Stephen Gryc was born in St. Paul, Minn and is an American composer and educator. Gryc is Professor Emeritus at the University of Hartford’s Hartt School where he had served on the faculty since 1980. He received his professional training at the University of Michigan where he earned four degrees in music including the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts. His composition teachers included William Albright, Leslie Bassett and William Bolcom, and he performed as a trombonist in the university bands under legendary conductors William Revelli and George Cavender. He has received grants and fellowships from the ASCAP Foundation, the Connecticut Commission on the Arts, the MacDowell, the Charles Ives Center for American Music, Meet The Composer, the Ucross Foundation, and the University of Hartford. His many awards include the 1986 Rudolf Nissim Prize for orchestral music from the ASCAP Foundation. His works have been performed throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Gryc’s compositions for bands and wind ensembles have been performed throughout the United States by such ensembles as the United States Marine Band, the Eastman Wind Ensemble and many other university and college bands from the Florida State University to the University of Alaska. His band music has been recorded by the University of New Mexico Wind Symphony, the Hartt Wind Ensemble, and the University of North Texas Wind Symphony. Philip Smith and Joseph Alessi, trumpet and trombone principals of the New York Philharmonic, are featured on recordings that include works that Gryc composed for them, Evensong for trumpet and wind ensemble and Passaggi for trombone and wind ensemble.
