Episode 45

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Published on:

17th Sep 2024

1.45 - Z. Randall Stroope

Z. Randall Stroope is an American composer and conductor, having conducted concerts in 26 countries and published over 200 musical works.  Randall is the Artistic Director of two international summer music festivals and has directed music for Vatican Mass 12 times.  Recent guest conducting engagements include Rome, Hong Kong, Barcelona, Dublin, Stockholm, Berlin, and Vienna.  In the United States, Randall has directed 56 performances at Carnegie Hall and Chicago Orchestra Hall, 48 all-state choirs, and numerous other conducting workshops, clinics, and performances at universities and festivals.

Randall is the founder/conductor of The New American Voices, a professional recording/performing ensemble based in Dallas/Fort Worth. This ensemble will be touring northern Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands in the summer of 2024.

All of the major marketing/social media platforms feature Randall’s music, including his own website, www.zrstroope.com. He has created 95 videos for YouTube and his music can be live-streamed through Spotify.  His composition teacher-mentors were Normand Lockwood and Cecil Effinger, both students of the famous French teacher, Nadia Boulanger.  Seven companies publish his works, which have sold over four million copies.   The Conversion of SaulLamentations of Jeremiah,  Amor de mi alma, Christi Mutter, We Beheld Once Again the StarsThe Pasture, Revelation, Homeland, I Am Not Yours, Dies Irae, Hodie! (This Day), Song to the Moon,  and In Paradisum are among those on his best-seller list.

Randall holds a Bachelor of Music Education in Voice and Piano, a Master of Music in Voice Performance, and a Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting.  He did post-graduate work with Margaret Hillis, Chorus Master of the Chicago Symphony.

When not on the road, Randall, Cheryl, and their Sheltie (Haddie) spend time at their home/studios in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Merritt Island, Florida.

https://www.zrstroope.com/

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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’s music is equally at home on the concert stage, in outdoor venues, and streaming online, reaching the broadest audience of musicians, performers, and music enthusiasts possible. As a composer dedicated to the exploration of new ideas, his music has evolved over a 25-year career to incorporate more and more non-traditional elements, such as effect tracks, sound drops, and enveloping electroacoustic works combining live and pre-recorded elements. Much of his work is rooted in a large ensemble context; his wind ensemble works have received thousands of performances throughout the US including at Midwest, State Music Conferences including Texas, Colorado, and Kentucky Music Educators Associations, Colleges and Universities like Baylor University, the University of North Texas, and Syracuse University, and at other regional music festivals (ITEA).

In recent years Jason has focused on more intimate chamber musical settings, including collaborations with solo musicians such as trumpeter Kate Amrine , Cellist Carolyn Regula (The Cello Doll) and vocalist Michaela Catapano, as well as chamber groups across the US (Chicago Brass Choir), while continuing expand his sizable catalog of works for larger instrumental forces.

Jason is well known for his work as an educator, dedicated to providing young promising musicians with the foundational experiences on which a lifetime of music-making can be built, and is pursuing research into the ways that music students process their experiences as learners and performers.

Combining his long career in music with a deep love of science fiction and a natural talent for storytelling, Jason recently launched his first podcast, “Beyond the Belt: Adventures from the Outer Rim.” “Beyond the Belt” is a collection of 8 original dramatic science fiction episodes for which he served as writer, producer, and composer. It tells the story of a scientific research experiment gone horribly wrong. With Zombies (of course!).

Jason has released three digital albums in recent years, including the Season One Soundtrack from the Beyond the Belt podcast, “1000 Steps to Nowhere", a collection of chamber music compositions, and most recently “The Dead Teach the Living,” featuring nine vocal collaborations ranging from solo works to Orchestral compositions.

Jason is a lover of dogs, 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.

He currently lives in Waxhachie, TX with his family. He can occasionally be sighted lurking at select music conferences.