Michael Sweeney

Michael Sweeney

Biography

Michael Sweeney (b. 10 September 1952, Hillsboro, Ore.) is an ASCAP award-winning American composer and musician. Sweeney studied music education and composition at Indiana University Bloomington, and taught five years in public schools of Ohio and Indiana, where he taught many concert, jazz and marching programs (including three years with the respected Greenwood High School Marching Woodmen) for students from elementary to high school.

Since 1982, Mr. Sweeney has worked full time for Hal Leonard Corporation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is currently Director of Band Publications. In addition, he contributes as a composer and arranger in all instrumental areas. Sweeney is particularly known for his writing at the younger levels for concert and jazz bands, and has over 500 publications to his credit. His works appear on numerous state contest lists and his music is regularly performed around the world. An ASCAP award-winning composer, his Ancient Voices (1994) and Imperium (1992) are analyzed in music education texts from GIA Publications.

Sweeney is also on high demand as a clinician and conductor for honor bands and music festivals.

Works for Winds

Adaptable Music

• Armed Forces on Parade (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (2007)
• Black Forest Overture (Flex instrumentation) (1996/2008)
• Born to be Wild (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1968/1990/2006)
• Celtic Air and Dance (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (2007/2020)
• The Christmas Song (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1945/2011)
• Christmas Time Is Here (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1965/2003/2020)
• Circle of Life (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1994/2020)
• Down by the Salley Gardens (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (2006/2017)
• The Forge of Vulcan (Flex instrumentation) (1997/2013)
• Highlights from "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1968/1994/2018)
• Knights of Destiny (Flex instrumentation) (2000/2011)
• Pictures at an Exhibition (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1874/2012)
• Pirates of the Caribbean (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (2003/2006)
• Two Movements from "Lincolnshire Posy" (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1937/2019)
• West Side Story (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1957/2015)
• White Christmas (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1940/2006)

All Wind Works

• American Salute, An (1989)
• Ancient Voices (1994)
• Armed Forces on Parade (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (2007)
• Black Forest Overture (1996)
• Black Forest Overture (Flex instrumentation) (1996/2008)
• Blue Mambo (2017)
• Born to be Wild (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1968/1990/2006)
• Celtic Air and Dance (2007)
• Celtic Air and Dance No. 3 (2011)
• The Christmas Song (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1945/2011)
• Christmas Time Is Here (as arranger)
• Christmas Time Is Here (Flex instrumentation) (arr. Sweeney) (1965/2003/2020)
• Circle of Life (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1994/2020)
• Crossings in Time (2006)
• Dansbury Run (2013)
• Dialogues (2003)
• Distant Thunder of the Sacred Forest (2003)
• Down by the Salley Gardens (as arranger) (2006)
• Down by the Salley Gardens (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (2006/2017)
• Down to the River (as arranger) (2019)
• Earthdance (2010)
• First Suite in E-flat Themes (as arranger) (2006)
• The Forge of the Vulcan (1997)
• The Forge of Vulcan (Flex instrumentation) (1997/2013)
• Fractures in Time (2017)
• Great Movie Adventures (as arranger) (2006)
• Highlights from "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1968/1994/2018)
• Horkstow Grange from "Lincolnshire Posy" (as arranger)
• Hymn to the Fallen (as arranger) (1998/2000)
• John Williams: Movie Adventures (as arranger) (1977/1999)
• Knights of Destiny (2000)
• Knights of Destiny (Flex instrumentation) (2000/2011)
• Lament and Tribal Dances (2001)
• Last Full Measure (2013)
• Lisbon from "Lincolnshire Posy" (as adapter) (1937/2017)
• Lost Lady Found (as arranger) (1937/2011)
• Marches of the Armed Forces (as arranger) (1991)
• Memory (as arranger)
• Mercy, Mercy, Mercy (as arranger)
• Monmouth Overture (1999)
• Music from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (as arranger) (1977/2016)
• Northland Pines (2013)
• On Joyful Wing (2018)
• On the Wings of Swallows (2000)
• Pictures at an Exhibition (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1874/2012)
• Pirates of the Caribbean (as arranger) (2006)
• Pirates of the Caribbean (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (2003/2006)
• Pop and Rock Legends: Music of the Beatles (as arranger) (2010)
• Prelude and Pursuit (2013)
• Quad City Stomp (2008)
• River of Hope (2009)
• River of the Ancients (2004)
• Rock, River, Tree (2015)
• Root Beer Rag (as arranger) (1974/1981)
• Rumble on the High Plains (2005)
• Salute to the Duke
• Sawdust City Celebration (2012)
• Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (as arranger) (1967/2007)
• Sleepsong (as arranger) (2019)
• Stardance
• Suite from "MASS" (as arranger)
• Swamp Rabbit Stomp (2016)
• Themes from "New World Symphony" (as arranger) (1893)
• To Soar with Eagles (2013)
• Troy! (2009)
• Two Movements from "Lincolnshire Posy" (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1937/2019)
• Villages (2014)
• West Side Story (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1957/2015)
• When the Sun Breaks Through the Mist (2006)
• White Christmas (Flex instrumentation) (as arranger) (1940/2006)
• The Willow Tree (as arranger) (1995/2018)
• Year of the Dragon (Sweeney) (2000)
• Ye Banks and Braes O' Bonnie Doon (as arranger) (2006)

References

• Miles, Richard B., and Larry Blocher. (2010). Teaching Music through Performance in Band. Volume 1. Chicago: GIA Publications. pp. 107.