John Lindberg biography

Composer/bassist John Lindberg embarked on his professional career in 1975 at the age of sixteen. After having toured the country working as a bassist in a variety of musical genres, he arrived in New York in 1977 and immersed himself in the world of jazz and improvised music, while pursuing private bass studies with Dr. David Izenzon and David Holland.

In this same year, he co-founded the String Trio of New York, a performance ensemble that now enters its twenty-second season and has produced fourteen recordings while presenting hundreds of performances worldwide.

In 1979 he formed his first ensemble dedicated to the performance of his compositions and has since made twenty-two recordings under his name featuring original works. In all, eighty-one original compositions have been recorded to date, with genres ranging from solo bass to large ensembles. Mr. Lindberg's ensembles and duo collaborations have performed throughout Europe, South America and North America. Currently he is composing, performing and recording with his Ensemble as a solo bassist. He is actively involved in educational projects with the String Trio of New York, giving workshops and lecture/demonstrations on composition, improvisation and bass performance.

Recent commissions of Lindberg's work include: The New York Chamber Ensemble for Groundings (1997), chamber jazz concerto for fourteen instrumentalists; The Bermuda Triangle for The Terrace (1993), soprano voice-piano-bass; Watson/Lindberg duo with funds from Meet the Composer for Pluckin'- A Tribute to Pops Foster (1991), piano-bass; The Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble for Encounters (1989), seventeen instrumentalists; West Deutsch Radio Koln for Dinosaur Rumblings I and II (1989), string quartet-piano-bass; String Trio of New York with funds from Meet the Composer for Middle Eastern Essay (1988), violin-bass-guitar; Arts Council of Orange County for Hudson Valley

Ruminations (1987), eleven instrumentalists; West Deutsch Radio Koln for The Arrival (1986), string quartet and bass soloist.

Mr. Lindberg has received fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts, music composition (1990 & 1998); the Arts International Collaborative Works, compositions for solo and duo Basses (1992); and the National Endowment for the Arts, jazz performance (1988).

Recent awards in support of his work have included the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust Recording Program (1996,1994, 1992); Diploma De Honor-Gobernacion Cordillera, Chile (1995); the Aaron Copland Fund for music Recording (1994); the Fund for U.S. Artists at International Festivals (1990-1997) and ASCAP Special Awards (1984-1998).

In recent seasons, Mr. Lindberg's work has been performed at major venues including Tampere Jazz Happening, Finland; Kennedy Center, Washington, DC; Herbst Theatre, San Francisco; Lincoln Center, New York City; Mardel Jazz Festival, Buenos Aires; Opera de Lyon, France.

His most recent recordings are: John Lindberg Ensemble: Bounce (Black Saint); John Lindberg, solo bass- Luminosity: Homage to David Izenzon (Music & Arts CD).

[Visit John Lindberg's website at www.JohnLindberg.com.]

See also: James Emery's biography · Rob Thomas' biography