User:Justinkcox

Justin K. Cox
Personal Website: www.justinkcox.com

Justin Cox is a film and video-game composer from northeast Texas. He is the composer for such titles, "Amorosa" directed by Armen Karaoghlanian, "Guardians" and "Witch Hunt 2" both directed by Matthew Ramsaur, and his only video-game to date, "Destinies of Eveh" which is currently in production by software company BrokenThorn Entertainment.

Short Biography
Justin K. Cox was born and raised in Texarkana, Texas, and has been writing music since the age of eleven. Throughout his high school career, Justin participated in several band honors ensembles, including All-Region, Area, and Texas All-State bands,  playing the Euphonium. In his senior year of high school, Justin learned to play the violin, which serves as his primary instrument to date.

Upon graduation in 2007 from Redwater High School in Texarkana, Texas, Justin continued on to Henderson State University as a Music Education major for a semester, receiving scholarships to perform in the University's Marching Band and Symphony Orchestra. Due to a financial pitfall, Justin was had to return home in the Spring where he enrolled in Texarkana College. While there, Justin organized a "Concert for Composers" concert for two years in 2008 and 2009 to allow students taking the Music Composition course to hear their works performed live by fellow student and community performers, and receive valuable feedback from the performers, the audience, and the conductors. The concerts were successful, and the monies collected were allotted as scholarships for the Music Department; the concerts are now a tradition every semester at Texarkana College.

In January of 2010, Justin transferred once more to Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana to further pursue and complete his Bachelor's in Music Education degree. Justin founded an organization called "Symphony of Composers" in the Fall of 2011 which focuses on helping students who have interest in composition to write music and get it performed live by the University's student musicians; the organization's secondary aim is to reinvigorate live, instrumental/vocal music.

Though mostly known for his compositions for the full orchestra, Justin has also written many works for smaller, chamber ensembles as well. Perhaps his most well-known works are those for the video-game "Destinies of Eveh", currently being developed by BrokenThorn Entertainment, a company that he started composing for in the Summer of 2009 as the Director of Music. His "Ascension to Avënor composition for the game was performed live by the Natchitoches-Northwestern Symphony Orchestra at "A Young Person's Concert" in which the goal is to perform for and educate young students about the importance of live music in schools, particularly the Symphony Orchestra. He also received a very successful premiere of "Destiny Awaits" at NSU which is the main title theme for the same video-game.

Justin's largest career aspiration is to write music for film. He has written music for two short films: "Guardians" (2008) directed by Matthew Ramsaur, and "Amorosa" (2009-10) directed by Armen Karaoghlanian, which placed in the Burbank International Film  Festival in 2010 and earned the duo a listing in  the Internet Movie Database (IMDB). The film has also received a spot in the Colombia Gorge International Film Festival in Vancouver, WA in August of 2011. He is currently working on the score of another of Mr. Ramsaur's films, "Witch Hunt 2" which will be released in 2012.

Justin currently resides in Natchitoches, LA where he attends Northwestern State University to complete his  Bachelor's degree in Music Education. After graduation, Justin plans on moving to New York to further pursue his career as a composer, performer, and music educator.

Travel
Justin hasn't reportedly traveled much, but he has visited a few places which have positively impacted himself and his music.


 * Reno, Nevada
 * In the fall of 2011, Justin traveled by air for the first time to Reno, Nevada where he spent time with a close friend while enjoying time away from home and slightly fulfilling his curiosity for life toward the West Coast.
 * Manhattan, New York
 * Later that year, Justin received a rare opportunity to visit Manhattan, New York with well-established composer and orchestrator Randol Bass (Randol Bass Publishing) who befriended the young composer after Mr. Bass's visit to Northwestern State University during that time.

Love Life
Justin lives as an open homosexual, though details about his personal relationships are not publicly available. Despite being labeled as a homosexual, Justin did make a statement about his sexuality: "I hate the term 'gay' or any other similar term, because to me it's a label that inaccurately describes those of us who simply are involved in same-sex relationships, but I'll use it just for identity purposes. For example, I wouldn't consider myself being a part of the common, stereotypical 'gay' culture, because the majority of it repulses me a great deal; I try to stay far away from it, it's just not for me. I am among an apparently small portion of homosexuals who still believe in morals, character, and substance with regards to personal relationships. You know, the way it should be,"

"...I know that some people think that because I am 'homosexual', that I have a bias against religion, Christianity in particular. That is ludicrous, for one: two of my closest friends are Christians, and I wouldn't want it any other way. I also am great friends with a few atheists, a Mormon or two, a Pagan even, I believe ... and God knows what else. Yeah, I don't agree with everything it might entail, who does? I've learned a great deal from my friends and colleagues, though. Just like their religion or spirituality does not define them, the fact that I am a 'homosexual' should not define who I am, and it doesn't. Anybody who knows me, or has met me at least once, could attest to that, I promise you. It's amazing [that] we all get along, we're all so very different, but I think that diversity is what is so great, and I definitely think it's why we're all as cultured as we are. We're also alike, because we all bask in the world of music, and we share a general love for each other and people in general. It's a great feeling, to be honest."

Musical Influences
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Connections
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