Julie Giroux facts for kids
Julie Ann Giroux (born December 12, 1961) is an American composer and pianist. She writes many different kinds of music, including pieces for orchestras, choirs, and especially concert bands. Her music is known for being exciting and often tells a story.
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About Julie Giroux
Julie Giroux grew up in Monroe, Louisiana. She went to Louisiana State University and studied music. Even while in college, she started writing music for concert bands, and her pieces were published! After college, she moved to Los Angeles, California. There, she began working on music for TV shows and movies. She learned a lot from famous composers like Bill Conti.
Working in TV and Movies
From 1985 to 1997, Julie helped create music for many popular TV shows and films. Some of these included North and South, The Karate Kid Part II, and White Men Can't Jump. She was an orchestrator, which means she took a composer's ideas and wrote them out for all the different instruments in an orchestra.
Composing for Bands and Orchestras
After 1997, Julie started focusing more on writing her own music for concert bands and orchestras. She became very well-known for her band compositions. In 2004, she even wrote a chapter in a book called "Composers on Composing for Band." In it, she shared her fun and honest thoughts about how she creates music.
Julie is also a talented pianist. In 2009, she performed her own piece, Cordoba, which is for solo Piano and Concert Band. She played it in five different cities across the U.S. That same year, another one of her pieces, Arcus IX, was performed for the first time. This piece features a solo F Tuba with a concert band.
She has also worked on music for films and documentaries. For example, she contributed to a project called "Call for Green China." This project aimed to promote environmental awareness and was performed live in China.
Recent Works and Impact
Julie Giroux's music continues to be performed around the world. Her Symphony No. V, called "Elements," was first performed in 2018. She also wrote a trumpet concerto, a special piece for a solo trumpet and orchestra, which premiered in December 2018.
Julie cares deeply about important issues. She composed a powerful piece called My Soul to Keep. She created this music to help fight violence and promote peace. She made the music "Free, for everybody, forever," so anyone can perform it. It has been arranged for different groups, from choirs to symphonic bands. The first performance of this work took place in Orlando, Florida, in 2019. Another big concert is planned for Las Vegas, Nevada.
Julie Giroux is a respected member of the American Bandmasters Association (ABA). She has also received the Distinguished Service to Music Medal for her amazing contributions to music.
Today, Julie lives in Madison, Mississippi. She keeps busy writing, arranging, and orchestrating music for TV, movies, video games, and, of course, for wind bands and orchestras.
Julie Giroux's Music
Julie Giroux has written a huge amount of music. Her concert pieces are published by Musica Propria and Southern Music Company. Many of her works have been recorded and can be found on CDs from various labels. Military bands in the United States have also recorded many of her pieces. You can often listen to her concert band works on her official website.
Music for Orchestra
Julie has composed several pieces for full orchestras, including:
- Fort McHenry Suite
- Arcus IX
- La Mezquita de Cordoba
- Moorish Piano Concerto
Music for Concert Band and Wind Ensemble
Julie Giroux is especially known for her many works for concert bands and wind ensembles. She has written over 80 pieces for these groups, covering a wide range of styles and moods. Some of her popular pieces include:
- A Time to Dance
- Cordoba (for solo piano and band)
- Dragon Sky
- Fort McHenry Suite
- Husaria Cavalry Overture
- Italian Rhapsody
- K2
- La Mezquita de Cordoba
- One Life Beautiful
- Poseidon
- The Bonsai Tree
- The Speed of Heat
- Where the Red Fern Grows
Symphonies for Concert Band
Julie has also written several large-scale symphonies for concert band, each with multiple movements that tell a story or explore a theme:
- Symphony No. I Culloden (3 Movements) - This symphony tells a story through its music.
- Symphony No. II No Finer Calling (3 Movements) - This piece explores themes like integrity and honor.
- Symphony No. III A Symphony of Fables (5 Movements) - This symphony brings classic fables to life with music, like "The Lion and the Mouse" and "The Ugly Duckling."
- Symphony No. IV Bookmarks from Japan (6 Movements) - This symphony takes listeners on a musical journey through different scenes and ideas inspired by Japan.
- Symphony No. V ELEMENTS (3 Movements) - This piece explores the natural elements of Sun, Rain, and Wind.
- Symphony No. VI The Blue Marble (3 Movements) - This symphony celebrates our planet Earth.
Musical Arrangements
Besides composing original music, Julie Giroux also creates arrangements. This means she takes existing songs or classical pieces and rewrites them for different instruments or groups, often for concert band. She has arranged many holiday favorites, giving them a fresh, new sound. Some of her arrangements include:
- Silent Night in Gotham
- Christmas with Mozart
- O Holy Night (for solo soprano and band)
- Hark! Those Jingle Bells are Smokin'
- The 12 Days of Christmas
- Nutcracker Fantasia
Recordings of Her Music
Many of Julie Giroux's works have been recorded, allowing people all over the world to listen to her music.
- ; The Music of Julie Giroux
- This album was released in 2010 and features her works performed by the University of Texas at El Paso Wind Symphony.
- ; Julie Giroux Presents "Concert Band Christmas Gone Crazy"
- Released in 2011, this recording also features the University of Texas at El Paso Wind Symphony playing her fun Christmas arrangements.
- ; Jingle them Bells - Christmas Favorites Re-imagined by Julie Giroux
- This album, released in 2012, features the University of North Texas Symphonic Band performing more of her creative Christmas arrangements.
