Roger Zare Music

Bio

Roger Zare was born in Sarasota, Florida, in 1985. He began playing piano at age 5 and violin at age 11; he started composing at age 14. A graduate of Sarasota’s Pine View School for the Gifted, Roger just finished his Bachelor of Music degree in Composition at the University of Southern California. He is currently pursuing his Master of Music at the Peabody Conservatory.

An accomplished pianist, Roger has given a series of solo piano recitals around his home town. In 2001, he won first prize in the Florida Orchestra Young Artist’s Competition in Tampa, playing Chopin’s Piano Concerto in e minor.

An award-winning composer, Roger’s first compositions were for string orchestra and were premiered by his high school orchestra. Subsequent compositions have included solo, chamber, choral, and full orchestra works. In 2003, Roger won the National Federation of Music Clubs Composition Competition with his "Frolic" for violin and piano. In 2006, Roger won a Phi Kappa Phi student recognition award for his compositions. In 2007, Roger won a BMI student composer award for his orchestral work, “Green Flash,” as well as first prize in the arts category of the 2007 USC Undergraduate Symposium. He recently participated in the 2008 American Composers Orchestra New Music Readings with “Green Flash,” and was awarded the 2008 Underwood Commission for a new 15-minute orchestral piece to be premiered by the ACO during the 2009-2010 season in Carnegie Hall.

In early 2005, the New York Youth Symphony commissioned Roger to write an orchestral piece for them as part of their First Music competition. The 65th composer to win this commission, Roger wrote an orchestral composition entitled “The Other Rainbow,” which was premiered in Carnegie Hall in February 2006. During that same month, the Florida West Coast Symphony performed his orchestral composition “Fog” in concerts in Sarasota and North Port.

In addition to the New York Youth Symphony and the Florida West Coast Symphony, Roger has had his compositions performed by the Pine View Chamber Orchestra and Chorus, by ensembles at the Sarasota Music Festival, by the Santa Monica Symphony Wind Quintet, by the USC Thornton Symphony and Concert Orchestra, by Peabody’s Fourth Corner Wind Trio, and by the Starving Composers’ Ensemble at USC. In addition to his concert music, Roger has scored and performed in two short student movies that were produced at USC.

During his years at USC’s Thornton School of Music, Roger has studied with Donald Crockett, Tamar Diesendruck, Frederick Lesemann, and Morten Lauridsen. At Peabody, Roger is currently studying with Chris Theofanidis. He is a member of ASCAP, Alpha Delta Lambda honor society, and Pi Kappa Lambda music honor society. Roger is self published.

Click here for a shortened bio that may be used for publications.

Recent honors:

Winner of the 2008-2009 Dallas Wind Symphony Brass Fanfares Competition
First composer in residence for Peabody’s student new music ensemble, SONAR, 2008-2009
Participant and recipient of the Underwood Commission in the 2008 American Composers Orchestra Underwood Readings with “Green Flash”
Selected as a runner-up for the 2008 Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute
Winner of the Sarasota Music Archive Donald Morrison Memorial Composition Competition.

2007 BMI student composer award for “Green Flash”
Finalist in 2007 ASCAP Morton Gould Awards
Selected as an alternate for the 2007 Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute
1st place in 2007 USC Undergraduate Symposium
Peter David Faith Award for “Green Flash,” from the USC Thornton School of Music, 2007
Outstanding Graduate from the USC Thornton School of Music, 2007

Induction into Pi Kappa Lambda music honor society at USC
2006 Sarasota Music Archive Donald Morrison Memorial Composition Competition winner
2nd place in 2006 USC Undergraduate Symposium
2006 Phi Kappa Phi student recognition award
Finalist in 2006 ASCAP Morton Gould Awards