James Swearingen

Infobox musical artist |
Name = James Swearingen


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Occupation = Composer
Years_active = 1987-present
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URL = [http://www.jamesswearingen.com Official Site]

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.

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.Fact|date=September 2007 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), [ [http://www.omea-ohio.org/ Ohio Music Education Association] ] National Association for Music Education (MENC), American School Band Directors' Association (ASBDA), [ [http://home.comcast.net/~asbda/ American School Band Directors' Association] ] Phi Beta Mu [ [http://www.phibetamu.org/ International Bandmasters Fraternity] ] , 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.Fact|date=January 2008

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. [ [http://www.walkingfrog.com/home.php Walking Frog Records] ] His recordings include "In All Its Glory", "Exaltation", "Celebration For Winds And Percussion", "The Light Of Dawn", and the newest release, "Flight of Valor".

Compositions

References

External links

* [http://www.jamesswearingen.com/ James Swearingen Official Website]
* [http://www.fjhmusic.com/composer/jswearingen.htm FJH Music]
* [http://www.barnhouse.com/composers.php?id=183 Swearingen bio and list of works at C. L. Barnhouse Co. official website]