A student of piano since the age of 4, Frederick was given the honor of first studying composition with Rudolph R. A. Schramm, notable composer, arranger, and co-founder of the National Symphony in Washington, D.C. Continued studies included applied voice, trombone, conducting, arranging, and composition under the tutelage of such notable teachers as: Michael Kirkjian, Harold Clousing (voice), David Thorsen, Barbara Favorito, Grant Gershon, Donovan Gray, Gary Bonner, Jerry McCoy, Rene Clausen, Andre’ Thomas, Thomas Leslie, Takayoshi ‘Tad’ Suzuki (conducting), Richard Hoffman (trombone), Don Neufeld, and Takayoshi ‘Tad’ Suzuki (composition, arranging). He will complete a Doctorate of Musical Arts in Performance (Conducting) from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in 2014. Frederick is an active member of the College Band Directors’ National Association (CBDNA), the American Choral Directors’ Association (ACDA), and a receipient of honor with Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, and Golden Key International Honor Society. His recent research on the teachings of Nadia Boulanger in the early works of Aaron Copland will be published in 2014.
As a composr and arranger, Frederick is known for creating complex tonal textures through the use of tonal colour (the harmonic sound created when two or more instruments sound together) in his works. This approach creates an elegant, almost orchestral expression in his wind band works. Most notable of these works are his recent arrangements of choral settings: AMOR DE MI ALMA (Z. Randall Stroope, TRN Music Publishing, Inc.); MY FLIGHT FOR HEAVEN (Blake R. Henson, Imagine Music Publishing), which has been dedicated to the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary School, Newtown, CT; WHAT SWEETER MUSIC (Sir John Rutter, Imagine Music Publishing); O MAGNUM MYSTERIUM (Kevin A. Memley, Imagine Music Publishing), O NATA LUX (orchestral, Guy Forbes, Hal Leonard Publishing); THERE IS NO ROSE OF SUCH VIRTUE (Kevin A. Memley, Pavane Publishing, Inc.); WE ARE MORE THAN CONQUERORS (wind band, Mark Hayes, Hal Leonard Publishing); SHALL WE GATHER AT THE RIVER (Dan Goeller, Word Music, Inc.); O VOS OMNES (Richard Burchard, Pavane Publishing, Inc.); and, WHEN THE SUN COMES AFTER RAIN (Matthew Emery, Pavane Publishing, Inc.). Currently, Frederick is working with the AZUSA PACIFIC UNIVERSITY WIND ENSEMBLE to record and release modern arrangements of Christian hymns. He continues to accept commissions to compose new works for both wind band and choral ensembles; and, in 2014, Frederick will release his first symphonic work in honor of the 75th anniversary of Kristallnact (the Night of Broken Glass), with thematic materials derivied from the songs and hymns of prisoners during the Holocaust.
For further information, please visit his website at www.frederickumar.com
