I didn't know anything about him, but I liked the name. Strandberg came to Sam Houston State in 1967 after having taught at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, and Denison University in Ohio. He had earned bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees from Northwestern University and in 1983 was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Fine arts degree from North Park College in Chicago. He taught and wrote music at Sam Houston State University for 30 years, and after his retirement found his works not fading away, but instead being played in prestigious musical performance venues and being recorded by impressive orchestras and ensembles throughout the world. In recent years his music has been performed at the Lincoln Center in New York, in Boston's Symphony Hall, and in Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Recordings made in Krakow, Poland, and Prague, have yet to be released.
But Strandberg also wrote for many formats, including chorus, piano, organ, solo voice, mixed chamber ensembles and kinetic theater. Also on this year's festival program are works by current SHSU composer Phillip Schroeder, and the late Fisher Tull. Cannon's presentation on contemporary jazz techniques will feature music by Richard Rodgers, Michael Tomaro, David Wolpe, Bill Holman, David Bandman, Jeremy Wells and Paul Peacock. All festival sessions are open to the public with no admission fee.