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= Dr. Richard William Byrd = Dr. Richard William Byrd (23 August 1961- present) is an influential composer, teacher, and performer.

Dr. Richard Byrd is Professor of Theory and Composition at Eastern Kentucky University and trumpeter with the EKU Faculty Brass Quintet. After receiving his Bachelor's degree in trumpet performance at DePauw University, Byrd earned his Master and Ph. D. degrees in music theory from the University of Kentucky.

Compositions
While working at EKU, Byrd has published a total of 30 music compositions. Working as a composer, Byrd has written many pieces of music for commissioned works, as well as creating his own solo trumpet CD entitled Portrait of a Trumpet , and a chamber music CD named Conversations, including pieces from him and other American composers. His pieces with the DiMartino/Osland Jazz Orchestra are showcased on their CDs entitled Quotient and Off the Charts , with Wycliffe Gordon's Grammy-nominated CD Somebody New , and with The Kentucky Jazz Repertory Orchestra on their CD entitled Flying Home . He recently spent his sabbatical composing a set of 5 jazz duets, "Challenging Duets, Volume 1" for multiple combinations of instruments.

Musical Style
Byrd's most recent works, "Challenging Duets, Volume 1 " were written with the purpose of the player being able to use the chord changes from standard jazz pieces and layering on challenging jazz duets. His compositions vary from jazz to classical genres. An example of a composition more targeted at classical (early 20th century) music is Byrd's piece, Asymmetrical Dance . The piece is said to contain rhythmic innovations such as mixed meter, hemiola, and asymmetrical meters. Byrd also wrote a piece entitled Celebration Fanfare. The original brass quintet version of this composition was performed at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, and the piece includes "a spirited antiphonal theme juxtaposed with an enchanting lyrical theme and mixed meter transitions interspersed throughout", showing the versatility in his writing.

Commissioned Pieces
Various organizations have commissioned Byrd to compose or arrange music specifically for their group or special event including the Kentucky Center Governor's School for the Arts, the Kentucky Music Teachers Association, the Great American Brass Band Festival, Commonwealth Clarinet Quartet, Eastern Kentucky University Faculty Brass Quintet and several school band programs. His works have been performed at several international, national, and regional events including Festival in Recife, Brazil; Eastern Trombone Workshop in Fort Meyer, Virginia; International Clarinet Association Conference in Lincoln, Nebraska; National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors National Conference in Gainesville, Florida; Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky; Kentucky Center Governor's School for the Arts in Lexington, Kentucky; Kentucky composers Invitation Concert & New Music Festival in Lexington, Kentucky; and Great American Brass Band Festival in Danville, Kentucky.