Hirsch Awarded Jazz Fellowship

February 21, 2005

School of Music jazz instructor Rick Hirsch received a 2005 Fellowship in Jazz Composition from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. This prestigious fellowship is awarded to 66 artists in various disciplines statewide and carries a $5,000 cash award to support career development. Hirsch also received this fellowship in 2003.

Hirsch’s works for jazz ensemble are recorded on Sea Breeze Jazz, Blue Birdland and Bluemounds record labels. These works are performed by high school, college and professional bands nationwide, and are published by Walrus Music and Fana Music. He has also written extensively for marching bands and is currently a staff arranger for the Penn State Blue Band.

Additionally, Hirsch is an active saxophonist, performing with several local bands, including the Valley Jazz Orchestra. Hirsch has performed with numerous well-known musicians, including Tito Puente, Max Roach, the Four Tops and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra.

Hirsch holds music degrees from Northern Illinois University (M.M.) and the University of Massachusetts (B.A.). He is a native of Newark, Del. and currently lives in State College with his wife and daughters.

The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts is a state agency whose mission is to foster the excellence, diversity and vitality of the arts in Pennsylvania, and to broaden the availability and appreciation of those arts throughout the state.

Contact: Kate Hoffman, kah39@psu.edu or 814.863.2104