BIOGRAPHY
Frank Duarte (b. 1992) is an American composer, songwriter, conductor, writer, and poet. His music, inspired by his upbringings, transcends conventional boundaries creating a programmatic approach full of luxuriant emotion, perception of color, and a palette of sonorities that make it organic and innate. Recipient of two Global Music Awards, Duarte has been granted two ASCAP Plus Awards and has had works performed throughout the United States (Alabama, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, North Carolina, Oregon, Indiana, Michigan, Utah, Virginia), Japan (Kyoto, Seto, Nagoya), Greece, and the Republic of Colombia by professionals and secondary, collegiate, and community ensembles.
His music has been featured throughout universities including in seminars and conferences at Ball State University, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and Universidad of Cauca, and recitals and concerts at California State University, Northridge, Eastern Connecticut State University, Fullerton College, Henderson State University, Michigan State University, Mills College, Snow College, Texas Tech University, and the University of North Texas among others. His music has also been featured by Composers Circle and the online radio station Kinetics Radio. The Green Band Association, an organization that sponsors Japanese bands to participate in the Tournament of Roses Parade, programmed his works three times in 2012, 2014, and 2017 for their charitable benefit concerts. His compositions have also been featured in books, journals, and academic papers.
Born in Southern California, Duarte was primarily raised by his Indigenous Mexican (Zapotec) maternal family in Santa Ana, California, located within Metropolitan Los Angeles. Duarte earned Associate of Arts degrees in Music and History and degrees in Interdisciplinary Studies, emphasizing in Science and Mathematics, Arts and Human Expression, and Social Sciences from Fullerton College. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Composition from California State University, Northridge, and a Master of Music Degree in Composition from Butler University. Duarte attended Texas Tech University and was a doctoral student in composition. He is currently a Doctor of Musical Arts student in Composition at Michigan State University as an awardee of a Michigan State University Fellowship.
His previous mentors and teachers have included Anthony Mazzaferro, Michael Colburn (Conducting), and Liviu Marinescu, Milen Kirov, Michael Schelle, James Mulholland, and Jennifer Jolley (Composition). He previously served as an Instructor of Record, teaching composition at Texas Tech University. His works are published or distributed through Murphy Music Press, Tolliver Music Company, and ADJ•ective New Music. Duarte is a member of ADJ•ective New Music Composers' Collective and Landscape Music, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, and an alumnus of Beta Theta Pi.