CV
AARON J. TRAVERS
Curriculum Vitae
3315 S. Daniel Ct. · Bloomington, IN 47401 · (773) 213-0795
Website: aarontravers.com
Education
Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY, Doctor of Philosophy (Composition), 2005.
Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY, Master of Arts (Composition), 2003.
Oberlin Conservatory, Oberlin, OH, Bachelor of Music (Composition), 1997.
Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH, Bachelor of Arts (Classics, Latin Literature), 1997.
Teachers
Christopher Rouse: Eastman School of Music, 2000 and 2002.
Steven Stucky: Eastman School of Music, 2001.
Augusta Read Thomas: Eastman School of Music, 1999 and 2000.
Sydney Hodkinson: Eastman School of Music, 1998.
Richard Hoffmann: Oberlin Conservatory, 1995 – 1997.
Recent Honors and Awards
Goddard Lieberson Fellowship, American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York, NY, 2010.
Fromm Music Foundation Commission Award, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 2007.
Susan and Ford Schumann Fellowship, Aspen Music Festival and School, Aspen, CO, 2005.
Charles Ives Scholarship, American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York, NY, 2004.
Lili Boulanger Memorial Fund Prize, Boston, MA, 2004.
Barlow Prize, Barlow Endowment, Provo, UT, 2002.
First Hearing Award, Chicago Symphony, Chicago, IL, 2001.
Ralph Jackno Memorial Fund, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY, 2001.
Howard Hanson Award, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY, 2000.
Charles W. Kennett Scholarship, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY, 2000.
Belle Gitelman Award, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY, 1999 and 2003.
AGO/ECS Publishing Award in Choral Composition, American Guild of Organists,
New York, NY, 1998.
Recent Performances
Deep heaves the Ocean black…, The Frost Wind Ensemble, Gusman Concert Hall, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, February 2010.
Las Guitarras Azules, The New Music Ensemble, Auer Hall, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, February 2010.
Gertrude’s Child, Florent, Renard-Payen, cello solo, El Colectivo, Guadalajara, Mexico, August, 2009. Previous performances in Hamilton, NY, Evanston, IL, Rochester, NY and Clinton, NY.
Pitch-Fork/Steel Recitative, The Proper Glue Duo, Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ, 2008. Previous performances in Bayside, NY, West Hartford, CT, and Flushing, NY.
TRIO, The Empyrean Ensemble, Mondavi Center, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, January 2009. Previous performance in Medillin, Colombia.
Beth-Luis-Nion, Xavier Phillips, cello; Emmanuel Strosser, piano, Festival de Violoncelle, Beauvais, France, May 2009. Previous performance in Paris, France.
Éclats Cycle, The JACK Quartet, University of Illinois, Champagne-Urbana, IL, 2007. Previous performances at Evanston, IL and New York, NY.
Deep Carving, Third Coast Percussion Quartet, Percussive Arts Society International Convention, Austin, TX, November 2006. Previous performance at Northeastern Illinois University and Northwestern University, IL.
Graal, Hamilton College Orchestra, Heather Buchman, conductor, Wellin Concert Hall, Hamilton, NY, 2006.
Residencies
Fromm Foundation and Fondazione William Walton, Ischia, Bay of Naples, Italy, 2007. Will serve a 4-week residency working on a guitar concerto as part of a commission from the Fromm Foundation. To begin summer of 2007.
Seaside Institute, Seaside, FL, 2002. Served as Composer-in-Residence at the Seaside Institute for the month of January. Began preliminary work on a children’s opera, worked directly with children at the Seaside Charter School, and gave a presentation of my work at the conclusion of the residency.
Publications
Gloria, Ione Press, a division of ECS Publishers, BMI, 2000.
Recent Commissions
University of Miami Frost Wind Ensemble, Gary Green, conductor, a 10 to 12 minute work for solo cello and wind ensemble. Premiered February 2010, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL.
Ars Mobilis, Festival les Solistes aux Serres d’Auteuil, a 10 to 12 minute work for cello and piano. Premiered September 2008.
Proper Glue Duo, a 10 to 15 minute work for percussion duo. Premiered Spring 2008, Queens College, Flushing NY.
Fromm Foundation and Howard Hanson Institute for American Music, a 15 to 20 minute work for guitar and chamber orchestra. Premiered February 2010, Indiana University, Bloomington IN.
Collide, a 5 to 10 minute work for alto saxophone, piano and percussion. Premiered Fall of 2008.
Third Coast Percussion Quartet, David Skidmore, director, an 8 to 12 minute work for percussion quartet. Premiered May 2006, Northwestern University, Chicago IL.
Hamilton College Orchestra, Heather Buchman, conductor, a 5 to 7 minute work for Brahms-size orchestra. Premiered April 2006, Hamilton College, Clinton NY.
Teaching Experience
Visiting Assistant Professor, Composition, Orchestration, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, August 2009 through June 2011. Composition: Teach private lessons to composition majors, both grad and undergrad, in private 1-hour sessions. Orchestration: Teach advanced orchestration techniques to composition majors, including orchestrating piano works by other composers for full orchestra, as well as composing an original work for full orchestra. Readings of final projects for full orchestra are held at the end of each semester.
