Michael Frazier

Biography

Michael Frazier is a Black and Latino composer specializing in acoustic, electronic, and electroacoustic music. His compositional style features jazz-inspired harmonic languages juxtaposed with freer approaches to melody and structural organization, atonal techniques for melody and harmony, as well as various forms of musical improvisation.

Beyond composition, Frazier’s interests in music include the unique and personal expression of one’s musical voice, engagement with topics and aesthetics outside one’s musical familiarity or awareness, and the capacity for a music that can be approached by listeners of all backgrounds.

Frazier’s music has been widely performed and presented by groups such as Strings & Hammers, OSSIA New Music, and Trio Alexander, and has been featured in venues around the world. He earned a master’s degree and PhD in music composition from the Eastman School of Music, where he was also the recipient of numerous awards in composition, including the Howard Hanson Ensemble Prize and the Wayne Brewster Barlow Prize.