Sean Friar (born 1985 in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

) is an American composer and pianist. He currently lives in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Biography

Sean Friar was born and raised in Los Angeles. He studied Music Composition and Psychology at UCLA where he graduated in 2007. He continued his studies at Princeton University, where he received an M.F.A. and Ph.D. in Composition. His primary teachers were

Paul Chihara Paul Seiko Chihara (born July 9, 1938) is an American composer. Life and career Chihara was born in Seattle, Washington in 1938. A Japanese American, he spent three years of his childhood with his family in an internment camp in Minidoka, Idah ...

, Paul Lansky,

Steven Mackey Steven ("Steve") Mackey (born February 14, 1956) is an American composer, guitarist, and music educator. Life As a musician growing up listening to and performing vernacular American musics as well as classical music, Mackey's compositions are i ...

, and

Dmitri Tymoczko Dmitri Tymoczko is a composer and music theorist. His music, which draws on rock, jazz, and romanticism, has been performed by ensembles such as the Amernet String Quartet, the Brentano Quartet, Janus, Newspeak, the San Francisco Contemporary Playe ...

. Friar has been commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic,

Ensemble Modern Ensemble Modern is an international ensemble dedicated to performing and promoting the music of modern composers. Formed in 1980, the group is based in Frankfurt, Germany, and made up variously of about twenty members from numerous countries. Hi ...

New World Symphony New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...

Alarm Will Sound Alarm Will Sound is a 20-member chamber orchestra that focuses on recordings and performances of contemporary classical music. Its performances have been described as "equal parts exuberance, nonchalance, and virtuosity" by the ''Financial Times' ...

, American Composers Orchestra, NOW Ensemble, the

Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music is an annual Festival dedicated to contemporary symphonic music by living composers. The music director since 2017 has been Cristian Măcelaru. According to Jesse Rosen, CEO of the League of American Orc ...

Present Music The present (or here'' and ''now) is the time that is associated with the events perceived directly and in the first time, not as a recollection (perceived more than once) or a speculation (predicted, hypothesis, uncertain). It is a period of ...

, and the

Scharoun Ensemble The Scharoun Ensemble is a German chamber music group, consisting of members of the Berliner Philharmoniker. The repertoire ranges from baroque to contemporary music. Background and history The Scharoun Ensemble Berlin was founded in 1983 by memb ...

of the Berlin Philharmonic. Other performers of his music include

So Percussion Sō Percussion is an American percussion quartet formed in 1999 and based in New York City. Composed of Josh Quillen, Adam Sliwinski, Jason Treuting, and Eric Cha-Beach, the group is well known for recording and touring internationally and for th ...

, Ensemble Klang,

Crash Ensemble Crash Ensemble is an Irish new music ensemble, which performs a range of contemporary classical music, as well as touring and organising festivals. History The group was founded in 1997 by composer Donnacha Dennehy, conductor and pianist Andrew S ...

Psappha New Music Ensemble Psappha is an ensemble of contemporary classical musicians based in Manchester in the North West of England, specialised in the performance of works by living composers. Founded in 1991 by artistic director Tim Williams, the ensemble moved into a n ...

, Alter Ego (Musikensemble), Ensemble Argento, and many others. Friar is the recipient of the 2011

Rome Prize The Rome Prize is awarded by the American Academy in Rome, in Rome, Italy. Approximately thirty scholars and artists are selected each year to receive a study fellowship at the academy. Prizes have been awarded annually since 1921, with a hiatus ...

in Music Composition. He serves as the chair of the composition department at the

Lamont School of Music Lamont School of Music is the school of arts of the University of Denver, based in city of Denver, United States. In 1941, the school merged with the University of Denver. History Despite its separation from Denver University's main campus for m ...

at the

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univ ...

and was previously on the Music Composition faculty at the

USC Thornton School of Music The USC Thornton School of Music is a private music school in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1884 only four years after the University of Southern California, the Thornton School is the oldest continually operating arts institution in Los An ...

