David Froom

David Froom (December 14, 1951 – June 19, 2022 ) was an American composer and college professor. Froom taught at the University of Utah, the Peabody Institute, and the University of Maryland, College Park, and he was on the faculty at St. Mary's College of Maryland from 1989 until his death in 2022. He has received awards and honors from the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Academy of Arts and Letters, (the Charles Ives Scholarship, the Academy Award ), the Fromm Foundation at Harvard, the Koussevitzky Foundation of the Library of Congress, the Barlow Foundation, and was a five-time recipient of an Individual Artist Award from the State of Maryland. and fellowships to the Tanglewood Music Festival, the Wellesley Composers Conference, and MacDowell Colony.

Composer Froom wrote music for solo instruments, chamber ensembles, and orchestra, with and without voice. His music has been performed extensively throughout the United States by major orchestras, ensembles, and soloists, including, among many others, the Louisville, Seattle, Utah, League/ISCM, and Chesapeake Symphony Orchestras, the United States Marine and Navy Bands, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the 21st Century Consort, Boston Musica Viva, the New York New Music Ensemble, the Haydn Trio Eisenstadt, and the Aurelia Saxophone Quartet. His music has been heard in performance in England, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Holland, Cyprus, China, Australia, and New Zealand. “intellectually engaging, explosive with imagination and with a satisfying visceral power,” balancing “diatonic pastoralism with acerbic angularity, Stravinskian rhythmic urgency with lyrical counterpoint.” Among his most critically acclaimed works are “Circling,” Sonata for Solo Violin, 2nd Piano Trio, and Amichai Songs. Among his most frequently performed music is his saxophone music, which includes a saxophone quartet, “Flying High” for solo alto saxophone, and “Arirang Variations” for alto saxophone, bassoon, and piano. All of his works, are published by the American Composers Alliance.

Froom's work has, since 1991, appeared regularly on the concerts of the 21st Century Consort, the new music ensemble-in-residence at the Smithsonian Institution. They have premiered and recorded many of his works.

Personal life Froom was married to pianist Eliza Garth. They share two daughters, Rosalie and Ana.

Awards

Froom's awards include the following:

Academy Award, American Academy of Arts and Letters

Fromm Foundation at Harvard Commission

Barlow Foundation at Brigham Young University Commission

Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship

Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award (five times)

Koussevitzky Foundation Commission from the Library of Congress

National Endowment for the Arts Composition Fellowship

Kennedy Center Friedheim Awards First Prize

Composition Fellow to the Composers Conference at Wellesley

Fulbright-Hays Program Grant for study at Cambridge University (England)

Charles Ives Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters

Selected works Groom's notable works include:

Serenade for trumpet and strings, Gerard Schwarz and the Seattle Symphony with Jeff Silberschlag, trumpet (Naxos 8.559719).

Chamber Concerto (New York New Music Ensemble), String Quartet (Ciompi String Quartet), Quintet for Oboe, Strings and Piano (Twentieth Century Consort), Piano Suite (Eliza Garth). To Dance to the Whistling Wind (Jayn Rosenfeld) (Arabesque Recordings Z6710)

“Kick Off!” for brass septet (Sonora Recordings SO22591CD)

Piano Trio, Opus 3 Trio (Opus 3 Recordings)

Saxophone Quartet, West Point Saxophone Quartet (Altissimo Recordings 75442259912)

Saxophone Quartet, Aurelia Quartet (New Dynamic Records 700261228655)

Saxophone Quartet, Quatour Nota Bene (Fidelio Recordings AD001)

Piano Trio #2: “Grenzen,” Haydn Trio Eisenstadt (Capriccio Records CAP71095)

Arirang Variations, Kenneth Tse, Benjamin Coehlo, Alan Huckleberry (Crystal Records CD358)

Amichai Songs, Fantasy Dances, Circling, Emerson Songs, Clarinet Trio, 21st Century Consort (Bridge Records 9240)

Sonata for Violin Solo, Curtis Macomber (Navonna Records NV5830)