TCC 42. Penumbra - Dr. Robert Gross
This episode of the Theorist Composer Collaboration podcast features the composer Dr. Robert Gross and his piece Penumbra. Music theorist Aaron D’Zurilla talks with Dr. Gross about his background, various music occupations, several technical approaches to composition and much more!
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Penumbra was recorded and performed by the Cordova String Quartet
Violin: Andy Liang
Violin: Niccolo Muti
Viola: Blake Turner
Cello: Matthew Kufchak
TCC Theme composed by Will Davenport
Aaron D'Zurilla
Theorist/TCC Founder
He/Him
Aaron D'Zurilla is the primary host and founder of the Theorist Composer Collaboration. With diverse research interests in both modern classical composition and rap, Aaron has presented work at the 2025 Indiana University Symposium of Research in Music, with a paper titled: “Guess Who’s Back: Narrative Subversions in The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)". In a currently forthcoming presentation, Aaron will also present at the 2025 Analytical Approaches to World Musics Symposium on the Music Theories, Histories, Analysis, and the Musical Cultures of Asia, with a paper titled: "International and Personal Tragedy in "A Vietnamese Mother’s Letter to Nixon" (2023)". Aaron also has a forthcoming publication through SMT-Pod, titled: "Trauma and Vocal Timbre in Ellen Reid’s p r i s m (2019)"
Aaron holds a Bachelor's of Music in Music Theory from the University of Florida and a Master's of Music in Music Theory from Florida State University.
Contact:
acdzurilla@yahoo.com
941-773-1394
Dr. Robert Gross
Composer/Music Theorist
He/Him/His
Robert Gross is a composer, music theorist and music therapist. He received his DMA
in music composition at University of Southern California where he also received a
graduate certificate in Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television. He also received
an MA in Music for Film, Television and Theatre from the University of Bristol; an MM in
Music Composition from Rice University; and a BM in Music Composition from Oberlin
Conservatory. He has taught graduate and undergraduate level music theory at Rice
University.
Composition awards and honors include winner of the Arch Composition Award
for Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments; co-recipient of the Harry Warren Award
for Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television from University of Southern California;
Winner, tri-annual Inter-American Music Awards Composition Competition for Sonata for
Solo Unaccompanied Violin.
He has presented papers at the national Society for Music Theory conference, the
Texas Society for Music Theory Conference, the West Coast Conference of Music
Theory and Analysis, and Society of Composers, Inc. Music theory publications include
Perspectives of New Music. He is a Board Certified Music Therapist, with an MA in
Music Therapy from Texas Woman’s University. His music therapy articles have been
published in Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy and in Qualitative Inquiries in
Music Therapy.
Email: rgrosscomposer@gmail.com
