Michael Kibbe

From Wind Repertory Project
Michael Kibbe

Biography

Michael Kibbe (b. 26 June 1945, San Diego, Calif.) is an American composer and oboeist.

Kibbe was raised in the San Diego area, where he received his earliest musical education, which included lessons on the snare drum, accordion, saxophone and tap dancing. His first work was composed in junior high school, and his first completed "real" work, a fugue (a la Bach) was performed by his high school concert band in 1963. The same concert found him as alto sax soloist on Ibert's Concertino da Camera, with piano.

Three years of music course work at San Diego State College as well as composition study with David Ward-Steinman saw the creation of several small pieces for woodwinds, and includes the Wind Quintet #1, opus 1.

After three years of military service Kibbe resumed his university study at New Mexico State University, with composer Warner Hutchinson. A move to Los Angeles followed, with further music study at California State University Northridge, with composers Aurelio de la Vega and Frank Campo. After earning his MA in composition and two years of part-time teaching at CSUN, he secured a full-time post at Cameron University, Lawton, Oklahoma, where he taught double-reeds, theory and composition, and appeared in numerous chamber music recitals and as oboe soloist with the local philharmonic. By 1976 he had completed more than 30 compositions, including the Piano Concerto, opus 25, and the Concerto Tri-Chroma, opus 18, for woodwind soloist with band, and asecond wind quintet, Aural Contingencies, opus 24.

Returning to Los Angeles, Kibbe alternately worked in the music performance scene, learning music preparation (copying) and attending UCLA, where he finished doctoral course work and studied composition with Elaine Barkin, Roy Travis, Alden Ashforth and Henri Lazarof. Since that time Kibbe has been a freelance performer (live concerts, recordings, films) on most of the woodwind instruments, and was oboist and arranger for the North Wind Quintet for 17 years. It was this group for which he composed the majority of his twelve wind quintets, as well as numerous duos, trios, and over a hundred arrangements.

As of this writing, Kibbe's total creative output is over 212 concert works, including large band and orchestra pieces, concertos, and a large variety of chamber music for strings, winds, piano and percussion. He has also written music for voice. His works have been commissioned by the City of Los Angeles, the Pacific Serenades concert series, Quatrocelli, to name a few. His compositions have been performed throughout the United States, Mexico, Europe, Israel and China.


Works for Winds


Resources