Jeffrey Hass

Jeffrey Hass (born November 24, 1953, in New York) is a contemporary American classical composer of acoustic and electroacoustic music. He is best known for his compositions combining electronic soundtracks with solo instruments or with large ensembles such as wind ensemble and orchestra. He currently serves the Jacobs School of Music as professor emeritus.

Hass studied at the Stecher and Horowitz School of Music from 1960 to 1971. He then attended Vassar College and graduated with a B.A. in music in 1975. He continued his education at Rutgers University, earning an M.A. in Music Composition and Theory in 1979. Finally, he received a D.Mus. in Composition, Theory and Electronic Music, with High Distinction, from the Indiana University School of Music in 1989.

Hass was a composition faculty member at the Jacobs School of Music of Indiana University (retiring in 2019) where he served as Director of the School's Center for Electronic and Computer Music from 1984 to 2019. He was also appointed adjunct professor of Dance Technology in 2007 and currently serves the Jacobs School as professor emeritus.

Later in his career, he developed an interest in composing works for contemporary dance and ballet, often accompanied by visual projection. Several of his video works are for prerecorded dancers placed in a virtual 3D motion graphics environment or for live interactive video projection based on dancers’ movements and actions.

Upon retirement, Hass produced an online electronic textbook, Introduction to Computer Music, which has been adopted for courses around the world. He had previously served on the music faculty of Rutgers University-Newark and the Interlochen Center for the Arts.

Hass's acoustic compositions have been performed by the Louisville Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, American Concerto Orchestra (Chicago), the U.S. Army Band and the Concordia Chamber Orchestra. In addition, his electronic and video works have been performed both nationally and internationally at the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States, International Computer Music Conference (ICMC), New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival (NYCEMF), Australasian Computer Music Conference (ACMC), New Interfaces for Music Expression (NIME), World Dance Alliance Global Summit and the Matera Intermedia Festival MA/IN.

National Band Association/Revelli Award, Walter Beeler Memorial Award, ASCAP/Rudolph Nissim Award, Lee Ettelson Award, United States Army Band 75th Anniversary Composition Competition, Frank Ticheli Wind Ensemble competition, Heckscher Composition Award, Bogliasco Foundation Fellowship.

• Introduction to Computer Music (an electronic textbook)
• Publishers: Keiser Productions (formerly Keiser Southern and Ludwig Music), Manhattan Beach Music
• Advances in Computers, Vol. 36: Computer Applications in Music Composition and Research (with Wittlich and Isaacson)

• Signals: The Instrumental and Electroacoustic Music of Jeffrey Hass: New Music from Indiana University, Vol. 6: Indiana University IUSM-12
• American Piano Concertos Concerto for Amplified Piano and Wind Ensemble, Paul Barnes, piano soloist: Albany Records TROY878
• Music from Seamus, Vol. 2 Liaisons: New Focus Recordings EAM1993
• Music from Seamus, Vol. 6 Lost in the Funhouse, Ithaca College Wind Ensemble: SEAMUS EAM 9701
• Music from Seamus, Vol. 23 Three Etudes for Piano and Electronics, Kati Gleiser, piano: New Focus Recordings EAM2014
• New Music from Indiana, Vol. 2: Indiana University IUSM-8
• Beyond the Red Line Lost in the Funhouse: Mark Records
• Centennial Celebration: Indiana University Wind Ensemble All the Bells and Whistles: RIAX Records
• New Music from Indiana, Vol. 1 Sussurando for oboe and electronics, Nancy Argersinger, soloist: Indiana University IUSM-5
• Charlie Argersinger: Cloud Chamber for electronics, with Charles Argersinger: Arizona University Recordings AUR 930