Greg A Steinke, Ph D For additional information please see: https://gregasteinke.com
Greg A Steinke (1942 - ) is Former Chair, Departments of Art and Music, (The Joseph Naumes Endowed Chair in Music), also Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Marylhurst University, Marylhurst, Oregon (retired, 6/15/01); Associate Director, Ernest Bloch Music Festival (‘93–97) and Director, Composers Symposium (‘90–97) (Newport, OR); Holds B.M. degree, Oberlin Conservatory, M.M. degree, Michigan State University, M.F.A. degree The University of Iowa, and Ph.D. from Michigan State University. Publications: on new oboe literature and music composition; revisions to Paul Harder Harmonic Materials in Tonal Music, 6th-10th Ed., Basic Materials in Music Theory, 7th-13th Ed., Bridge to Twentieth-Century Music, Rev. Ed., Pearson, and with H Owen Reed the Harder-Reed Basic Contrapuntal Techniques, Warner Bros. Pub.; and article, “Music for Dance: An Overview” in The Dance Has Many Faces, 3rd Ed., Ed. by Walter Sorell, a cappella books. Served as National Chairman of the Society of Composers, Inc. (‘88–97) and currently national President of NACUSA (‘12–19); Board Member of NACUSA Cascadia. Composer of chamber and symphonic music with published/recorded works and performances across the US and internationally, speaker on interdisciplinary arts and oboe soloist specializing in contemporary music. Composition honors: winner – ’15 of 10th NACUSA Texas Composition Competition for my TIP TOP TAP BALLROOM BONANZA ver. for Flute and Contrabass; Honorable Mention Flute New Music Consortium 2015 Composition Contest for IN MEMORIAM SACAJAWEA for Flute Quartet; Honorable Mention from Cortona Prize 2016 for From ARGART for Soprano and Piano (‘16); Semi - Finalist in International Composition Competition “Maurice Ravel” Cat. B (’15), Cat. C (’16); INQUIETUDE for Solo Flute selected for RMN Classical CD (London), (’16). Recent commissions from the Delgani Quartet of Eugene, Or (From SONGS OF THE FIRE CIRCLES); Prof. Paul Reilly, guitarist of Ball State University (RANDOM BLACKOUTS IV for Tenor and Guitar) and Dr. Andrew White, baritone of University of Nebraska, Kearney (A WHITMAN “SAMPLER” for Baritone and Piano).
I have had a wide variety of musical experiences that have greatly sharpened my awareness as a composer to the many diverse musical styles in our contemporary milieu and to performer attitudes in the performance of new music. These situations have been a cornerstone in the development of my compositional style and technique, affording, at various times, a living workshop for the realization of my compositions. The creative process is complex and a magical blend of musical skill, talent, emotion, and personal insight in which experience and education must be synthesized into a final product a musical entity of a kind. This musical entity hopefully offers a meaningful and heart-felt communication that is the essence of one's scholarship, research and creative activities. I have had performances of most of my music. This has enabled me to learn and develop my style and technique with each new work. These situations have provided me an intimate acquaintance with a specific performance medium, ranging from solo to ensemble, as well as close working relationships with many diverse artists. This has also stimulated a desire to research collateral areas of performance and composition along with the social milieu of the present, past and future of my own and other cultures. Out of this environment has come the realization of the importance of utilizing an interdisciplinary approach in the compositional process. This approach has helped me mature as an artist and realize that through an understanding of the philosophical values and societal relationships of our world milieu one can make a meaningful artistic statement. This happened through my Evergreen State College experiences as a faculty member and the research subsequently done on Native American culture and later work on the Japanese/American internment camp experience. These several artistic pathways have helped me to move ahead in confronting the complex process of musical creation in composition and re-creation in performance. Many of my compositions have had close northwestern or western ties with the use of northwestern Native American poetic and musical materials as a compositional metaphor. Some works have been based on paintings. My work has continued to receive national recognition over the years with performances in many parts of the United States along with performances in Canada, Asia and Europe.