Aaron’s Bio

J. Aaron Stanley, composer

J. Aaron Stanley is a classically trained composer, arranger, orchestrator, and songwriter. He received his B.M. degree in Trumpet Performance in 1998 from Missouri State University, then continued his studies at the graduate level, studying composition with Dr. John Prescott & Dr. Michael F. Murray.

As a trumpet player, he has performed with the Golden State Pops Orchestra, Beach Cities Symphony, Orange County Symphony, the L.A. Metropolitan Brass Band, and the Emerald Street Brass Quintet.

As a composer, he has composed and arranged music for many different types of ensembles, including chamber ensembles, choir, brass band, concert band, jazz band, and full symphony orchestra. He has also written a number of songs, and is working on his first full-length musical.

In 2011, he was accepted into the West Village Musical Theater Festival.

His arrangement of “Carol of the Bells” won “Best Arrangement” in the 2005 Northop International Brass Band Composition Contest, and “Heroes & Villains” for Wind Ensemble won first place in the 2010 Penfield Music Commission Project Composition Contest.

He has studied orchestration with Scott Smalley, orchestrator for legendary film composers such as Danny Elfman, Basil Polidouros, Alan Silvestri, David Newman, and others.

Stanley is a member of the American Composers Forum and ASCAP. He currently lives in the Los Angeles area and continues his composition studies with Dr. Carolyn Bremer. He blogs about his journey and experiences on the road to becoming an established composer at www.SoulJourneyMusic.com/blog.