Vernon Taranto, Jr.
His educational pursuits were interrupted by numerous adventures, including a five-year tour of duty with the United States Air Force Band in Washington, D.C. Besides his performing duties, he undertook composing and arranging projects for the band's concert presentations. As a result of this exposure, he garnered his first large commission (for his first symphony,
Sinfonia Orionis) from the Georgetown Symphony Orchestra.
Composing in all forms, Vernon explores diverse genres of expression in a style which has been called "lyric atonality." Significant performances and premieres of his works include: Soliloquy for Strings (The New Orleans Philharmonic); A Winter Canticle (The Tampa Oratorio Society); and Fantasie On An American Folk Song (The United States Air Force Band). His suite for piano, Five Haiku Impressions, has been released on CD (New Ariel label).
Vernon's compositions have been listed in the catalogs of Pro-Art Music, Composer's Autograph Publications, The Augsburg Press, The National Music Theatre Network, Latham Music Enterprises, and Musica21.
"Recently, while enjoying a residency at the Dorland Mountain Arts Colony, I learned something and I rememembered something: first, the Muse requires of me an intense focus of spirit and energy, something of a Zen approach to discovering the creative essence, before I can ply my craft successfully; and, secondly, the benevolent admonition of an early teacher/mentor, 'No matter how few notes, or seemingly insignificant a whisp of melody, compose something every day!; a five-note motif, four bars of a canon, a simple setting of a line of poetry -- anything will do.' Since that time I have tried to live with my art under the assumption (or is it my belief?) that our creative energies must be continually expended in order to be regenerated."
Vernon is currently on the facutly of the Saint Petersburg Junior College department of Fine Arts/Humanities where he is Director of Choral Activities and lectures in Music Composition and Theory.