Chair, Music & Dance
Professor of Music School of Music and Dance

Email

Preferred: fred.cohen@sjsu.edu

Office Hours

T Th 1:30-2:30 and by appointment

Education

• Doctor of Philosophy, Music, Cornell Univ-Endowed Colleges, 1986
• Doctor of Musical Arts, Music, Cornell University, New York, United States, 1986
• Master of Music, Music, Cornell University, New York, United States, 1984
• Bachelor of Arts, Music, Univ Of Cal-Santa Cruz, California, United States, 1980

Bio

Fred Cohen’s compositions have been hailed for their originality, intensity, and sonic beauty. He began his musical career as a chorister with the San Francisco Boys Chorus, performing with such organizations as the San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Symphony. Following undergraduate studies at the University California, Santa Cruz, Cohen worked as a conductor with the Fundacion del Estado para la Orquesta National Juvenil (Venezuela), after which he earned his doctoral degree in composition at Cornell University. He has been a member of the music faculty at the University of Richmond (Virginia), Montclair State University (New Jersey), and the Schwob School of Music at Columbus State University. Cohen’s output is extremely varied, from a Piano Concerto written in honor of a gift of 67 Steinway pianos to the Schwob School, to Curls of Motion for trumpet and wind ensemble, premiered by Phil Smith, Principal Trumpet of the New York Philharmonic. He has been commissioned by the Shanghai String Quartet, the Borromeo String Quartet, the Richmond Symphony, and many other musicians and ensembles. Commissions have come from Chamber Music America, National Endowment for the Arts, Meet the Composer, the New Jersey and the Virginia Council for the Arts, and many others. His music is published by Subito Music Publications and American Composers Edition, among others. Cohen is Professor of Music and Director of the School of Music and Dance at San José State University.