Franklin Piland
Floydada, TX
"Mr. Piland’s work, altogether, represents something that is fiercely compelling.”
- Kurt Munz-Raper, critic
Franklin Piland (b. 1990) is a Native American musician. He earned his Masters in Music Composition with focus in wind band conducting from the University of Texas at Austin and his Bachelor of Music in Wind Performance with emphasis in music technology and music composition from Eastern New Mexico University.
As a composer and arranger Franklin has been fortunate to have his works premiered and recorded by a variety of musicians, from young bands to collegiate and professional ensembles, and has collaborated on his music with some of the world’s most lauded human-beings. Arrangements of Franklin’s are widely-requested and numerous, and range from solos to symphonies. His choral and band works have drawn attention from legendary composers of our time, Eric Whitacre, Donald Grantham, Mark Camphouse, and David Holsinger being some of the most prominent. His band work Somnia Mortem was named a finalist in the ATSSB Composition Competition and has been championed beautifully by David Holsinger since 2013. He has been commissioned numerous works (20 since 2011 and counting) for a wide variety of ensembles.
As a lifelong educator and advocate of music education, Franklin has served as Director of Bands and Orchestras at East Austin College Prep in Austin, TX (grades 6-12) from 2016-2018 and is currently serving as Director of Bands at Floydada ISD since 2019. In 2016 he was Guest Lecturer and Composer in Residence at the National Academy of Performing Arts in Karachi, Pakistan.
As a passionate conductor, he seizes any opportunity to collaborate with groups of all varieties. He has worked regularly with the Eastern New Mexico University Wind Symphony and Symphonic Band and the Muleshoe High School Band. He has also been graced with guest appearances with the University of Texas Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony. He has frequently conducted chamber ensembles for official recording sessions at the University of Texas at Austin. Recently Franklin held directorship positions with The Lonestar Brass Orchestra and the East Austin College Prep Wind Symphony, Symphonic Band, String Orchestra, Philharmonic Orchestra, and Symphony Orchestra.
As a performer he has played as the principal tubist for the Eastern New Mexico University Wind Symphony from 2008 to 2013; performed in a variety of wind ensembles in New Mexico, Texas, Washington, Ireland, and Pakistan; in addition to a number of solo and chamber recitals. In 2009 Franklin established The Greyhound Brass, an autonomous student-run brass quintet based in the Eastern New Mexico/West Texas area devoted to performing quality brass chamber music for the surrounding schools and communities. He has performed regularly with the University of Texas Middle Eastern Ensemble, the University of Texas Hispanic/Caribbean Ensemble, and the Cedar Park Winds. In March of 2019 Franklin performed with the Pakistani/American fusion group Sangat! at SXSW in Austin, Texas. He continues to perform with Sangat! touring internationally, as well as the Lubbock Concert Band and the Westwinds Brass Band.
As a professional audio and video recording engineer and producer, Franklin has had the immense fortune to work with and for some of the greatest musicians, organizations, and projects of this age. He has recorded such groups and soloists as the Miró Quartet, the University of Texas Wind Ensemble, Spinal Tap, the Cordova Quartet, Anton Nel, Hear No Evil, Time for Three, and the University of Texas Symphony Orchestra. Franklin worked as an Audio/Video Recording Engineer with the University of Texas at Austin Recording Studio for four and a half years.
Despite all of his numerous obligations and responsibilities, Franklin is a lover of tennis, painting, and Batman (though oddly enough he has yet to paint Batman playing tennis). Franklin currently resides in Lubbock, TX with his family.
Franklin Piland’s tracks
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