Jonathan Bailey Holland

Jonathan Bailey Holland joined the Conservatory in 2014 and is chair of composition, contemporary music, and core studies.

Holland's works have been commissioned and performed by numerous orchestras, including the Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Colorado, Dallas, Detroit, Indianapolis, Memphis, Minnesota, National, Philadelphia, San Antonio, Springfield, St. Louis, and South Bend Symphony orchestras, as well as the Auros Group for New Music, Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Transient Canvas, Boston Opera Collaborative, Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia, Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies, Greater Baltimore Youth Orchestra, Orchestra 2001, and many others. A recipient of a 2015 Fromm Foundation commission, he has received honors from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, American Music Center, ASCAP, the Presser Foundation, and other institutions.  

Holland has served as composer-in-residence for the Plymouth Music Series of Minnesota (Vocal Essence), Ritz Chamber Players, Detroit and South Bend symphony orchestras, and the Radius Ensemble. His music has been recorded by the Cincinnati Symphony, the University of Texas Trombone Choir, trumpeter Jack Sutte, and flutist Christopher Chaffee. Upcoming recording releases are scheduled by the Radius Ensemble and pianist Sarah Bob. Recent highlights include the premiere of Equality for narrator and orchestra with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, based on poetry by Maya Angelou, and premieres by Transient Canvas, the Radius Ensemble, and Curtis on Tour in celebration of the centennial of the National Park Service.
 
Holland received his B.M. from the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied composition with Ned Rorem. He holds a Ph.D. from Harvard University, where he studied with Bernard Rands, Mario Davidovsky, Andrew Imbrie, and Yehudi Wyner. He is also a founding faculty member in the music composition program at Vermont College of Fine Arts and has served as professor of composition at Berklee College of Music.

Professional Awards and Recognitions

• Fromm Foundation commission (2015)
• Music Artist Fellowship grant, Somerville Arts Council (2006)
• Winner, Marian K. Glick Young Composer’s Showcase, Indianapolis Symphony (1997, 1999)
• Charles Ives scholarship, American Academy of Arts and Letters (1994)
• Third Prize, Boston Conservatory Young Composers Competition (1992)

Notable Recent Works

• Equality (Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; Common, narrator, 2016)—Composer
• Equality (Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; Regina Taylor, narrator, 2015)—Composer
• Synchrony (Radius Ensemble, 2015)—Composer
• His House Is Not of This Land (Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, 2015)—Composer
• The Party Starter (The Colorado Symphony, 2014)—Composer