Biography

Frank Ticheli's music has been described as being "optimistic and thoughtful" (Los Angeles Times), "lean and muscular" (The New York Times), "brilliantly effective" (Miami Herald) and "powerful, deeply felt crafted with impressive flair and an ear for striking instrumental colors" (South Florida Sun-Sentinel).  Ticheli (b. 1958) joined the faculty of the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music in 1991, where he is professor of composition.  From 1991 to 1998, Ticheli was composer in residence of the Pacific Symphony, and he still enjoys a close working relationship with that orchestra and their music director, Carl St.Clair.

Ticheli's orchestral works have received considerable recognition in the U.S. and Europe. Orchestral performances have come from the Philadelphia Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Dallas Symphony, American Composers Orchestra, the radio orchestras of Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Saarbruecken, and Austria, and the orchestras of Austin, Bridgeport, Charlotte, Colorado, Haddonfield, Harrisburg, Hong Kong, Jacksonville, Lansing, Long Island, Louisville, Lubbock, Memphis, Nashville, Omaha, Phoenix, Portland, Richmond, San Antonio, San Jose, and others.

Ticheli is well known for his works for concert band, many of which have become standards in the repertoire. In addition to composing, he has appeared as guest conductor of his music at Carnegie Hall, at many American universities and music festivals, and in cities throughout the world, including Schladming, Austria, at the Mid-Europe Music Festival; London and Manchester, England, with the Meadows Wind Ensemble; Singapore, with the Singapore Armed Forces Central Band; and numerous cities in Japan, with the Bands of America National Honor Band.

Ticheli is the winner of the 2006 NBA/William D. Revelli Memorial Band Composition Contest for his Symphony No. 2. Other awards for his music include the Charles Ives and the Goddard Lieberson Awards, both from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the Walter Beeler Memorial Prize, and First Prize awards in the Texas Sesquicentennial Orchestral Composition Competition, Britten-on-the-Bay Choral Composition Contest, and Virginia CBDNA Symposium for New Band Music.

Ticheli received his doctoral and masters degrees in composition from The University of Michigan. His works are published by Manhattan Beach, Southern, Hinshaw, and Encore Music, and are recorded on the labels of Albany, Chandos, Clarion, Klavier, Koch International and Mark Records.

Video Interviews with Frank Ticheli:
About Frank Ticheli
The Importance of Passion
Making a Living as a Composer
The Process of Composing
Full Interview

Professional Experience

Career Highlights:

• Composer in Residence, Pacific Symphony (1991-98)
• Guest Composer, Philadelphia Orchestra, for performances of Radiant Voices (1995)
• Guest Composer, Detroit Symphony, for performances of An American Dream (1999)
  
• Guest Composer, Dallas Symphony, for performances of Blue Shades (2002)
  
• Guest Composer, Hong Kong Philharmonic, for performances of Radiant Voices (1995)

Honors, Awards & Competitions:

• FIRST PRIZE, 30th Annual NBA/William D. Revelli Memorial Band Composition Contest, for Symphony No. 2 (2006)
• GODDARD LIEBERSON FELLOWSHIP, American Academy of Arts and Letters (1990)
  
• CHARLES IVES SCHOLARSHIP, American Academy of Arts and Letters (1986)
  
• FIRST PRIZE, Delius Choral Composition Contest, for There Will Be Rest (2000)
  
• FIRST PRIZE, Britten-on-the-Bay Choral Composition Contest, for There Will Be Rest (1999)
  
• FRANCES AND WILLIAM SCHUMAN FELLOW, from the MacDowell Colony (1994)
  
• FIRST PRIZE, Texas Sesquicentennial Orchestral Composition Contest (1986)
  
• FIRST PRIZE, Virginia College Band Directors' Symposium for New Band Music (1986)

Music Festivals:
FEATURED COMPOSER/CONDUCTOR AT FOLLOWING INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS:

• Jeju Island Music Festival, Korea (2006)
  
• Mid-Europe Music Clinic, Schladming, Austria (2005)
  
• Singapore Wind Band Festival, Singapore (2004)
  
• BASBWE Festival, Royal Northern College, Manchester, England (2003)
  
• Banff International Wind Music Festival (1997)

Recordings:

• SYMPHONY NO. 2, The North Texas Wind Symhony (Klavier label, 2004)
  
• SYMPHONY NO. 1, University of Miami Symphony Orchestra (Albany label, 2003)
  
• THERE WILL BE REST, The Choral Project (Clarion label, 2003)
  
• THE MUSIC OF FRANK TICHELI, vol. 1 & 2, Michigan State University (Mark label, 2001 & 2003)
  
• BLUE SHADES, North Texas Wind Symphony (Klavier label, 1998)
• RADIANT VOICES and POSTCARD, Pacific Symphony (Koch label, 1994)

Compositions:

• SYMPHONY NO.  2, for concert band (commissioned by a consortium of 23 universities)
  
• AN AMERICAN DREAM, for soprano and orchestra (performed by the Detroit Symphony)
  
• THERE WILL BE REST, for chorus, a cappella (six separate recordings, widely performed)
  
• BLUE SHADES, for concert band (two dozen recordings, and hundreds of performances worldwide)
  
• RADIANT VOICES, for orchestra (performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra and numerous others in Europe, Asia and America)

Publications:
Contributing author of book, Composers on Composing for Band (GIA Publications, 2002)

Academic Degrees

• DMA, The University of Michigan, 1987
• MM, The University of Michigan, 1983
• BM, Southern Methodist University, 1981

Other Academic Experience:
Studied with Leslie Bassett, William Bolcom, William Albright, George B. Wilson, Donald Erb