John Melby


John Melby is an American composer.

Life and work

John Melby is most widely known for his numerous compositions for computer-synthesized sounds, particularly in combination with live acoustic instruments. In addition to electronic music, Melby's catalog includes several large-scale orchestral works and acoustic chamber pieces.
Born in Whitehall, Wisconsin, Melby holds degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music, the University of Pennsylvania, and Princeton University. He studied with Henry Weinberg, George Crumb, Peter Westergaard, J. K. Randall, and Milton Babbitt. Melby has held faculty positions at West Chester University and was appointed to the faculty of the School of Music of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1973, where he served until his retirement in 1997.
Melby has won numerous awards for his work including an NEA Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, an award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and the 1979 First Prize from the International Electroacoustic Music Awards in Bourges, France.
His music is published by Theodore Presser Company, Associated Music Publishers, and American Composers Alliance. Recordings are available on a number of record labels. An all-Melby disc of three concerti was released on the Albany Records label in 2008.

Major works

Orchestral