BiographyComposer and Pianist Michael Joseph Smith was born in Tiline, Kentucky; U.S.A. At the age of 6 years, he gave his first concert of original solo piano music in Nashville, Tennessee. He served in the U.S. Navy and gave lectures and perfonnances in Midwestern America while continuing his study of piano technique. For the next 10 years, he studied Electro-acoustic music and moved to Boston and New York - studying medicine and becoming involved with the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston and the Julliard School in New York. During this period, he developed the philosophy and notation form of his original music later titled "Geomusic", and composed works with this method for various chamber groups, solo piano, and symphony orchestra. He embarked on his first European concert tour in 1970, completed his first recordings in Italy and developed an interest in Jazz and Improvisation. He moved to Paris in 1972 and completed concert tours and recordings in Western Europe, Scandinavia and America in Jazz ensembles and contemporary unit's of his own. From 1975 to 1976 he recorded various albums in Eurdpe and the America's and toured, mostly solo, to: Poland, East Germany, Hungary, Western Europe, South America and Scandinavia. He also completed his first recordings with computer and piano, in conjunction with Swedish electronic composers: Tamas U ngvary and Sten Hanson. In 1977, he was admitted lo the Swedish Composers Society and in 1979 he became a member of the International Society of Contemporary Music. He returned to the United States briefly in 1980 as Composer-In-Residence in Georgia. There he completed 3 major balletprojects with various_contemporary dance ensembles, which culminated in world premiers of the works in Atlanta at the famous Fox Theater, . the "Stars Of American Dance". He has been awarded numerous cultural prizes and stipindium's in Europe and Scandinavia. He has composed scores for various major film and television projects, composed music for 10 major ballet works mostly in Europe with Choreographer Conny Borg and companies such as the Royal Swedish Ballet - and has released 55 recordings of his own compositions in 27 countries, featuring such eminent artists as: Jonas Hellborg, Steve Lacy, Noah Howard, Michael Shrieve, Danny Gottlieb, Ragnar Grippe, Ornette Coleman, Archie Shepp, Paul Bley, Andrew Hill, Ran Blake, and many others. A film portrait of his life entitled "In Spiritual Exile" was premiered in Sweden in 1983 and in the United States later, via National Public Television Network (PBS). In addition, two films were recently released about Mr. Smith, both entitled "Virtuosi - studies 1 and 2". In 1986 Mr. Smith entered a research program with theIBM Corporation and the Roland Synthesizer Corporation, to compose and develop composition "real-time" with computer composition software. In five years he created 600 new works scored for various ensembles and expanded this technology to transfer via digital networks from country to country real time, and with live performances with artists worldwide. In December 1988, he performed in Atlanta with prominent American artist and poet, Paul Chelko and began a second Artist-In-Residency program in Atlanta that lasted until l990. Since that time, Mr. Smith has written for the Tbilisi Chamber Orchestra, The Moscow Philharmonic, various European ensembles, ballet companies worldwide and has performed and premiered pieces in Tbilisi, Moscow, Brussels, Kassel (at Documenta IX), Beijing, Xian, Atlanta, Bordeaux (at SIGMA), and Sweden. Recently he has recorded new CD's in Amsterdam and Beijing. In 1994 he finished 2 film projects in Sweden as weIl as hosted a performance series in Southern Sweden titled "The Piano". Maestro Smith lectured and performed at Agnes Scott College in Atlanta, Bowdoin College in Maine, The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, the Central Conservatory Of Music in Beijing and Xian China, as weIl as completed three tours of China, both alone and with Chinese pop singer Wei Wei. Recently he finished commissions by Musik I Skane in Sweden for Orchestra and Alto Saxophone, premiered and performed new compositions at the 100th Olympic Games in Atlanta. Michael Joseph Smith is president and CEO of his corporation "World Music (U.S.A.), Inc.", and resides at : P O Box 65, Tyringe, Sweden S-28221
E-Mail
[email protected] Permanent URL: http://www.michaeljsmith.com Phone: +46 451 50036REFERENCES:
International Who's Who in Music
The International Book of Honor
5000 Personalities of the World
STIM, Stockholm, Sweden
Marquis Who'S Who in the World
Marquis Who's Who in Music other reference titles:
Who's Who in Western Europe Men Of Distinction, Swedish Composers Society Marquis Who's Who in the South,
Marquis Who'S Who in America and the IBM Corporation, Sweden.
