Artist description A living American composer working in the Los Angeles area..

Music Style Modern Classical

Musical Influences Bartok, Bach, Martinu, Prokofieff, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Mozart, Brahms

Similar Artists Bartok, Bach, Martinu, Prokofieff, Stravinsky, Shostakovich, Mozart, Brahms

Artist History Born in Los Angeles on October 18, 1932, John Biggs received his Masters degree in composition from the University of California at Los Angeles, doing further study at the University of Southern California and the Royal Flemish Conservatory in Antwerp, Belgium. His teachers include Roy Harris, Lukas Foss, Ingolf Dahl, Flor Peeters, Halsey Stevens, and Leonard Stein. As an educator, he has taught at Los An-geles City College, UCLA, UC Berkeley, and served as composer-in-residence to six colleges in Kansasunder a grant from the Department of Health, Education, & Welfare. As a performer, he founded the John Biggs Consort, which toured internationally under Columbia Artists Management, specializing in medieval, renaissance, and 20th century music. As a composer,he has won numerous awards and ho-nors including a Rockefeller Grant, Fulbright Grant, Atwater-Kent Award, ASCAP “Serious Music Award” every year since 1974, and a number of “Meet the Composer” grants from diverse parts of the United States.

Group Members One: John Biggs

Instruments Composer

Albums Concerto for Cello and Chamber Orchestra....Virginia Kron, soloist

Press Reviews American Folk Song Suite THE REGISTER (Santa Ana, CA) “---colorful and resourceful. The piece is deftly and fluently made, undemanding and agreeable to listen to.”The Ballad of William Sycamore LOS ANGELES TIMES “---solid, accessable, emotionally resonant---”. VENTURA COUNTY STAR “--stylish suggestion of vast spaces and ingrained strength proved compelling.”BORIS BROTT, conductor, New West Symphony [letter to the composer]“I thank you from the bottom of my heart for producing a work of such colour, imagination, immediate accessibility and yet invention and novelty for the opening of the New West Symphony’s first season.” Concerto for Cello & Chamber Orchestra LOS ANGELES TIMES “With all due respect to Bach, Handel, and Telemann, ---the most memorable music---” [of the evening] “---probing intensity---Stravinsky-ish touches yield to lyricism.” “It is a modernist essay, tense yet engaging.” VENTURA COUNTY STAR: “--the highlight of the evening---the entire concerto has the touch of a composer whose classical depth is succinctly, and beguilingly restated in contemporary terms.Concerto for Violin & Classical OrchestraSANTA BARBARA NEWS PRESS “---an excellently crafted composition, vitally rhythmic, appealingly melodic, and harmonically amiable.” “---do not be astonished if one day it finds itself alongside the great violin concertos of the musical world.”Salutation VENTURA COUNTY STAR “Biggs’ new piece is a monumental miniature” “--a brief piece with an imposing sound.”Songs of Laughter, Love, & Tears SANTA BARBARA NEWS PRESS “Provided with a lush harmonic base and melodic structure, this is an ingratiating work, having immediate appeal.”SousaphernaliaLOS ANGELES TIMES “- - - filled with hope and wistful reflection of tunes gone by.”“- - - a tapestry of color and warmth.”Symphony No. 1 (On its premiere in Antwerp, Belgium, May 15, 1965)LA METROPOLE: “Full of humor and drive, the work gave proof of a solid craftsmanship.”DE NIEUWE GAZETTE: “---he speaks a fresh, modern language with a remarkable balance of reason and feeling.” “---without a doubt a masterful piece of work.VOLKS GAZETTE: “---the indisputable high point of the concert.”GAZETTE VAN ANTWERPEN: “---a cunning that reveals technical mastery. We are in contact with a talented composer whose reputation is sure to grow.” Triple Concerto FORT WORTH STAR TELEGRAM “---the contrapuntal textures of Renaissance choral music echo in this concerto.” “---splendidly played.”SANTA BARBARA NEWS PRESS “---vigorous, and cleverly written---gave evidence of a genuine talent.”Variations on a Theme of Shostakovich LOS ANGELES TIMES “---highly accessable---.” “Driving ostinatos and high energy attest to Mr. Biggs’ affinity for the music of Shostakovich.” “---the work emerges ebullient and optimistic.”SANTA BARBARA NEWS PRESS “There is no doubt that Biggs captures the essence of the Russian composer.” “---there is a lightness, a vivacity, and at times a devil-may-care feeling. ---the orchestration is bright, spirited, and rhythmic---.”MAURICE ABRAVANEL (conductor, Utah Symphony)“---a very friendly piece. ---so completely organic. It certainly makes for enjoyable listening.”

Location Ventura, CA - USA

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