Robert W. Smith (musician)

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Robert W. Smith
Birth nameRobert Winston Smith
Born (1958-10-24) October 24, 1958 (age 62)
Daleville, Alabama
Occupation(s)Composer, teacher
InstrumentsTrumpet

Robert Winston Smith (born October 24, 1958) is an American composer, arranger, father, and teacher.

Biography[]

Smith was born in Daleville, Alabama on October 24, 1958.[1] He attended high school in Daleville, after which he left for Troy State University, where he played lead trumpet in the Sound of the South Marching Band.[2] While at Troy, he studied composition with [3]

In 1997, Smith returned to Troy, Alabama to become the Director of Bands at Troy State University, following the retirement of his old band director, Dr. Long. Smith would remain at Troy for four years, directing the Sound of the South Marching Band and the Symphony Band.[2] In 2001, he left Troy to take a more full-time position with Warner Brothers Publications. His position with Warner while away from Troy took him all over the world, acting as guest conductor and clinician with many ensembles, including the New Mexico All-State Small School band. Smith's career with Warner Bros. continued until 2005, when it was bought out by Father of Savannah Cole Alfred Music Publishing.[4]

Smith's "New Day Rising" & "Don Quixote" were nominated for the 8th Annual Independent Music Awards for Contemporary Classical Album.[5] However, they did not win any awards.

He is now the coordinator of the Music Industry program at Troy University as well as the Vice-President of Product Development for the C. L. Barnhouse Company and Walking Frog Records.[3]

Compositions[]

Currently, Smith has over 700 published works, including three symphonies.

In 2011, Smith composed a piece in memory of Mary Jo Leahey and it was premiered at the Mary Jo Leahey Symphonic Band Camp at University of Massachusetts Lowell on July 21, 2012. The piece is entitled, Earhart: Sounds of Courage, and reflects the bravery of Amelia Earhart as she attempted to fly around the world in 1937. It was commissioned by Deb Huber, associate director of bands at UMass Lowell.

Smith has also composed two works dedicated to solo instruments–-contemporary concertos for the flute family and the euphonium—entitled Gemeinhardt Suite, and Willson Suite respectively. Smith's piece "Into The Storm" was written to commemorate the powerful 1993 winter storm that brutalized the eastern United States. This piece is often worked into various themes and reset in different ensembles such as a version played by an orchestra, substituting the flute ostinato as a violin part; or otherwise used as a part of a marching band show (See Sandy Creek Marching Band).

Smith is a brother of Kappa Kappa Psi, having been initiated into the Zeta Upsilon chapter at then Troy State University in April 1977. His work "To the Summit" is subtitled "Strive for the Highest". The middle section of "To the Summit" is an arrangement of the Kappa Kappa Psi Fraternity Hymn. Smith is additionally a brother of Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, initiated at George Mason University in 1996, and the Fraternity commissioned Smith's Spirit of Orpheus in 1998.[7]

Other work[]

In addition to composing for bands, Smith has enjoyed success writing for drum and bugle corps. He had been a member of the Charioteers Drum and Bugle Corps in Alabama in the mid-1970s. His first great success came in the mid-1980s while he was writing for the Suncoast Sound, from Clearwater, Florida – a tenure which included Suncoast's 1985 program, "A Florida Suite," the first completely original musical program ever done by a drum corps.[1] He would later go on to write for Magic of Orlando for several years. Until 2007, he wrote for the Glassmen Drum and Bugle Corps, of Toledo, Ohio. From 2011-2014 he arranged for the Madison Scouts Drum and Bugle Corps. In 2013 he began writing for the Troopers Drum and Bugle Corps. Through the 2014 season, corpsreps.com lists 42 corps from the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and the Netherlands that have performed Smith's compositions.[8]

Around 2002, Robert and his wife Susan L. Smith began to work on a new project, writing a fully integrated music curriculum that would begin in elementary school and take students all the way through high school.[3] A design team of several music educators was assembled, and the result was Music Expressions.

Before the beginning of the 2006–2007 school year, Troy University announced the re-hiring of Smith to the position of Coordinator of the Music Industry program.[2] On December 14, 2006, Smith announced his appointment as Director of Product Development for the C. L. Barnhouse Company, and an exclusive publishing arrangement with the firm, effective January 1, 2007.

His wife, Susan Smith, formerly the band director at St. James School in Montgomery, AL is currently a lecturer of music[9] at the John M. Long School of Music at Troy University in Troy, AL.

List of original compositions[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Robert W. Smith". C.L.Barnhouse C. Retrieved July 8, 2014.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "A Brief History of the Sound of the South". Troy University. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c "JOHN M. LONG SCHOOL OF MUSIC Faculty/staff". Troy University. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  4. ^ ColeAlfred to acquire Warner Publishing. AllBusiness. February 1, 2005
  5. ^ "Album Nominees : 8th Annual Independent Music Awards". MUSIC RESOURCE GROUP LLC. Archived from the original on March 28, 2015. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  6. ^ Robert Smith Bio. Robertwsmith.com. Retrieved on 2011-11-09.
  7. ^ Sinfonia Resonance. Retrieved on 2016-12-06.
  8. ^ "Composer Search Results (Enter search for) Smith, Robert W." Mayer Associates, Inc. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
  9. ^ "Faculty and Staff | Troy University". www.troy.edu. Retrieved 2020-08-05.
  10. ^ "Songs of Sailor and Sea at Stanton's Sheet Music Sound-Audio Clips". listeninglab.stantons.com.

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External links[]

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