Ronald Keith Parks, born in Waynesville, NC, is an active composer of acoustic and electronic music. His diverse output includes large orchestral works, instrumental and vocal chamber music, choral music, electroacoustic music, and interactive computer music. He has written music for numerous professional ensembles and performers including the Out of Bounds Ensemble, Mira Frisch and Anna Cromwell (violin/cello duo), the Charlotte Civic Orchestra, NeXT Ens, the Winthrop/Carolinas Wind Orchestra, the Bradner-Deguchi piano duo, pianist Tomoko Deguchi, flutist Jill O'Neill, the Winthrop University Chamber Winds, the Winthrop University Percussion Ensemble, the University at Buffalo Percussion Ensemble, the Sallie Fouse Flute Quartet, the University of Georgia Contemporary Ensemble, the North Carolina School of the Arts Symphony, the NCSA International Music Program Ensemble, the North Carolina School of the Arts String Orchestra, and many others.
His compositions have been selected for inclusion at numerous national and international music festivals and conferences including the Florida Electroacoustic Music Festival, the Bowing Green State University Contemporary Ensemble Concert, the Society for Electroacoustic Music in the United States Conference, the International Computer Music Conference, the Electronic Music Midwest Festival, the National Flute Association Conference, The Australian Flute Festival, Society of Composers' National and Regional Conferences, the Two-Sided Triangle concert series in Essen Germany, the NextWave~ festival in Melbourne Australia, the Earfest and Computer Music at SUNY Stony Brook series, the Unbalanced Connection Concerts at the University of Florida, the Timara Faculty and Guests Concert Series at Oberlin College, Southeastern Composers' League Concerts, the College Music Society Composers' Concerts and numerous performers and composers concerts and recitals throughout North and South America, Europe, and Asia.
Dr. Parks’ research into computer music techniques, including granular sampling, granular synthesis, and FFT-based spectral accumulation and evaporation, has been included in the Amsterdam Catalogue of Csound Computer Instruments and has been presented at the International Computer Music Conference, SEAMUS conferences, SCI conferences, the SPARK Festival, and the Electronic Music Midwest Festival.
Select commissions have come from the the Out of Bounds Ensemble, NeXT Ens, Forces of Nature, the Charlotte Civic Orchestra, the Red Clay Saxophone Quartet, the South Carolina Music Teachers Association, the North Carolina School of the Arts' International Music Program (to write a work for their European tour), and the North Carolina School of the Arts Orchestra.
His honors and awards include the Aaron Copland Award and Residency, the Outstanding Junior Professor Award at Winthrop University, Honorable Mentions in the Shepard Composer of the year, Minnesota Composers Forum, and MACRO, two Giannini Scholarships for Music Composition plus the Chancellors Award for Excellence at the North Carolina School of the Arts, three Graeffe Memorial Scholarships for Composition, and the Presidential Recognition Award at the University of Florida. His flute quartet “Counterparts” was selected as the set piece for the 11th annual Australian Flute Festival quartet competition. He was awarded a grant from the Siemens Creative Arts Foundation. He has received a Meet the Composer grant and was nominated and elected to the Gamma Zeta Chapter of Pi Kappa Lambda, a national honor society for musicians. His music is available on the Electronic Music Foundation label (CD 031) and the Society of Composers, Inc. Student Chapter CD Volume 1 from the University of Florida. His electroacoustic works non divisi and Sul C are included on the 2005 and 2006 60X60 CD. Torque for orchestra is forthcoming on the ERM Masterworks of the New Era Volume 17 CD. A Matter of Perspective for violin and cello is scheduled for recording by Mira Frisch and Anna Cromwell in 2009 for an upcoming CD release.
Dr. Parks received the BA in composition from the North Carolina School of the Arts, an MM in composition from the University of Florida, and a Ph.D. in composition from the University at Buffalo. He currently holds the position of Associate Professor of Music Composition, Technology, and Theory and and also serves as the Director of the Winthrop Computer Music Labs at Winthrop University.
