Roger Zare has been praised for his "enviable grasp of orchestration" (New York Times) and for writing music with "formal clarity and an alluringly mercurial surface". Born in Sarasota, Florida, USA, he is often inspired by scientific and mathematical concepts. His works have been performed by such ensembles as the American Composers Orchestra, the Minnesota Orchestra, the Sarasota Orchestra, the Omaha Symphony, the Aspen Music Festival Contemporary Ensemble, and the Sioux City Symphony. An award winning composer, Zare has received honors from the ASCAP and BMI foundations, the 2008 American Composers Orchestra Underwood Commission, a 2010 Charles Ives Scholarship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and many other local and regional honors. He has been composer in residence at the Salt Bay Chamber Music Festival, the Chamber Music Festival of Lexington and the SONAR new music ensemble. Zare holds a DMA ('12) from the University of Michigan, where he has studied with Michael Daugherty, Paul Schoenfield, Bright Sheng, and Kristin Kuster. He holds degrees from the Peabody Conservatory (MM '09) and the University of Southern California (BM '07), and his previous teachers include Christopher Theofanidis, Derek Bermel, David Smooke, Donald Crockett, Tamar Diesendruck, Fredrick Lesemann, and Morten Lauridsen.