Concert Works

Friar's music is known for its propulsive energy, adventurous orchestration, and sense of humor. Large Ensemble *2009 "Out of Line" for chamber orchestra *2011 "Clunker Concerto" for percussion quartet on junk car parts and chamber orchestra *2013 "Noise Gate" for orchestra *2013 "In the Blue" for sinfonietta *2015 "Finding Time" for sinfonietta *2017 "Dynamics"/"Concerto for Cello and Wind Ensemble" for solo cello and chamber winds. *2019 "Emerald Oasis" for orchestra Solo Music *2010 ''Teaser'' for solo cello *2010 ''Oboemobo'' for solo oboe and effects pedals *2012 ''Wind-up Etude'' for solo piano *2016 ''Chrysalis'' for soloist on piano and percussion *2018 ''Elastic Loops'' for solo piano (composed 2007, revised 2018) Chamber Music *2006 "Hell-Bent" for violin, cello, and piano *2008 "Little Green Pop" for two saxophones, trombone, electric guitar, piano, percussion, and sound engineer *2008 "String Quartet" *2009 "Velvet Hammer" for flute, clarinet, electric guitar, piano, and bass *2009 "Scale 9" for clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion (also versions with flute and viola) *2010 "Fighting Words" for soprano, clarinet, electric guitar, violin, cello, percussion, drum kit, and piano *2010 "Short Winds" for woodwind quintet (alternate version for saxophone quartet) *2012 "One-Way Trip" for clarinet, horn, two violins, viola, cello, bass, and piano *2012 "Etude for English Horn and Prepared Piano" for English horn and prepared piano *2013 "Breaking Point" for clarinet, trumpet, electric guitar, two violins, viola, cello, bass, percussion, and piano *2014 "Two Solitudes" for flute, viola, and harp *2014 "Four Streets" for percussion quartet *2015 "Shades" for alto sax and piano *2016 "Kindly Reply" for brass quintet *2016 "Come Again" for two pianos *2019 "Before and After" for flute, clarinet, electric guitar, piano, and bass *2020 "Fit" for two digital pianos with dynamic microtonal pitch-mapping (using

Pianoteq ''Pianoteq'' is a software synthesizer that features real-time MIDI-control of digital physically modeled pianos and related instruments, including electric piano, harp, harpsichord, fortepiano, and various metallophones. It is usable as a stan ...

software) Electronic *2008 ''Boomdinger'' for percussion quartet and laptop orchestra. (Collaboration with composer, Cameron Britt.)

Awards

*2007, 2008, 2009, 2011

Morton Gould Morton Gould (December 10, 1913February 21, 1996) was an American composer, conductor, arranger, and pianist. Biography Morton Gould was born in Richmond Hill, New York, United States. He was recognized early as a child prodigy with abilities i ...

Young Composer Award *2008 Lee Ettelson Award *2009

Aaron Copland House The Aaron Copland House, also known as Rock Hill or Copland House, is the former home of composer Aaron Copland for the last 30 years of his life, and now also a creative center for American music. Located on Washington Street in Cortlandt Manor ...

Residency *2011

*2011 Finalist for Gaudeamus Prize *2012

Charles Ives Prize The Charles Ives Awards are scholarships for young composers, awarded annually by the American Academy of Arts and Letters The American Academy of Arts and Letters is a 300-member honor society whose goal is to "foster, assist, and sustain excel ...

*2012

Chamber Music America Chamber Music America (CMA) is an American non-profit organization that provides small ensemble professionals with access to a variety of professional development, networking, and funding resources. CMA's regular initiatives include grants, awards, ...

Classical Commissioning Grant *2013 Fromm Foundation Commission

Recordings

*2011 – "Velvet Hammer" with NOW Ensemble on "Awake" (

New Amsterdam Records New Amsterdam Records is a record label in New York City that was formed in 2008 by Judd Greenstein, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and William Brittelle to promote classically trained musicians who fall between traditional genre boundaries. Often abbrev ...

) *2012 – "Short Winds" with Madera Quintet on "Five at Play" ( Crescent Phase Recordings) *2012 – "Teaser" with Mariel Roberts on "nonextraneous sounds" (

Innova Recordings Innova Recordings is the independent record label of the non-profit American Composers Forum based in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was founded in 1982 to document the winners of the McKnight Fellowship offered by its parent organization, the Minnesot ...

) *2018 – "Kindly Reply" with the Brass Project on "Cityscaping" *2021 – "Elastic Loops" with Matthew McCright on "Endurance" (

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 ...

) *2021 – "Before and After" with NOW Ensemble on "Before and After" (

)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Friar, Sean 1985 births Living people American male composers 21st-century American composers Princeton University alumni 21st-century American male musicians