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Biography |
In the Spotlight |
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Nick Strimple, Associate Professor of Choral and Sacred Music in the Thornton School of Music at the University of Southern California (USC), and Director of Music at Beverly Hills Presbyterian Church, is a composer, conductor, scholar and author who has had a long, distinguished and versatile career. Born in 1946 in Amarillo, Texas, he was educated at Baylor University and the University of Southern California. His interests include twentieth century music, Jewish music, the music of Dvořák and other Czech composers, the aesthetics of sacred music, and virtually all aspects of choral music. Strimple also serves as Music Director of the Choral Society of Southern California and the Los Angeles Zimriyah Chorale. At USC, Strimple teaches the Choral Literature and Sacred Music classes as well as Music and the Holocaust, one of the University’s diversity courses. He is the author of two critically acclaimed books, Choral Music in the Twentieth Century (2002) and Choral Music in the Nineteenth Century (2008). He is recognized internationally for his work with music related to the Holocaust. He has lectured on the subject at Yale University, Oxford University, Wellesley College, University of Miami, the Oregon Bach Festival, the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies, the Krakow Jewish Culture Festival and other distinguished institutions. He has presented lecture/concerts at national conventions of the American Musicological Society, the American Choral Directors Association, the Cantors Assembly and other organizations. He has served as a consultant to several museums and Holocaust Memorials including the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust and the Museum of the History of Polish Jews in Warsaw, Poland. During 2001-02, Strimple served on the California State Legislature Working Group for Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights Education (which resulted in legislation mandating the teaching of genocide awareness in California schools). He currently serves as Vice President of the David Nowakowsky Foundation, Vice President of the Beverly Hills International Music Festival, Artistic Director of the annual Los Angeles Interfaith Symposium and Concert, and sits on the Advisory Boards of the Young Musicians Foundation, the Jewish Music Commission of Los Angeles and the Aminadav Aloni Music Foundation. Strimple has conducted some of the world's most prominent ensembles including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestra and Chorus of the Polish National Opera, the Philharmonia Orchestra (London), the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, the Slovak Radio Orchestra, London Voices, the Prague Radio Choir, the Ensemble Vocal d'Aquitaine (Bordeaux), the New York Oratorio Society and the Hans Sachs Choir (Nuremberg). His recordings of twentieth century choral music are released on the Naxos, Music & Arts and 4-Tay labels. Strimple's choral ensembles have appeared at divisional and national ACDA conventions and at numerous European music festivals including the Prague Summer Festival, the Athens Festival, the Pazaislis International Music Festival (Kaunas, Lithuania), the Vilnius International Music Festival, the Prague Musica Iudaica Festival and others. He has also prepared choruses for several renowned conductors including Zubin Mehta, Michael Tilson-Thomas and Gerard Schwartz. An established composer, Strimple has written concert and liturgical works and has received commissions from the Vienna International Organ Festival, the J. Paul Getty Museum, Diva Complex, Jorge Mester and others. His two Christmas Cantatas were recently recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra. He has also composed film and television scores and has served as arranger and/or director for Frank Sinatra, Rod Stewart, Air Supply and other leading artists. Strimple has received grants from the Lifebridge Foundation, City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, Los Angeles Jewish Community Foundation, Cotsen Family Foundation, Roth Family Foundation and others. He was educated at Baylor University (BM in composition) and the University of Southern California (MM in sacred music–Outstanding MastersCandidate, 1973; DMA in choral music – Outstanding Doctoral Candidate, 1976). His principle teachers include Charles C. Hirt, Robert H. Young and James H.Vail (choral conducting and
5 Strimple rehearsing at Vienna's Augustinerkirche, Vienna International Organ Festival, 1990. |
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS American Choral Directors Association
2008-present: Chair, Repertoire and Standards, American Choral Directors Association Western Division
and Human Rights Education
1976-77: Consultant, Music Commission, Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego
5 Terry Edwards, Rod Gilfry and Nick Strimple take a break during London recording sessions for Strimple's "Mother and Child."
5 Composer Jan Hanuš with Nick Strimple and Eliška
Kleinová, sister of Gideon Klein, prior to a concert at the Church of
St Margaret at Brevnov Monastery in Prague, 1995. |
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| © 2010 Nick Strimple | (213) 740-7416 | strimple@usc.edu | |
