Sean Friar (born 1985 in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

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

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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 ...

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, and

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. Friar has been commissioned by the

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. The orchestra holds a regular concert season from October until June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from ...

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

New World Symphony New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 19 ...

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 The American Composers Orchestra (ACO) is an American orchestra administratively based in New York City, specialising in contemporary American music. The ACO gives concerts at various concert venues in New York City, including: * Zankel Hall at ...

, 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 is the period of time that is occurring now. The present is contrasted with the past, the period of time that has already occurred; and the future, the period of time that has yet to occur. It is sometimes represented as a hyperplane ...

, and the Scharoun Ensemble of the Berlin Philharmonic. Other performers of his music include

So Percussion Sō Percussion is a Grammy winning 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 internationa ...

, 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, which is based in Dublin, was founded in 1997 by composer Donnacha Dennehy, co ...

Psappha New Music Ensemble Psappha was 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 ...

, Alter Ego,

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, 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. Recipients must be American citizens. Prizes have been aw ...

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

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado, United States. Founded in 1864, it has an enrollment of approximately 5,700 undergraduate students and 7,200 graduate students. It is classified among "R1: D ...

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. Wind Ensemble * 2017 "Dynamics" for solo cello and chamber winds. * 2023 "Bassoon Concerto" for solo bassoon and wind ensemble. * 2025 "Renew" for wind ensemble. Orchestra/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 *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) *2023 "Two Solitudes" for solo piano (composed 2012, revised 2023) 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 "Mezereon" 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 *2015 "Mezereon" for alto sax and piano *2016 "Kindly Reply" for brass quintet *2016 "Come Again" for two pianos *2020 "Before and After" for flute, clarinet, electric guitar, piano, and bass *2020 "Fit" for two digital pianos with dynamic microtonal pitch-mapping (using Pianoteq software) *2022 "Impulse Control" for two clarinets and piano. *2023 "String Quartet 2: Memoriam" 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 of Austrian-Jewish heritage. He was recognized ear ...

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 Mano ...

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 exce ...

*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 an independent 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. ...

) *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 Minne ...

) *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 w ...

) *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