Jess Langston Turner (born 1983) is 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 def ...

, who is known primarily for his

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 instrument, woodwind, brass ...

and

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

music Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

Biography

Jess Langston Turner was born in Greenville,

South Carolina South Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders North Carolina to the north and northeast, the Atlantic Ocean to the southeast, and Georgia (U.S. state), Georg ...

in 1983, the son of Dan and

Jamie Langston Turner Jamie Langston Turner (born 1949) is a Christian novelist. Biography Jamie Turner was born in Mississippi and taught writing and poetry at Bob Jones University. She has written eight novels: ''Suncatchers'' (1995), ''Some Wildflower in My Heart'' ...

, professors at Bob Jones University. He took

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

lessons at age 8, and

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

at age 11. He attended

Bob Jones University Bob Jones University (BJU) is a private university in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. It is known for its Conservatism in the United States, conservative and Evangelicalism in the United States, evangelical cultural and religious posit ...

, where he took bachelor's and master's degrees in trumpet performance. He then moved on to the

University of Hartford The University of Hartford (UHart) is a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut, United States. Its main campus extends into neighboring Hartford and Bloomfield. It enrolled approximately 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students as ...

, where he earned a master's in musical composition. In 2015 he completed a doctorate in composition from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

Awards

Jess Langston Turner's compositions have won many awards. As a college student, his ''Sonata for Trumpet and Piano'' won the MTNA Young Artist Composition Award. His choral piece ''All This Night'' won the

John Ness Beck John Ness Beck (November 11, 1930 – June 25, 1987) was an American composer and arranger of choral music, best known for his settings of traditional Sacred music. His works are frequently performed by high school, college, church, community, a ...

award in 2007, finishing in first place among unpublished works. After being published in 2008, it also won the Roger Wagner International Choral Composition Contest in 2009. His band piece ''Rumpelstilzchen'' won the 2010 Walter Beeler Prize for Wind Composition. His concert band music has been well received by the band community.

Recordings

Jess Langston Turner's music has been recorded on five occasions, all by concert bands. Rumplestilzchen was recorded by the North Texas Wind Symphony and the

Hartt School The Hartt School is the performing arts conservatory of the University of Hartford, a private university in West Hartford, Connecticut. Founded in 1920 by Julius Hartt and Moshe Paranov, Hartt has been part of the University of Hartford since it ...

Wind Ensemble, the latter of which was released by Naxos; the

West Chester University West Chester University (also known as West Chester, WCU, or WCUPA, and officially as West Chester University of Pennsylvania) is a public research university located in and around West Chester, Pennsylvania. The university is accredited by the ...

Wind Ensemble recorded him twice: Through the Looking Glass, on their album "Borrowed Inspirations" (2013), and Reanimations on their album "Reanimations" (2015); and the

University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...

Wind Symphony, which also recorded Through the Looking Glass in 2017 for the American Bandmasters Association National Convention.

Compositions

Jess Langston Turner's music has been published through Hinshaw Music,

Carl Fischer Music Carl Fischer Music is an American sheet music publisher. It was founded in 1872 in the East Village neighborhood of New York City as a musical instrument repair shop. Except for a brief period in the early 1930s, it has always been the family- ...

, HAFABRA, Pinner Publications, and Jantz Music.

Orchestra

*''Fantasia on "Jefferson,"'' for string orchestra and percussion *''Memorial to Silent Voices,'' for five-part mixed choir and orchestra *# Lacrimosa (attacca) *# Kyrie *# Lullaby "All Through the Night" *# Lux Aeterna

Concert band

*''The King of Love My Shepherd Is'' (2007) *''Through the Looking Glass'' (2008) *''Like a River Glorious'' (2008) for French horn solo and wind band *''Rumpelstilzchen'' (2009) *# Spinning Straw into Gold *# Night (The Maiden's Lament) *# Rumpelstilzchen's Furiant (Moto Perpetuo) *''Agua Nocturna'' (2010) *''He Who Would Valiant Be'' (2010) *''Lullaby "All Through the Night" from "Memorial to Silent Voices"'' (2010) *''Reanimations'' (2014) for two trumpets and wind band *''Nothing to Fear, Nothing to Doubt'' (2016) *''Dancefares'' (2016)

Choir

*''All This Night'' (2007) *''Three Spirituals'' (2010) *''Spirituals'' (2011) *''Oft I did Marie'' (2015) *''April is in my Misstriss' Face'' (2015) *''Final Breaths'' (2015)

Solo voice

*''Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird'' (2006), for alto and piano *''I Carry Your Heart'' (2008), for soprano,

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet, but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B♭, though ...

, and piano

Chamber music

*''Sonata for Trumpet and Piano'' (2005) *''And Can It Be'' (2009) *''Lacrimosa'' (2009), for five bayans (accordions) *''Last Dance of Prospero'' (2009) for horn quartet *''Paeans'' (2009) for brass quintet *''Urban Etudes'' (2009) *''Burning Music'' (2011) *''Nocturne under a Red Moon'' (2013)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Langston Turner, Jess 1983 births 21st-century American classical composers American classical musicians American male classical composers Living people 21st-century American male musicians