The son of professional classical-musician parents, Professor of Music Fred
Sturm, ’73, who returned as director of Lawrence’s jazz program
in 2002 after having previously held that position from 1977-91, credits
in part a “black-sheep uncle” who loved jazz for inspiring his
own passion as a youngster for the art form. A one-time trombonist, Sturm’s
energies today are directed toward composing and teaching more than performing,
with notable results. He was named the winner of the 2003 ASCAP/IAJE Commission
in Honor of Quincy Jones, a prize awarded annually to an established jazz
composer of international prominence. His latest composition, Abstraktes
Bild (Abstract Image), a jazz ensemble work, premiered earlier this year
at the International Association for Jazz Education Conference in Manhattan,
while his Picasso Cubed for saxophone quartet, commissioned by the American
Composers Forum, debuted at the 2003 International Saxophone Congress. He
was awarded a commission in 2003 from the Hessischer Rundfunk (German Public
Radio for the State of Hessen) in Frankfurt, for which he serves as principal
guest conductor, and created 11 jazz ensemble arrangements of Steely Dan
compositions that were recorded and premiered last September in Germany.
A CD of those compositions — West of Hollywood: Three Decades of
Steely Dan — will be released on the hr media label before the end of this
year. Most recently, Professor Sturm was selected to compose and arrange
the music for the next CD of jazz great Bobby McFerrin, which will be launched
during the 2005 jazz festival season, and was named the artistic director/musical
arranger for the Baseball Music Project, which is scheduled to be premiered
the week before opening day of 2006 in New York.