Steven Bryant

Steven Bryant

Biography

Steven Bryant (born 1972 in Little Rock, Arkansas) is an active composer and conductor with a varied catalog, including works for wind ensemble, orchestra, electronic and electro-acoustic creations, chamber music, and music for the web.

Steven's music has been performed by numerous ensembles across North America, Europe, and East Asia. He is a two-time winner of the National Band Association’s William D. Revelli Composition Award: in 2007 for Radiant Joy, and in 2008 for Suite Dreams. His first orchestral work, Loose Id for Orchestra, hailed by celebrated composer Samuel Adler as “orchestrated like a virtuoso,” was premiered by The Juilliard Symphony and was recorded by the Bowling Green Philharmonia for Albany Records. His recent orchestral work, Alchemy in Silent Spaces, commissioned by James DePreist and The Juilliard School, was premiered by the Juilliard Orchestra, in Alice Tully Hall, in May, 2006.

Other notable commissions have come from the Japanese Wind Ensemble Conductors Conference, the United States Air Force Band of Mid-America, the Amherst Saxophone Quartet (funded by the American Composers Jerome Composers Commissioning Program), the Indiana University Wind Ensemble, the Calgary Stampede Band, and the University of Nevada Las Vegas Wind Orchestra. Other recordings include Eugene Corporon and the University of North Texas Wind Symphony, Ron Hufstader and the El Paso Wind Symphony, William Berz and the Rutgers University Wind Ensemble, and Thomas Leslie and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Wind Orchestra. Steven has also created a recomposition of the Iggy Pop and the Stooges song, "Real Cool Time," for the independent Italian record label, Snowdonia, as well as music for portions of the Virtual Space Tour at space.com.

His catalog of works includes music for orchestra, wind ensemble, electronics, and chamber music. Bryant states: ”I strive to write music that leaps off the stage (or reaches out of the speakers) to grab you by the collar and pull you in. Whether through a relentless eruption of energy, or the intensity of quiet contemplation, I want my music to give you no choice, and no other desire, but to listen."

Bryant is also a founding member (along with Eric Whitacre, Jonathan Newman, and Jim Bonney) of the composer-consortium BCM International: four stylistically-diverse composers from across the country, dedicated to enriching the repertoire with exciting works for mediums often mired in static formulas. BCM's music has generated a following of champions around the world, several thousand fans in an active online community, and two recordings: "BCM Saves the World" (2002, Mark Custom Records) and "BCM Men of Industry" (2004, BCM Records).

Steven studied composition with John Corigliano at The Juilliard School, Cindy McTee at the University of North Texas, and W. Francis McBeth at Ouachita University. He resides in Durham, NC.

Works for Winds

• Alchemy in Silent Spaces
• Anthem (Bryant)
• Axis Mundi
• Bloom
• Chester Leaps In (see Parody Suite)
• Concerto for Wind Ensemble
• Dusk
• Ecstatic Fanfare 2012
• Ecstatic Waters
• First Light
• Impercynations (see Parody Suite)
• Interruption Overture
• Interruptions
• Marbled Midnight Mile, The
• MetaMarch (see Parody Suite)
• Million Suns at Midnight, A
• Monkey
• Parody Suite
  • Chester Leaps In
  • Impercynations
  • MetaMarch
  • Suite Dreams
• Radiant Joy
• RedLine
• Rise
• Stampede
• Suite Dreams (see Parody Suite)
• Wings that Work

References

• Steven Bryant - Official Website
• McCutchen, Mathew G. (2009) An Examination of the History and Winning Pieces of the National Band Association's Composition Contest: 1977-2008. Florida State University, Doctoral Dissertation.
• Salzman, Timothy, editor. (2012) A Composer's Insight. Volume 5. Galesville, Md.: Meredith Music Publications. pp. 43–57.