Education

Cary John Franklin is a nationally recognized composer and  he studied conducting and composition at Maccalester College in St. Paul Minnesota and at the University of Minnesota where he worked with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Dominick Argento.  His principal conducting teachers include John Nelson, William McGlaughlin, and Murry Sidlin and his training includes time as Assistant Music Director to both Dale Warland and Phillip Brunelle.

His work ranges from chamber and orchestral music to choral music and opera. 

Commissions and Performances

Commissions and performances include work with the Nashville Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Houston Youth Symphony, VocalEssence formerly Plymouth Music Series, National Repertory Orchestra, Dale Warland Singers, Chanticleer, University of St. Thomas, Cedar Rapids Symphony, and The Schubert Club of St. Paul .  Mr. Franklin has had two highly successful young peoples' operas commissioned by Opera Theatre of St. Louis  - The Very Last Green Thing and The Thunder of Horses which have gone on to receive multiple productions.  His most recent project resulted in the full length opera Loss of Eden jointly commissioned by The St. Louis Opera and VocalEssence. 

Awards and Honors

Mr. Franklin is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, Meet the Composer Awards, and fellowships from the Minnesota State Arts Board and Schubert Club of St. Paul.  As the Music Director of the Civic Orchestra of Minneapolis he has received awards for innovative programming from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers.  He is president of the American Composers Forum and he recently became one of  five American composers who has received a three-year residency grant from Meet the Composer. 

Discography  

Heartbeats: New Songs from Minnesota for the AIDS Quilt Songbook containing: 'As imperceptibly as grief', voice & piano Composed by Cary John Franklin with Elisabeth Comeaux

Emily Dickinson: A Different Slant of Light Composed by Cary John Franklin 

With a Poet's Eye, Chanticleer

Twin Cities Activities

Mr. Franklin has been active in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis - St. Paul, Minnesota) for many years.  He is currently in his tenth season as Music Director and Conductor of the Civic Orchestra of Minneapolis.  He is the current conductor of the Macalester Symphony Orchestra and the Macalester Symphonic Band.   Mr. Franklin has been a Guest Conductor and Staff Conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra on several occasions and has guest conducted many of the Twin Cities’ community orchestras as well as ensembles from MacPhail Center for the Arts and the Minnesota Youth Symphonies.  In addition to conducting, he is a Music Producer for Saint Paul Sunday (Minnesota Public Radio).

Outside of the Twin Cities

Outside of the metropolitan area Cary John Franklin was the Chorus Master and Associate Conductor of the Opera Theatre of St. Louis from 1986 through 2003.   He is Music Director of the Singing Wilderness Festival of Ely, MN and the Borderline Philharmonic of the Hoot Owl Music Camp in northern Minnesota.

Current Projects

His current project is a full-length opera Loss of Eden based on the life of Charles Lindbergh.  This opera came about through a joint commission from the Opera Theatre of St. Louis and VocalEssence formerly the Plymouth Music Series.  The opera premiered on June 9th of 2002 in St. Louis and on September 19 and 21 in Minneapolis.  

As a result of his recent Meet the Composer Grant, he will be working with four organizations during the coming three years: VocalEssence, Minnetonka Senior High School, Como Park Senior High School in St. Paul, and Red Wing Senior High School.