Jared Spears, a
popular contemporary composer, was born in
1930 in
Chicago, Illinois. He is currently the
Professor of Music Emeritus at
Arkansas State University in
Jonesboro. There, he taught
percussion,
composition,
history, and
theory for 32 years.
The percussionist in Spears is easily shown through in each of his works. Each piece features extremely intric percussion parts. Spears is oft recognized for writing pieces with
simple notes and rhythms that, as a
final product, sound extremely difficult to play, as parts overlap and
blend with each other.
His many awards and honors include the
Faricy Award for
Creative Music given to him from the
Northwestern University School of Music (Illinois), the Award of Merit from Arkansas Chapter of the
National Federation of Music Clubs, and being a member of
Outstanding Educators of America (1973-75). Also, Spears has recieved rewards such as
Citations of
Excellence from the
National Band Association, and the
President’s Award for the outstanding faculty member of Arkansas State University in 1986, as well as appointment as a President Fellow in 1988.
Some of
Spear's
better known compositions include:
Deo Gratsias
Wind River Overature
Spirit Canyon March
and
Novena
See Also:
David Hollsinger
Gustav Holst
Sources:
http://comm.astate.edu/herald/archive/newsF98/0427retiring.html
http://www.stagepass.com/groupartist/artist_items.hperl?Artist=Spears,%20Jared