Lecturer, Theory II, The Art of Listening, Aural Skills Lab 1 and 2, Loyola University, Chicago, IL, May through June, and August through December 2008. Theory II: Introduction to 4-part writing, form and analysis in common practice period. Art of Listening: Teach fundamentals of listening to music of all types, but with strong focus on history of Western classical tradition. Aural Skills 1 and 2: Teach skills ranging from sight singing using moveable do solfege to melodic dictations and interval/chord identification, in addition to basic keyboard skills.
Visiting Lecturer, Composition, Orchestration, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, February through March 2008. Temporary substitution. Taught sonata composition using classical models such as Beethoven and Mozart; taught basic instrumentation with focus on percussion and harp writing, with some focus on orchestration with small ensembles.
Lecturer, Composition, Orchestration, Related Topics, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, September 2006 through December 2007. Taught 6 private composition students and composition class for non-majors over 3 quarters. Also taught instrumentation and orchestration for 2 quarters, a related topics class in Western/non-Western hybridization in Western art music, focusing on East Asia, and a course on Modernism since 1945.
Visiting Assistant Professor, Introduction to Theory, Composition, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, August 2005 through December 2005. Theory: Taught fundamentals of music theory to non-music majors and music theater majors in two class sections. Skills ranged from basics of notation to cadential patterns and some harmonic analysis. Students expected to complete weekly written assignments, participate in aural skills drills and sight singing in class, and complete mid-term and final exams. Also met privately with art journalism students to discuss issues of music criticism and instruct them in educated listening. Composition: Taught private, half-hour lessons in composition focusing on a broad range of issues including form, harmonic/motivic/melodic control, and timbre. Students expected to complete one piece to be performed at the end of the semester.
Adjunct Professor, Arts Leadership Program, The Art of Engraving and Score and Parts Preparation, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY, January 2004 through February 2004. Taught basics of professional score engraving and parts preparation to a class of 11 students, with special emphasis on hand engraving. Included regular assignments and discussions of hand engraving vs. computer engraving, with some use of Sibelius2 notation software.
Adjunct Professor, Composition, Fundamentals of Music Theory, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY, January 2003 through May 2003. Composition: Taught private, one-hour lessons in composition focusing primarily on formal constructions, harmonic and rhythmic development. Students were expected to complete at least one piece and have it performed, and keep up with weekly listening assignments. Theory: Taught basic fundamentals of music theory in a classroom setting to music and non-music majors. Skills being taught range from rhythmic durations to cadential patterns and basic harmonic analysis. Students were expected to complete weekly written assignments and computer assignments, as well as mid-term and final exams, and attend concerts.
Teaching Assistant, Composition I, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, September 2002 through December 2002. Taught basic compositional skills in a classroom setting. Students were expected to produce 3 pieces throughout the semester and have them performed, complete regular assignments, and demonstrate an understanding and integration of various concepts and techniques discussed in class. Students were also expected to do a significant amount of listening to 20th century repertoire, and were given a listening quiz at the end of the semester.
Teaching Assistant, Composition for Non-Majors, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY, September 2000 through May 2002. Taught basic compositional skills to between 7 and 15 students both graduate and undergraduate in private half-hour sessions, including new concepts of form, notation, melodic writing, text setting and contemporary means of harmonic control. Students were expected to produce one piece for either a solo instrument or small ensemble, display satisfactory progress in completing the piece, arrange for a performance of their work, and keep up with weekly listening assignments.
Departmental Assistant, Advanced Orchestration, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY, September 1999 through May 2000. The class was designed to teach orchestration skills to undergraduate composition students, and to supplement these skills with live demonstrations, composition/orchestration assignments, and readings of these assignments. Assisted Professor David Liptak in acquiring performers for demonstration purposes, took over classes in Professor Liptak’s absence, and arranged reading sessions for large-scale orchestration exercises.
Teaching Assistant, Experiencing Music, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, September through December 1998, and January through May 2003. The purpose of the class was to introduce non-music majors to the basics of listening to music, dealing with issues of music inside vs. outside the concert hall, and general musical concepts, with particular focus on classical music. Assisted Professor David Harmon in daily class activities, proctored exams and graded tests and papers.
Conducting
Tiny Mahler Orchestra, Igor Stravinsky: L’Histoire du Soldat (complete). Hyde Park Union Church, Chicago, IL; Alice Millar Chapel, Evanston, IL, 2008.
Ossia New Music, Alfred Schnittke: Concerto for piano and strings; Ching-Mei Lin: Shattered Prism for string orchestra. Kilbourn Hall, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY 2006.
Ching-Mei Lin, Ritual Dances for 16 players. Room 120, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY 2006.
Ossia New Music, Scott Petersen: Keraclem for 9 violins. Kilbourn Hall, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY 2006.
Composer’s Forum, David Plylar: The Triumph of Sisyphus for ensemble. Kilbourn Hall, Eastman School of Music, Rochester, NY 2004.
Tarab Cello Ensemble, Allan Tormey: Ten Years On for cello octet. Taplin Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 2004.
Tarab Cello Ensemble, Martin Scherzinger: African Alchemies for cello octet; Aaron Travers: Sisina’s Reservoir for cello octet. Christ Episcopal Church, Rochester, NY, 2002.