Parris, Robert

Robert Parris was born in Philadelphia, PA, on May 21, 1924. He completed B.S. and M.S. music education degrees at the University of Pennsylvania and went on to earn his B.S. in composition from the Julliard School of Music in 1948. Mr. Parris continued his compositional studies at Tanglewood from 1950-51, and took part in a Fulbright Scholarship from 1952-53. His varied educational experiences allowed Parris to study with a number of composers including, Peter Mennin, William Bergsma, Jacques Ibert, Aaron Copland, Otto Luening, and Arthur Honegger.

Local to the Washington, DC metro area, Parris worked as a music critic for both the Washington Post and Washington Star from 1961-1975. After teaching at Washington State College and University of Maryland, Mr. Parris settled in the DC metro area and became a member of the music faculty at George Washington University in 1963.

Mr. Parris had works premiered by the National Symphony Orchestra, and he received several commissions from other major performing ensembles including, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Albany Symphony Orchestra, New York, the Contemporary Music Forum, and the National SO. A large number of Parris compositions were published by the American Composers Alliance.

From the guide to the The Robert Parris Papers, 1952-1999, 1976-1999, (Special Collections in Performing Arts)