GIA Publications - Artist - Saunders, Jason

Jason Michael Saunders is a composer, conductor, and music educator. A native of the Pacific Northwest, he was born in 1989 and was raised in the Portland, Oregon area.

An active composer, Jason has received commissions, awards, and performances by a variety of choral ensembles across the United States. He was recently selected as a finalist in the Young New Yorkers Chorus 10th Annual Competition for Young Composers, for which he was commissioned to write a new choral work that will be premiered in May 2014. In 2012, he placed second nationally in the choral composition competition of The American Prize (student division).

In May 2014 Jason graduated from the University of Southern California, where he earned a Master of Music degree in Choral Music and served as a co-conductor of the Apollo Men’s Chorus. In 2011 he graduated from Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington, where he earned a Bachelor of Music Education degree.

Jason has composed since the age of 16, and has conducted the premiere performances of many of his works. He has studied composition with Morten Lauridsen, Jeffery Parola, and Greg Youtz. Jason plans to teach in public schools before pursuing Doctoral studies in choral conducting.