James Swearingen
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| James Swearingen | |
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| Background information | |
| Occupation(s) | Composer |
| Years active | 1987-present |
| Website | http://www.jamesswearingen.com |
James Swearingen is an American composer and arranger. He holds a Masters Degree from Ohio State University and a Bachelors Degree from Bowling Green State University and is currently Professor of Music, Department Chair of Music Education at Capital University, Columbus, Ohio.
The music he writes is part of a small genre known throughout American high school band classes as Concert Literature, generally five to six-minute long pieces played for high school band concerts. He is a recipient of numerous ASCAP awards.
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[edit] Biography
He is currently one of several resident composers at Capital University and also serves as a staff arranger for The Ohio State University Marching Band. Prior to his appointment at Capital in 1987, he spent eighteen years teaching instrumental music in the public schools of central Ohio. His first teaching assignment took him to the community of Sunbury, Ohio. He then spent fourteen years as Director of Instrumental Music at Grove City High School, where his marching, concert and jazz bands all received acclaim for their high standards of performing excellence.
In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Swearingen manages to be very active as a guest conductor, adjudicator and educational clinician. Appearances have included trips throughout the United States, as well as Japan, Australia, Europe, Canada and The Republic of China.
Swearingen's numerous contributions for band have been enthusiastically received by school directors, student performers and audiences worldwide.[citation needed] With over 450 published works, he has written band compositions and arrangements that reflect a variety of musical forms and styles. Many of his pieces, including 81 commissioned works, have been chosen for contest and festival lists. He is a recipient of several ASCAP awards for published compositions and in 1992 was selected as an Accomplished Graduate of the Fine and Performing Arts from Bowling Green State University. Most recently, he received the 2002 Community Music Educator Award given annually by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. He is a member of numerous professional and honorary organizations including Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA),[1] National Association for Music Education (MENC), American School Band Directors' Association (ASBDA),[2] Phi Beta Mu[3] , Pi Kappa Lambda, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia. In March 2000, he was invited to join the American Bandmasters Association, considered to be the most prestigious bandmaster organization in the world.[citation needed]
[edit] Recordings
Many of Swearingen's most popular band compositions have been recorded by The Washington Winds and are available on compact discs from Walking Frog Records.[4] His recordings include In All Its Glory, Exaltation, Celebration For Winds And Percussion, The Light Of Dawn, and the newest release, Flight of Valor.
[edit] Compositions
| Title | Published | Grade | Length | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| In All its Glory | ||||
| All Glory Told | 2005 | 3.5 | 6:34 | |
| And the Angels Called | ||||
| Ashton Overture | ||||
| Aventura | ||||
| Baywood Overture | ||||
| Beautiful Savior | 2003 | 3 | 2:47 | A celebration through the singing of hymns. |
| Blue Ridge Saga | ||||
| Brookpark Overture | ||||
| Bunker Hill Overture | ||||
| Carnival Del Soul | 1991 | 3 | Jazz piece accompanied with styles of Latin funk rock | |
| Carolina Legend | ||||
| Celebration and Dance | ||||
| Celebration Overture | ||||
| Celebration for Winds and Percussion | ||||
| Centuria | 1986 | 3 | 5:29 | |
| Chesford Portrait | ||||
| Clark County Celebration | 2007 | 2 | 4:32 | Describes the wondrous events and happenings in Las Vegas in Clark County, Nevada. |
| Covington Square | ||||
| Dawn of a New Day | ||||
| Denbridge Way | 3 | 4:54 | ||
| Eiger (Journey to the Summit) | 2007 | 3 | 5:37 | When John Harlin III lost his father John Harlin from a tragic incident of falling down from the mountain Eiger, Harlin III decides to accomplish his father's dream by climbing up the mountain himself 40 years later. |
| Entrance of the Tall Ships | ||||
| Exaltation | ||||
| Flight of Valor | ||||
| Follow the River | 2004 | 3 | 3:24 | Based on the novel by James Alexander Thom, the young woman escapes from the Shawnee Indians and tries to find her way home by following the Ohio River. |
| Freedom’s Light | ||||
| Grand Canyon Overture | ||||
| How Firm Thy Friendship | ||||
| Instant Concert | ||||
| In the Wake of Spring | ||||
| Into the Joy of Spring | 2001 | 4 | 6:14 | Contains three movements, with the first movement in the fury of winter and transitioning into the second movement, spring. The third movement is celebrating the joys of Spring. |
| In Quest of Uluru | ||||
| Invicta | ||||
| Journey to the Summit | ||||
| Jubilance | ||||
| Legacy | ||||
| The Legend of the Nighthawk | ||||
| The Light Eternal | 1992 | 4 | 7:35 | Depicts the Four Chaplains who sacrificed their lives during the World War II. |
| The Light of Dawn | ||||
| Majestia | ||||
| Majestia Excalibur | ||||
| Northpointe Fantasy | ||||
| Novena (Rhapsody for Band) | ||||
| Ol' Glory March | ||||
| Park Street Celebration | ||||
| Prelude and Energico | ||||
| Proud Spirit | 1990 | 3 | 3:16 | |
| Of Pride And Celebration | 6:27 | |||
| Seagate Overture | 4 | 8:34 | ||
| A Song of Hope | 2002 | 2 | 2:35 | |
| In Times of Triumph | ||||
| A Vision of Majesty | ||||
| When Kings Go Forth | ||||
| Where the River Flows |
