Episode 47

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Published on:

1st Oct 2024

1.47 - Rob Smith

The innovative and highly energetic music of Rob Smith is frequently performed throughout the United States and abroad. His music has received numerous awards, including those from the Aaron Copland House, ASCAP and the National Band Association. Commissions have come from the Texas Music Festival Orchestra, the New York Youth Symphony Chamber Music Program, the American Composers Forum (as a part of their Continental Harmony project) and several nationally renowned university wind ensembles, among others.

In 1997, he was the recipient of a Fulbright Grant to Australia, which led to a teaching position at the University of Wollongong in 1998. Currently, he teaches at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music where he is Associate Professor of Music Composition and director of the AURA Contemporary Ensemble. From 2003-2014 he served as one of the artistic directors of Musiqa, a Houston-based contemporary chamber ensemble.

Commercial recordings of his music are available by the Society for New Music (Syracuse, NY), the University of Houston and Rutgers University Wind Ensembles, saxophonist Jeremy Justeson, Austrian toy pianist Isabel Ettenauer, and the University of Houston and Texas Christian University Percussion Ensembles. Boosey & Hawkes, Carl Fischer, Southern Music, C-Alan Publications, TRN and Skitter Music Publications publish his music.

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About the Podcast

Composer Chats
Composer Chat is a podcast where we talk a little bit about music, a little bit about life, and a whole lot about whatever we feel like at the moment! Each episode I am joined by a special guest composer and we will chat about their pathway towards success in their musical career!

About your host

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Jason Nitsch

Jason Nitsch is a composer for the concert stage, feature and short films, and other media.

In the world of podcasting, he is the writer, producer, and composer for Beyond the Belt: Adventures from the Outer Rim, a science fiction drama podcast with a dedicated cult following. In the film world, he has scored the short film Passing By directed by David M. Chandler, Edward J. Delaney’s feature length documentary Library of the Early Mind, and the celebrated horror short Bedtime produced by Joint Concept Productions. He also served as music supervisor for 2014’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” feature film by director Dallas Burgess.

He has released multiple albums, including Poem at the End of the World, The Season 1 and 2 Soundtracks from Beyond the Belt: Adventures from the Outer Rim, and most recently the chamber music anthology 1000 Steps to Nowhere. His music has been published by several prominent publishers, including Excelcia Music, T.U.X. People’s Music, FJH Music, and Randall Standridge Music.

Jason is a lover of dogs, legos, video games, and all things Star Wars (yes, even the prequels). He is also a husband, father of two budding musicians, and a patron of art forms that stretch traditional boundaries.

You can find Jason’s works for the stage at his publishing company Suburban Zombie Music