Rouse, (Robert) Steve(n)

Rouse, (Robert) Steve(n) , accomplished American composer; b. Moss Point, Miss., July 9, 1953. He began composing and improvising as a young child, and subsequently studied piano, bassoon, and saxophone. At 13 he became a bassoonist with the Gulf Coast Sym. Orch. and also began performing with his own rhythm and blues group. He studied with Luigi Zaninelli at the Univ. of Southern Miss. (B.M., 1977) and with Leslie Bassett and William Albright at the Univ. of Mich. (M.M., 1982; D.M.A., 1987); while at the latter he also served as music director and accompanist for the dance dept. of Eastern Mich. Univ. and started a successful jingle production company partnership. In 1988 Rouse joined the faculty of the Univ. of Louisville School of Music, and from 1990 to 1998 served as the univ.’s principal coordinator for the New Dimension Series, a series of new music concerts produced collaboratively with the Louisville Orch. In 1999 he was a visiting prof. at of composition at Ind. Univ. As composer-in-residence for Meet The Composer Louisville Residence from 1995 to 1998, Rouse wrote music for all levels of public school music ensembles and also worked extensively with students, teachers, and administrators to develop and implement a variety of music outreach programs. From 1989 he served as a first-round juror for the Grawemeyer International Composition Award, and from 1991 he served as a National Advisory Board member for the League of Composers/International Soc. for Contemporary Music. In addition to various commissions and grants, he won the Prix de Rome (1987) and received the Research and Creative Achievement Award from the Univ. of Louisville (1999).

Works

chamber opera: The Mousewife (1996). ORCH.: Freedom’s Ring (1978); 2 syms.: No. 1, Symphony: Light Descending (1987) and No. 2, Symphony 2 (1999–2000); Ribbons for Strings (1988; rev. 1991); Short Stories (1990); Into the Light (1991); Enigma-Release for Flügelhorn, Percussion, and Strings (1994); Light Fantastic (1994); Kick! for Young String Orch. (1996; also for Band); Pegasus for Young Orch. (1998; also for Band). CHAMBER: Wiggly Lines for Clarinet and Bassoon (1975); Ju Jubes for Flute and Piano (1976); Quicksilver for Brass Quintet (1981); Crosswinds for Organ and Ensemble (1984); Flash Pointfor Woodwind Quartet (1984); For Igor for Violin and Piano (1984); Diamonds for Violin (1989); The Avatar for Trumpet and Piano (1991); Violin Sonata (1992); ’Bone To Be Wild for Trombone and Piano (1993); A Flying Leap! for 7 Trumpets (1994); Enigma-Release for Alto Saxophone and Piano (1994; also for Flügelhorn, Percussion, and Strings); More Light for Trumpet and Piano (1995); Shadow Rounds for Trumpet Ensemble (2000). keyboard: Piano Sonata (1983); Crop Circles for Piano (1995); One Presence for Organ and Piano (1998). VOCAL: Dense Pack for Chorus (1983); Psalm 70 for Chorus and Piano (1992); Psalm 23 for Chorus or Chorus and Piano (1993); She’ll Be Corniti’ Round for High Voice and Piano (1995); Waiting for Daylight for Soprano and Orch. (1997); Lines for Valentines for Voice and Piano (1998). other: Various works for young ensembles.

—Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire