Music Director Dr. John Felder

john_felder@fuhsd.org

Born and raised in  St. Louis , John Felder has lived in   California  since college and been active as a composer, performer, teacher and adjudicator.  He holds a Ph.D. in composition from the  University of  California ,   San Diego  where he studied with Roger Reynolds and Joji Yuasa.  His music, covering a broad spectrum of combinations for instruments, voice, tape and midi electronics, has been performed across the   United States  and is published by Fallen Leaf Press.   

Felder’s performance background has embraced both classical music and jazz.  As timpanist and percussionist, he has played under the baton of Darius Milhaud, Aaron Copland and Lou Harrison and performed with celebrated contemporary composers such as John Cage, Pauline Oliveros, Henry Brant and Morton Subotnick.  As the drummer for the avant-garde jazz group, "Smoke," he recorded an album and shared the concert stage with such luminaries as Duke Ellington, Herbie Hancock and Thelonious Monk.  He has conducted a wide variety of ensembles from chamber groups to pit orchestras at festivals in  St. Louis ,  Reno , La Jolla and   Plymouth ,  New Hampshire  .  Before coming to Lynbrook, Felder taught at  Logan  High School and served on the faculty of the  University of  California at   Santa Cruz  where he taught composition, 20th Century theory, studio electronics and directed the UCSC Contemporary Chamber Players.