Roger Nixon

Roger Alfred Nixon (August 8, 1921 – October 13, 2009) was an American composer, musician, and professor of music. He wrote over sixty compositions for orchestra, band, choir and opera. Nixon received many awards and honors for his works, many of which demonstrate a feel for the rhythms and dances of the early settlers of his native state of California. Biography Nixon was born and raised in California’s Central Valley in Tulare and Modesto. He attended Modesto Junior College from 1938–1940 where he studied clarinet with Frank Mancini, formerly of John Philip Sousa’s band. He continued his studies at UC Berkeley, majoring in composition and receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1941. His studies were then interrupted by four years of active duty in the Navy during World War II, serving as the commanding officer of an LCMR in the Atlantic. Following the war, Nixon returned to UC Berkeley, first receiving a M.A. degree and later a Ph.D. His primary teacher was Roger Sessions, but he also studied with Arthur Bliss, Ernest Bloch, Charles Cushing, and Frederick Jacobi. In the summer of 1948, he studied privately with Arnold Schoenberg. From 1951 to 1959, Nixon was on the music faculty