Thomas Fredrickson(1928-2017) earned his Bachelor of Music at Ohio Wesleyan University (1950), and the M.M. (1952) and Ph.D (1960) at the University of Illinois. He was the University of Illinois School of Music Professor Emeritus (1952-1993) and Director (1970-1974).
Winner of several ASCAP Awards, fluent in both concert music and jazz, Professor Fredrickson was a prolific and widely performed composer and active performer on the double bass. His compositions included symphonic, chamber, choral, and solo works, and several works for jazz band. His publishers included Theodore Presser, Belwin Mills, and many other leading firms. As a composer and performer, his work can be heard on Composers Recordings (CRI), New World Records, and many other labels. Of particular note is an entire CD featuring Prof. Fredrickson’s work by Bass Professor Michael Cameron. Entitled Canto, the CD also features Professors Jonathan Keeble, William Moersch, Eric Dalheim, and others.
His work received performances all over the country, in Canada, and Germany. Performances of “Music for Five Instruments” were broadcast on West German Radio and the BBC, among many live performances from Boston to Paris to Warsaw. His “Illinois Variations,” commissioned by the CU Symphony for the state’s sesquicentennial, was also performed by the St. Louis Symphony.
