2007 CLEFWORKS COMPOSITION COMPETITION
Congratulations to Mike Barnett, ClefWorks 2007 Composition Competition winner. His original score, Ask the Wind, will début on August 4th during the Series Finale at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.
Mike will be in Montgomery during the ClefWorks festival to help the musicians prepare for the performance and to give the audience a chance to meet him and learn more about composing music. Pianist Jihye Chang, violinist Benjamin Sung and cellist Hrant Parsamian—will join Mike to prepare for the performance of this winning composition at the open rehearsal on Friday August 3rd.
ClefWorks is grateful to Arie Lipsky, conductor of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, cellist of the New Arts Trio and music director of the Ashland Symphony Orchestra in Ohio, as well as Claude Baker, Professor of Composition at Indiana University and former composer-in-residence of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, for judging of the final round of the 2007 Composition Competition. Congratulations to David Witmer who received an honorable mention for his composition titled "Miniatures for Piano Trio."
MIKE BARNETT
From composer to heavy metal drummer to recording artist to educator and even orchestral violist, the eclectic and colorful career of Mike Barnett has transcended the boundaries of the traditional contemporary musician. Mike’s fascination with music began at an early age but, being from a family of modest means, he was forced to explore music independently. In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, art rock ensembles such as Rush and Pink Floyd and classically-influenced European heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest captivated Mike and led him to discover his penchant for the drum set. He began playing with bands that were composing and recording original music and gained extensive experience as a performer, recording artist and collaborative composer of heavy metal music. In 1988 Mike formed the now legendary Pittsburgh-based metal ensemble, Phantom Crew. Over the next twelve years the band would go on to record seven albums, compose hundreds of songs and perform at countless venues throughout the eastern United States.
During this time, at a point when his musical creativity began to outgrow his knowledge of the art form, Mike chose to pursue formal composition training. He earned the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1996 and Master of Arts degree in 1998, both in Music Composition, from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania where he studied with Daniel Perlongo and Erik Santos. At IUP, he also studied piano and viola and played viola in the college orchestra. In 2004, Mike earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Composition from the University of Colorado at Boulder where he studied with Richard Toensing, Luis Gonzalez, John Drumheller, Michael Theodore and Andrew May. He served as a Graduate Instructor at CU from 1999 until 2004 and as an Adjunct Faculty member in the Composition/Theory department from 2004 until 2006. Mike has since left the teaching profession and is currently living in Hollywood, California where he works as a composer, studio drummer and private composition instructor. He is also the drummer for the renowned Hollywood heavy metal band, Throttle, and has been appearing in that capacity at clubs and festivals throughout Southern California.
Barnett’s compositions include several orchestral works, including a work for orchestra and electronic sounds, a piano concerto, a chamber opera and many chamber works, solo works and songs. His music has been performed around the world by such prominent musicians as David Korevaar, Alexa Still, Michael Thornton, Erika Eckert, Stanley Chepaitis and Dieter Wulfhorst and major ensembles including the Ives String Quartet, the Vinca String Quartet and the Kiev Philharmonic. Over the years, Mike has appeared on dozens of rock and metal recordings as both a band member and as a “hired gun” musician and has enjoyed extensive mass media exposure.
Congratulations to Mike Barnett, ClefWorks 2007 Composition Competition winner. His original score, Ask the Wind, will début on August 4th during the Series Finale at the Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts.
Mike will be in Montgomery during the ClefWorks festival to help the musicians prepare for the performance and to give the audience a chance to meet him and learn more about composing music. Pianist Jihye Chang, violinist Benjamin Sung and cellist Hrant Parsamian—will join Mike to prepare for the performance of this winning composition at the open rehearsal on Friday August 3rd.
ClefWorks is grateful to Arie Lipsky, conductor of the Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra, cellist of the New Arts Trio and music director of the Ashland Symphony Orchestra in Ohio, as well as Claude Baker, Professor of Composition at Indiana University and former composer-in-residence of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, for judging of the final round of the 2007 Composition Competition. Congratulations to David Witmer who received an honorable mention for his composition titled "Miniatures for Piano Trio."
MIKE BARNETT
From composer to heavy metal drummer to recording artist to educator and even orchestral violist, the eclectic and colorful career of Mike Barnett has transcended the boundaries of the traditional contemporary musician. Mike’s fascination with music began at an early age but, being from a family of modest means, he was forced to explore music independently. In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, art rock ensembles such as Rush and Pink Floyd and classically-influenced European heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden and Judas Priest captivated Mike and led him to discover his penchant for the drum set. He began playing with bands that were composing and recording original music and gained extensive experience as a performer, recording artist and collaborative composer of heavy metal music. In 1988 Mike formed the now legendary Pittsburgh-based metal ensemble, Phantom Crew. Over the next twelve years the band would go on to record seven albums, compose hundreds of songs and perform at countless venues throughout the eastern United States.
During this time, at a point when his musical creativity began to outgrow his knowledge of the art form, Mike chose to pursue formal composition training. He earned the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1996 and Master of Arts degree in 1998, both in Music Composition, from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania where he studied with Daniel Perlongo and Erik Santos. At IUP, he also studied piano and viola and played viola in the college orchestra. In 2004, Mike earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Composition from the University of Colorado at Boulder where he studied with Richard Toensing, Luis Gonzalez, John Drumheller, Michael Theodore and Andrew May. He served as a Graduate Instructor at CU from 1999 until 2004 and as an Adjunct Faculty member in the Composition/Theory department from 2004 until 2006. Mike has since left the teaching profession and is currently living in Hollywood, California where he works as a composer, studio drummer and private composition instructor. He is also the drummer for the renowned Hollywood heavy metal band, Throttle, and has been appearing in that capacity at clubs and festivals throughout Southern California.
Barnett’s compositions include several orchestral works, including a work for orchestra and electronic sounds, a piano concerto, a chamber opera and many chamber works, solo works and songs. His music has been performed around the world by such prominent musicians as David Korevaar, Alexa Still, Michael Thornton, Erika Eckert, Stanley Chepaitis and Dieter Wulfhorst and major ensembles including the Ives String Quartet, the Vinca String Quartet and the Kiev Philharmonic. Over the years, Mike has appeared on dozens of rock and metal recordings as both a band member and as a “hired gun” musician and has enjoyed extensive mass media exposure.