John Frantzen is a prolific and versatile award winning composer whose distinctive style, which combines exciting electro-acoustic soundscapes with a diverse orchestral palette, has earned high praise from concert and film audiences throughout the United States.
Equally conversant in acoustic and electronic music, John has collaborated with directors and visual artists in New York City and Los Angeles. Recent credits include Suavecita premiered at the New York International Latino Film Festival, Dumgrot (short) premiered at Columbia University, Auction Day (documentary), Portrait of Maquoketa (documentary), and Subtone premiered at New York's Symphony Space. Frantzen's music and sound design will be featured in an upcoming multi-media art exhibition Portraiture Now: Communities at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC from November 2009 to July 2010.
On the concert stage Frantzen has fulfilled commissions from a variety of professional and university ensembles. Notable premieres have include the orchestral work Big City, for the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra, for the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra in Boston, In the Half Light for a consortium of ten university wind ensembles from across the United States, Where Rivers Bend for the Oakwood Chamber Players, and music for the play Son at the Front, premiered at the Antheum theater in Chicago.
Frantzen's honors and awards include the Ridgewood Symphony Fanfare Competition, second prize in the 2nd International Frank Ticheli Composition Competition, San Francisco Area Chapter of the American Composers Forum Subito grant, North/South Consonance Chamber Orchestra Call for Scores, first prize in the Penfield Music Commission Project, eight ASCAP Special Awards since 2001, and finalist in the G. Schirmer Young American's Band Competition. The German wind ensemble Blaserorchester Sudwind featured Poem for wind ensemble on their Sound Circus CD release Poem. His music has been heard on public radio broadcasts around the country and most recently on Wisconsin Public Radio's Sunday Afternoon at the Chazen. Frantzen's music has received performances at the National Flute Convention in Washington, DC and the College Band Directors National Association's National Convention in Denton, Texas.
John completed graduate studies at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City working with composer Richard Danielpour along with conductors David Gilbert and Giampaolo Bracali. Published by Manhattan Beach Music and Falls House Press, he currently resides in Los Angeles where he operates his own music production company Frantzen MusicPress.