Richard Zarou
Encyclopedia
Richard Zarou is a contemporary composer of concert and film music and the host of the new music podcast "No Extra Notes". Zarou is from Centreville, VA and completed his undergraduate studies at Shenandoah University
in Virginia. He completed his Master of Music
degree in music composition at Florida State University
in 2006 and completed his Doctor of Musical Arts
degree in music composition, again at Florida State University
, in December 2008.
Zarou's concert music has been featured on a number of festivals and concerts both in the US and abroad. His work "Catatonic Visions of a Spring-Loaded Case" for bass trombone and CD was premiered by Jonathan Warburton and has received several performances both in the US and in the UK since its 2008 premiere. Zarou has also been programmed on the national conference of the Society of Composers, Inc., the College Music Society's 50th anniversary concert program, the prestigious Electronic Music Midwest festival, Florida International University
's FEASt FEST, and the Delta State University's Electroacoustic Juke Joint, among many others.
As a film composer, Richard Zarou has worked with a number of professional and student filmmakers. Perhaps his most significant contribution was to the 2007 documentary Breaking the Silence: Torture Survivors Speak Out, a film by Terry Coonan and Vallerie Richard Auzenne in collaboration with the torture victim advocacy group TASSC.
Zarou is perhaps best known for his electroacoustic compositions including his recent album-length release "In From the Rain". His music, particularly his electroacoustic works, is characterized by a vibrant energy, often process-oriented organization, and a clear focus on emotional impact. Zarou has worked with a number of musicians including bass trombonists Jonathan Warburton (UK) and Aaron Misenheimer, cellist Katie Geeseman, flutist Barbi Risken, pianist Martin Levicky (Czech Republic), mezzo-soprano Sarah Horick
, and the Eppes String Quartet, among many others. Richard Zarou was also the first composer to receive a commission for a new work for the Loudon County String Orchestra which was premiered in January 2009.
Shenandoah University
Shenandoah University is a comprehensive private university located in Winchester, Virginia in the United States. It has an enrollment of approximately 3,800 students across more than ninety programs in six schools: College of Arts & Sciences, Harry F. Byrd, Jr. School of Business, Shenandoah...
in Virginia. He completed his Master of Music
Master of Music
The Master of Music is the first graduate degree in Music awarded by universities and music conservatories. The M.Mus. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy...
degree in music composition at Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
in 2006 and completed his Doctor of Musical Arts
Doctor of Musical Arts
The Doctor of Musical Arts degree is a doctoral academic degree in music. The D.M.A. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy. The D.M.A...
degree in music composition, again at Florida State University
Florida State University
The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...
, in December 2008.
Zarou's concert music has been featured on a number of festivals and concerts both in the US and abroad. His work "Catatonic Visions of a Spring-Loaded Case" for bass trombone and CD was premiered by Jonathan Warburton and has received several performances both in the US and in the UK since its 2008 premiere. Zarou has also been programmed on the national conference of the Society of Composers, Inc., the College Music Society's 50th anniversary concert program, the prestigious Electronic Music Midwest festival, Florida International University
Florida International University
Florida International University is an American public research university in metropolitan Miami, Florida, in the United States, with its main campus in University Park...
's FEASt FEST, and the Delta State University's Electroacoustic Juke Joint, among many others.
As a film composer, Richard Zarou has worked with a number of professional and student filmmakers. Perhaps his most significant contribution was to the 2007 documentary Breaking the Silence: Torture Survivors Speak Out, a film by Terry Coonan and Vallerie Richard Auzenne in collaboration with the torture victim advocacy group TASSC.
Zarou is perhaps best known for his electroacoustic compositions including his recent album-length release "In From the Rain". His music, particularly his electroacoustic works, is characterized by a vibrant energy, often process-oriented organization, and a clear focus on emotional impact. Zarou has worked with a number of musicians including bass trombonists Jonathan Warburton (UK) and Aaron Misenheimer, cellist Katie Geeseman, flutist Barbi Risken, pianist Martin Levicky (Czech Republic), mezzo-soprano Sarah Horick
Sarah Horick
Sarah Horick is a composer of contemporary concert music. She received her Bachelor of Music degree in Music Theory and Composition from Furman University in 2006 where she studied with Mark Kilstofte. She earned a Master of Music in Composition and a Master of Arts in Music Theory at Florida...
, and the Eppes String Quartet, among many others. Richard Zarou was also the first composer to receive a commission for a new work for the Loudon County String Orchestra which was premiered in January 2009.
External links
- http://www.richardzarou.com/
- http://www.tassc.org/
- http://www.fsu.edu/news/2007/09/25/torture.survivors/
- http://www.noextranotes.wordpress.com/
- http://www.thisisnotalabel.com/EMM-2008---Richard-Zarou-on-Ad-Vitam-Aeternam.php
- http://www.leesburg2day.com/articles/2009/02/24/schools/9818orchestra022309.txt
- http://elizabethjoankelly.com/Documents/Freeplay10program.pdf
- http://music.fsu.edu/electroFSU/index.htm
- http://www.societyofcomposers.org/data/publications/newsletter/issues/2005/SCINewsXXXV6.pdf
- http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Name/Richard-Zarou/Composer/158962-1