Justin Freer
American composer/conductor JUSTIN FREER was born and raised in Huntington Beach, CA, and is rapidly establishing himself as one of the West Coast’s most exciting musical voices. Freer began his formal studies on trumpet, playing in wind ensembles, marching bands and community orchestras. He quickly turned to piano and composition and composed his first work for wind ensemble at age eleven. Continuing trumpet performance while studying piano and composition, Freer saw multiple wind ensemble and big band performances of his music while still a teenager and gave his public conducting debut at age sixteen.
Continually composing for various different mediums, he has written music for world-renowned trumpeters Doc Severinson (former Tonight Show band leader) and Jens Lindemann (former principal trumpet, Canadian Brass). Freer has served as composer for several independent films including Jahim Jones’ Generation Never. Additionally, he has written motion picture advertising music for 20th Century Fox Studios.
Renowned wind conductor and Oxford Round Table Scholar Dr. Rikard Hansen has noted that, “In totality, Freer’s exploration in musical sound evoke moments of highly charged drama, alarming strife and serene reflection.”
In recent seasons his works have been performed by the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra and the wind ensembles of Indiana University, UCLA, St. Cloud State University, and Cal State University, Los Angeles, among others. Recent premieres include Make It So, commissioned by the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, and Liberty Fallen, commissioned by the St. Cloud State University Wind Ensemble in conjunction with the American Composers Forum, which premiered to astounding critical success at Benson Great Hall, Minnesota. This piece was given its West coast premiere at the 73rd Annual American Bandmasters Association convention and Freer was invited to speak about this work as Guest Composer on the Renewing the Creative Environment forum at the International Midwest Band and Orchestra Conference.
Freer has been awarded the Henry Mancini Award for Music Composition in Television and Motion Pictures, a Society of Composers and Lyricists internship award to study with composer Jay Chattaway, a Hatz Award from the National Federation of Music Clubs, was among the finalists for the ASCAP Morton Gould Award and recently received an ASCAP Foundation Fellowship, presented at Lincoln Center. His list of composer/conductor residency engagements includes collaborations with the wind ensembles and orchestras of UCLA, St. Cloud State University, Cal State University, Los Angeles and the Henry Mancini Institute.
As a producer Freer has worked with the London Symphony Orchestra, Sir Neville Mariner, conductor, and the Pacific Symphony Orchestra, Carl St. Clair, conductor, on recordings of Paul Chihara’s orchestral works. Freer is the Founder and Music Director of the Los Angeles Brass Ensemble and formerly held the post of Music Director of the acclaimed UCLA Brass Choir, whom he has led in performances with Sir Angel Romero, Doc Severinson and Jens Lindemann, among others.
Upcoming engagements include a commission from the Texas All-State Band and a conducting invitation at Lincoln Center.
Mr. Freer earned both his B.A. and M.A. degrees in Music Composition from UCLA, where his principal composition teachers included Paul Chihara, Ian Krouse and Roger Bourland. In addition, he was mentored by legendary composer/conductor Jerry Goldsmith.