Jack Ballard has composed, performed and produced a variety of music, from classical and film music to jazz and bluegrass. He worked with Gunther Schuller, Wendell Jones, Arthur Post, David Maddux. His ballet, The Castle, received the Thanatopolis Prize for Memorial Composition for its “Lament,” and was the winner of OME competition for Dances for solo violin. He was awarded multiple finalist and semi-finalist recognition in orchestra and chamber music (American Prize), in the Cheswick Choir International Composition Competition, and winner in the Festival Fresco Composition Competition. He has multiple official selections in film festivals for his collaborative works with film director, Brandon Truscott.
His clients’ projects range from black gospel choirs and African jazz groups, to American bluegrass and Western music. As staff arranger at Perimeter Ministries International (Duluth, GA) he wrote jazz band, popular and timeline compositions, conducted members of the Atlanta Symphony, and he contributed as composer for the world famous radio plays Adventures in Odyssey. Probably the best known representation of musical variety is his song cycle The Psalms, which includes such jazz notables as Alex Acuña, David Friesen, Fletch Wiley, Tom Patitucci, Sid Smith III, and members of the Oregon Symphony. “So unique and creative, it breaks new artistic ground” from National Religious Broadcaster. “A great collection:” Moody Monthly. A Fulbright Scholar in African Music, his pieces incorporate classical and ethnic styles from throughout the world. In 2018, he released projects in chamber music with violinist Amy Glick, and in jazz with saxophonist, Dave Kana. In 2020, he collaborated with Cave Pictures Publishing, writing a suite for their graphic novel, The Light Princess by 19th c. writer, George MacDonald. The latter is featured on the new album release, “There should be a film…“
“Complaint” originally written as part of Suite for Flute, Harp and Four Strings. It was written for Denise Lee Terry with whom I was and am still deeply in love with, and read in a reading session in Wenatchee, spring, 1983. That evening, while I was parked near her house and walking the streets during a snow storm, someone broke into my car and stole my briefcase, containing the only [handwritten] completed copies of the Suite. I reconstructed this piece from scratch notes. It was recorded with Clark Bondy on soprano saxophone (in lieu of flute) in 1994 at North Star Studio in Portland, OR. For you, حابيبتي، دنيس, whatever and wherever we find ourselves. I still love you, regardless of what I have had to do to maintain my Christian integrity and marital fidelity.