Dr. José Beviá Interviewed on Composing in the 21st Century – Posted 2/16/15
An international award-winner, Dr. José Beviá, professor of music at County College of Morris (CCM), recently garnered one more honor with his inclusion with 27 other composers in a new book titled Composition in the Digital World: Conversations with 21st Century American Composers by Robert Raines.
“It’s a great honor to be included in this book because most of the other composers interviewed are older, more established musicians – some of whom have won Pulitzer prizes,” Beviá says. The book offers in-depth interviews with leading composers of contemporary classical music, explores the impact of digital technology on the creative process and queries its subjects on such topics as their source of inspiration, work habits and the business of music. Published by the Oxford University Press, the book has drawn rave reviews from the academic music world.
“I shared how technology has impacted my creative process, what software I use and which composers have most strongly influenced my style of music,” Beviá says.
Raised in Spain, Beviá, of West New York, is also the winner of the 2014 Robert Avalon International Competition for Composers, the 2011 Lee Ettelson Composer Award, the 2010 International Music Prize for Excellence in Composition from the National Academy of Music and the Municipal Conservatories of Neapolis and Sykies in Greece, the 2007 BMI Foundation Charlie Parker Composer Prize in New York, and the 2006 University of West Florida Phillips Jazz Piano Competition. He also was a finalist at the 2006 Brussels Jazz Orchestra International Composition Contest and the 2009 Artez International Composition Contest in the Netherlands. He also received an Honorable Mention at the Minnesota Orchestra Composer Institute.
His classical, jazz, and contemporary compositions and arrangements have been performed around the world by the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra, the BMI/New York Jazz Orchestra, Millennium Jazz Orchestra, Wynton Marsalis and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. He has been a composer in residence at the Visby International Centre for Composers in Sweden, and a visiting artist and scholar at the American Academy in Rome. In 2009, he released a CD of his contemporary classical music with MSR recordings, featuring the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra.
In 2014, his second symphony, Symphony No. 2, was recorded by the North Czech Philharmonic Teplice and Vit Micka, an internationally respected conductor.
Following his graduation from the Valencia Conservatory of Music in Spain, Beviá attended Berklee College of Music on a full scholarship where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He then earned a dual master’s degree in music composition and jazz performance and his Ph.D. in music theory and composition from Florida State University.
At CCM, he teaches Music Theory, Electronic Music, Music Appreciation, Piano and private classes, among other courses. He also is director of the County College of Morris Chamber Ensemble.
“I travel all over the world for performances and enjoy sharing my experiences with students to inspire and support them in their musical pursuits,” Beviá says.