Bio
Bryce Weber (b. 1997) is an American composer and singer-songwriter. He has an appreciation and love for collaborating across all kinds of genres but specializes in art music (sometimes called concert music) – particularly in the sub-genres of opera, musical theater, art song, choral music, and varied chamber ensembles. He has also developed a distinct singer-songwriter style that combines elements of folk, pop, and art song. In his work, Weber strives to write music that is artistically challenging and thought provoking while at the same time engaging and exciting for audiences.
Weber spent his first seventeen years growing up in Hilo, Hawai’i. Still inspired by these formative years, Weber’s music draws on and is influenced by the rich cultural diversity of the area as well as the dramatic landscapes of the land and sea. His earliest compositions, beginning at age thirteen, were written for his family’s amateur string group, often performed for church services or simply evenings of music making. The first inklings of his knack for drama and storytelling began to show during this time as he and a close-knit group of friends spent many hours creating short films of which Weber contributed the soundtracks. During this time, he learned guitar from his junior high school teacher and began to foster his love for songwriting. His interest in popular song styles, as well as instrumental art music, continued to develop simultaneously throughout his education. This duality of stylistic personality as a composer and a singer-songwriter continues to influence his work.
From 2015-2019 Weber studied music at Walla Walla University (WWU) in Washington State, graduating in the applied area of voice, studying under Dr. Christine Janis. As an active participant in the drama program some of his notable roles were John Brooke in Little Women: the Broadway Musical, and Schroeder from You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown as well as writing original music for the devised production, Whatcha Gonna Do. His love of choral music was also established with his membership in I Cantori – WWUs select choir directed by Dr. Kraig Scott with whom he sang for four years. During his final two years at WWU, he had the opportunity to study with composer John David Earnest. Weber grew exponentially with this mentorship, particularly in the area of his chamber art music.
For his master’s degree at Washington State University (WSU), he studied voice with Dr. Julie Anne Wieck and composition with Dr. Scott Blasco, graduating with a Master of Arts in Music Composition in 2022. At WSU, his continued development as a performer includes the roles of Ben in The Telephone and Major-General Stanley in Pirates of Penzance. Some of his substantial compositional achievements during this time include First Place in “The Joseph Dorfman Memorial Composer’s Competition” for a chamber work for soprano saxophone, cello, percussion, and piano – as well the completion of his final project, The Tiger and the Little Bear, a chamber cantata with a libretto written in the style of Grimm fairy tales and music that combines the styles of Neo-Baroque and musical theater.
In his free time, Weber finds rejuvenation engaging in the outdoors, reading novels, and hanging with friends and family. Currently, he is based in Phoenix, Arizona where he is working as a freelance composer and teaching studio lessons for voice, guitar, and piano.