His love for contemporary composition was first kindled through his studies at UCLA with the late guitar pedagogue Theodore Norman and guitarist/composer Peter Yates. Buzz’s compositions are informed by a modernist’s perspective, yet are lyrical and expressive. Eschewing sentimentality, he is not afraid of the beautiful. He believes the excitement of an engaging listening experience does not necessarily lie in the particular musical language used, but rather in the juxtaposition and interaction of previously unconnected ideas, leading listeners down a path that is strangely familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. His music has been performed by; the Modern Arts Guitar Quartet, the Elgart/Yates guitar duo, the Thomson/Ratzkowski Duo (Denmark), the New Music Ensemble of North Texas State University, the Cal Poly Pomona University Guitar Ensemble, and the UCLA Guitar Ensemble.
Buzz was a founding member of the Modern Arts Guitar Quartet, an ensemble of guitarists/composers that explored the leading edges of new music for guitar--prepared guitar, serialism, minimalism, and aleatoric music. Buzz continues to be a recitalist, performing throughout Southern California.
Recently, Buzz has been exploring the fretless classical guitar, advocating greater exposure for this beautiful variant of the classical guitar. He believes it’s potential has largely been untapped, and has set about to raise awareness of its possibilities through composition, lecture/demonstrations, and performances. His fretless guitar composition Fretless Study No. 1 was recently featured on the CD recording: Unplugged and Unfretted: A Collection of the World’s Acoustic Fretless Guitarists.
Buzz is also a classical mandolinist. His recent recitals have featured the mandolin, both as a solo instrument and as a duo partner with the guitar. His original compositions for the mandolin are garnering attention in the classical mandolin community. Buzz holds both M.F.A. and D.M.A. degrees in Music from UCLA. In addition to his studies with Peter Yates and Theodore Norman, Buzz has studied composition with Manuel Enriquez, Roger Bourland, and Ian Krouse; lute and theorbo with Michael Egan; and jazz guitar with Warren Nunes.
Buzz serves on the faculty of California Polytechnic University at Pomona. Courses taught have included music theory, musicianship, class guitar, performance seminar, and studio guitar. Buzz is also the co-founder and Director of the Santa Monica Academy of Music, a community music school serving Santa Monica and its adjacent communities. |
A native of California, Dr. Buzz Gravelle continues to build on
a career as a composer, performer, and music educator.
