 1925, CGU is a member of the Claremont Colleges which includes five undergraduate (Pomona College, Claremont McKenna Co ...

(1996).
Yale Concert Band program for April 4, 2008 concert (premiere of "''Sicut Incipiat''"). Retrieved 2008-06-11. Parker's "''Sicut Incipiat''" ("thus, let it begin"), a commencement march for concert band, was the first work to be commissioned by the Robert J. Flanagan Yale Bands Commissioning Endowment, established in 2007. The composition was added to Yale's repertoire of commencement music beginning with the university's 307th commencement ceremony in May 2008.
"Yale University Commissions Local Composer," ''Pasadena Now'', April 14, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-11. Parker's music has become part of another school's tradition: He composed the tune for "''Ancora Imparo''," the alma mater of

Illinois Central College Illinois Central College (ICC) is a public community college with its main campus in East Peoria, Illinois. It is part of the Illinois Community College System and its district, Illinois Community College District 514, is a area covering most of ...

.
"A Year of Many Successes (and One Major Life Change) for Composer Robert Parker," ''American Chronicle,'' January 10, 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-11. Parker has written sacred music for a number of Southern California churches, notably St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach, where several of his orchestral works have premiered, and Oneonta Congregational Church in South Pasadena, with which he is affiliated as a composer and performer. He composed the

anthem An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...

for the 2000

ordination Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorization, authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominational ...

of the Right Reverend J. Jon Bruno, sixth Episcopal Bishop of Los Angeles. Minute-long compositions by Parker have been featured in the 2006 Pacific Rim and 2007 Munich Mix concerts that

Vox Novus Vox Novus is a New York City-based organization consisting of composers, musicians, and music enthusiasts which presents and supports new music. Vox Novus was founded by Robert Voisey to promote contemporary composers in 2000. This organization ...

held as part of its ongoing

60x60 60x60 is a collection of 60 electroacoustic or acousmatic works from 60 different composers/artists, each work 60 seconds or less in duration. 60x60 project showcases sixty new works, each sixty seconds or less, by sixty composers in a continuous ...

electroacoustic project.
Composers page, Vox Novus website. Retrieved 2008-06-11. His theatrical compositions include music for the theater arts program at the

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

and for the critically acclaimed Rude Guerrilla Theater Company in Santa Ana, California. Parker was a teacher at (and an alumnus of)

Flintridge Preparatory School Flintridge Preparatory School, familiarly known as Flintridge Prep or simply Prep, is a coeducational day school for grades 7-12. Founded in 1933, it is located in La Cañada Flintridge, California, United States. Facilities School facilities inc ...

in La Cañada Flintridge, California.

Compositions

*"Elizabeth's Farewell" (2008) *"''Sicut Incipiat''" (2008) *"Fanfare and Cortège" (2007) *"Psalm 57: For Ground Zero" (2006) *''Mass of Peace'' (2005) *"A Promise of Comfort: For London, July 7, 2005" (2005) *"Behold My Servant: Commemorating the Installation of Right Reverend J. Jon Bruno" (2000)

Awards

2008: Robert J. Flanagan Yale Bands Endowment Commission

References

External links

Parker's official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Robert W. 1960 births 21st-century classical composers Yale College alumni Claremont Graduate University alumni Living people American male classical composers 21st-century male musicians