Janet Dunbar


Dr. Janet Dunbar is an American composer.

Biography

Musical life

Dunbar earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Composition at Stanford University, working under composers Chris Chafe, John Chowning, Jonathan Harvey and Wayne Peterson.

During the years when Dunbar worked at CCRMA, the composer produced computer music compositions which integrated traditional instruments, poetic recitations and vocal melodies with algorithmically composed music which was seeded with world music motives. This algorithmic composition and digital synthesis required fluency in computer languages including Common Lisp, Common Lisp Music and Heinrich Taube’s Stella. This work culminated in the production of the CD, Spirit Journey. Prior to the CCRMA years, Dunbar earned a Master of Arts degree in Music from San Jose State University, where the composer studied composition, counterpoint and agogic accentation with Tikey Zes, electronic music composition with Allen Strange, and instrumental composition with Jorge Liderman. Currently Dunbar composes works for orchestra, and other forces, directs Amberlight Conservatory and teaches at Tarrant County College in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.

Selected compositions

Orchestral