B.A., M.A., California State University, Hayward; D.Mus., Indiana University; active composer and producer of new music.
He has written more than 500 pieces, including choral, chamber and orchestral works, as well as jazz and electronic music for concert, dance, video, film and television. His music has been performed in the U.S., Canada, and Europe and includes commissions from ensembles, institutions, and individual artists. Major performances include Carnegie Recital Hall, Wolftrap Farm Park, National Gallery of Art, Library of Congress, CBC Television, local public and cable television and National Public Radio. He was the first composer-in-residence of the Fairfax Symphony Orchestra and several of his works are available on compact disc. He has studied composition with Fred Fox and Bernhard Heiden and received his doctoral degree with distinction from Indiana University. In recent years, Dr. Smith has been composing music for healing and therapeutic application. His music has been used therapeutically in hospital intensive care units, with challenged children, and in a published music education study involving mood problems in elementary school children. He frequently gives lectures, seminars, and workshops on music and healing, and performs regularly for the elderly at several retirement centers in the area.