Craig Russell (American composer)
Encyclopedia
Craig Russell is an American
composer
of classical music.
Russell was educated at the University of New Mexico
and then the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
, and began a career both as a classical guitar
ist and as a composer of classical music, in which he follows in the stylistic footsteps of Aaron Copland
. He has also been associated with the vocal ensemble, Chanticleer, as well as holding a professorship at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Middle Earth, a suite after J. R. R. Tolkien
's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, was composed by Craig Russell for the San Luis Obispo Youth Symphony. Commissioned in 1995, a recording was released on disk in 2000 by the San Luis Obispo Symphony, together with his Rhapsody for Horn and Orchestra, and the second movement of his Symphony No. 2 ("American Scenes").
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
of classical music.
Russell was educated at the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
and then the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, and began a career both as a classical guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
ist and as a composer of classical music, in which he follows in the stylistic footsteps of Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. He was instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, and is often referred to as "the Dean of American Composers"...
. He has also been associated with the vocal ensemble, Chanticleer, as well as holding a professorship at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
Middle Earth, a suite after J. R. R. Tolkien
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.Tolkien was Rawlinson and Bosworth Professor of Anglo-Saxon at Pembroke College,...
's The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, was composed by Craig Russell for the San Luis Obispo Youth Symphony. Commissioned in 1995, a recording was released on disk in 2000 by the San Luis Obispo Symphony, together with his Rhapsody for Horn and Orchestra, and the second movement of his Symphony No. 2 ("American Scenes").
Discography
- Russell, Craig. Rhapsody for Horn and Orchestra; Middle Earth; Gate City—A Methodist Hymn. Richard Todd, horn; San Luis Obispo Symphony Orchestra. Michael Nowak, cond. Naxos American Classics CD 8.559168.