Roger Nixon

Born (b. 1921) and raised in California's Central Valley towns of Tulare and Modesto, Roger Nixon acquired a taste for the rhythms and dances of the early settlers of the state which appear in many of his works.

Roger Nixon's musical interests were nurtured in the public school music program, summer camp at Pacific Grove, and Modesto Junior College (1938-1940) where he studied clarinet with Frank Mancini, formerly of Sousa's Band. He continued his studies at the University of California at Berkeley, majoring in composition and receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1941.

Nison's studies were then interrupted by almost four years of active duty in the Navy as a commanding officer of an LCMR in the Atlantic.

Following the war Nixon returned to University of California at Berkeley, first receiving a M.A. degree and later a Ph.D. At UC Berkeley he studied with Roger Sessions, Sir Arthur Bliss, Ernest Bloch and privately with Arnold Schoenberg. From 1951 to 1959, Nixon was on the music faculty at Modesto Junior College. He was then appointed to the faculty at San Francisco State College in 1960 and began a long association with the Symphonic Band, which premiered many of his works. Most of Nixon's works are for band, but he has also composed a cantata, a miniature opera and several works for orchestra.

He has written over 60 compositions for orchestra, band, choir, and opera. In 1997, Nixon was honored by the Texas Bandmasters Association as a Heritage American Composer.

Nixon has received several awards including a Phelan Award, the Neil A. Kjos Memorial Award, and five grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and he was elected to the American Bandmasters Association in 1973. He is currently Professor Emeritus of Music at San Francisco State University.