B i o g r a p h y
Eric Starr is a multi-talented composer, percussionist, and pianist. He is also a voting member at the Recording Academy/GRAMMYs.
Working in a wide variety of musical genres, Starr has performed internationally at countless major venues and storied concert halls.
Starr’s chamber music tribute to authors Vera Brittain & Winifred Holtby, Between the Sandhills and the Sea, has garnered praise from around the world. Its European premiere is in 2025 at the Jacqueline du Pré Music Building, St. Hilda's College (Oxford, UK).
Celebrated conductor JoAnn Falletta wrote, "A fascinating melding of words and music: very alluring and quite haunting." Golden Globe-nominated director James Kent called the project, "Truly valuable in this volatile world," and biographers Elaine and English Showalter hailed Starr's work as "evocative and moving" adding "One senses the same powerful themes that animated their [Brittain and Holtby's] lives and their writing."
Starr's Twelve Pieces for Solo Piano was performed at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and premiered at Kleinhans Music Hall in Buffalo, NY. Legendary jazz pianist and composer Andy LaVerne called Twelve Pieces, "a great and valuable addition to the piano literature."
The composer's The Stones of Carnac (for tenor saxophone and strings) premiered at The Lighthouse: Poole's Centre for the Arts (UK) and featured world-renowned saxophonist Iain Ballamy. Composer Steve Reich wrote about this work, "I’m impressed with the directness of Eric’s music and the craft with which he has written it. His music would appeal to a wide variety of listeners."
The Eric Starr Group has released two critically acclaimed jazz albums, and was featured at the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse (Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts) as well as other famous jazz clubs. ESG's two albums have received international radio play and rave reviews in Downbeat Magazine and The Jazz Journal (UK). Iconic drummer Bill Bruford dubbed Starr "an extremely welcome new addition to the club [of percussionist composers]."
As an author and educator, Starr has written five books about music for Adams Media, Inc. (See Educational Publications.) Starr has also appeared as a guest artist and clinician at colleges and universities throughout the country.
Starr has received four prestigious Meet the Composer grants, a Utah Arts Council grant, and NEA Foundation grants.
