Jacob Reed writes immersive and transformative music that pulls the audience into a distinct sonic world. As a pluralist, he draws on a diverse musical background to write engaging and thrilling music for orchestras, choirs, chamber and jazz ensembles. Reed is intrigued by the intersection of music with other arts and collaborates frequently with choreographers, writers, visual artists.

 

Jacob Reed began composing in high school at the Durham School of the Arts. He received his Bachelor’s in Music Education, and Masters degrees in both Music Composition and Music Theory from the Ohio State University (OSU). He studied composition with Augusta Read Thomas, Tom Wells, Gregory Proctor, and Igor Karaca, percussion with Susan Powell, and jazz drums with Joe Ong and Frank Worrell.

 

In 2005 he co-founded The Ohio State University New Music Ensemble, a group that performed concerts presenting new works by OSU students alongside more renowned works of 20th century composers. During his time at OSU, Mr. Reed received numerous commissions from both musicians and choreographers to create new music.  His electroacoustic work “Five Sculptures in Sound” was selected to be performed at the 2007 Spark Festival at the University of Minnesota.  During that year, he was also the composer in residence for Chamber Music Connection. He was commissioned to create a sound score for a site- specific work in Seattle, Washington in 2009. In 2010 he was the recipient of an Emerging Artist Fellowship from the OSU Arts Initiative, and an evening of his work was presented by the McConnell Arts Center in Worthington, OH. His music has been performed at the Denison University "Tutti New Music Festival," the University of Central Missouri New Music Festival and by the Central Michigan University's New Music Ensemble. In 2012 he was commissioned to create a new work for the bells at Trinity Church as part of the Columbus Bicentennial celebration "Finding Time." More recently, he was commission by the McConnell Arts Center Chamber Orchestra, and the Ohio Music Teachers Association. 

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Mr. Reed has over twenty years of experience as a drummer and band leader. He has performed in numerous jazz groups, including his own trios “The Jazz Elective” and “Jake Reed Jazz Trio.” His bands have held regular gigs at venues throughout Columbus including at The Refectory Dinner Music Series, the Worthington Inn, Dick’s Den, Oldfield’s, Haiku, Barcelona Restaurant, and the Columbus Arts Festival. In 2011, he released "Songs of Dusk" - a CD of original jazz arrangements and compositions. 

 

As an educator Mr. Reed has accrued a wide variety of experience teaching multiple subjects at many institutions. He served as a teaching assistant in the nationally renowned programs of The Governor's School of North Carolina and Duke University's Talent Identification Program. He taught undergraduate courses in music technology, aural training and sight singing and gave private composition lessons at the Ohio State University. He tutored high school students in English in Lyon, France. He taught drum set to all ages and levels at Carrboro Music Studios.  He taught computer technology including creative and productive software as a personal trainer at Apple, Inc. He currently maintains a private drum set and composition studio in Columbus, OH and teaches vocal music in the Worthington, Schools.

 

He serves as Music Director of Hixon Dance, composing and commissioning new music regularly and producing the live music that accompanies most Hixon Dance performances.