John Craton (Alex Timmerman photo)

 

Former JSU Student's Ballet
Will Premiere in May

Former JSU student John Craton, who studied music at Jacksonville in 1971-72 and who has received international recognition as a composer, will have his ballet “La Boîte à musique” (“The Music Box”) premiered by a Bedford, Indiana, dance studio, Kat's Performing Arts, in a world premiere on May 9, 2009.

Self-described as a “ballet macabre,” the work is something of a departure from standard dance-studio fare as it features a rather horror-style storyline. The ballet is dedicated to Kathy Thompson, owner of Kat's Studio and choreographer for the work. It will feature Amanda Kirkman, Savana Frank, Chandler Yates, and Jill Beaver as principal dancers, who will be joined by Hanna Voorhies, Isaac Taylor, and other dancers from the studio. Actress Penny May will serve as narrator.

Craton, who also resides in Bedford, is an internationally acclaimed composer whose works have been performed by such artists and ensembles as Sebastiaan de Grebber, Het CONSORT, Townsend Opera Players, Central West Ballet, Het Orkest van het Oosten, and the Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra.

Born in 1953 in Anniston, Alabama, John Craton hails from an extended family of musicians, including both professionals and amateurs. His own career began on the violin at the age of ten, and he began studying piano at fourteen. He made his first feeble attempts at composing at age eleven. Craton demonstrated rapid advancement on both violin and piano and was playing in the Jacksonville State University String Orchestra while still in high school. He studied violin under the late concert violinist Robert Louis Barron and John Maltese; piano under Louis Culver and Ouida Susie Francis; and music theory and composition under Gerald Moore and Henry Fusner. He began accepting private students in 1971 and has taught both violin and piano in Alabama, Tennessee, and Indiana. He received his B.A. from Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, and his M.A. from Indiana University, Bloomington.

Craton has played violin in the Jacksonville State University String Orchestra and String Trio, and piano with the JSU Woodwind Quintet. He also played violin, rebec, viola da gamba, and recorder with the Lipscomb University Early Music Consort and maintains an active interest in early music to this day. In 1973 he appeared in the Henry Fusner production of The Play of Daniel on rebec (a medieval ancestor of the violin). He briefly played second violin in the now-defunct Helen Fowler String Quartet of Indianapolis. Craton has appeared in numerous other recitals in Alabama, Tennessee, and Indiana, both as soloist and as accompanist. Due to a hand injury in 2002, he was forced to abandon any hope of further public performance. Since that time he has dedicated himself to teaching and composing. He currently resides in Indiana with his wife and three sons.

Craton’s music has been performed by such artists and ensembles as Sebastiaan de Grebber, Lester Turner, John Tabler, Ferdinand Binnendijk, Het CONSORT, Het Orkest van het Oosten, and the Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra. His works include a number of compositions for chamber ensembles ranging from violin to marimba and piano; six operas (Inanna: An Opera of Ancient Sumer, based on ancient Sumerian texts; The Curious Affair of the Count of Monte Blotto, a comic chamber opera; Vasya Whitefeet, a children’s opera; The Parliament of Fowls, a one-act chamber opera based on the poem by Geoffrey Chaucer; and The Reconciliation and The Fashionable Lady, both reconstructions of early American operas); orchestral works such as Pagan Festivals for string orchestra, Beowulf (two versions, one a suite for ancient instruments and the other an orchestral suite), four mandolin concertos and a double concerto for two mandolins and orchestra, a concerto for tuba and orchestra, and a setting of Mongolian folk songs for viola and orchestra; and vocal compositions including The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock for tenor and strings and several song cycles. A number of his works are currently available in print from Wolfhead Music.

Although Craton at one time became a clinical audiologist in his professional life, he has maintained a strong interest in music, composition, and music instruction from his earliest days. After his local audiology practice was purchased by an Indianapolis concern several years ago, he decided to return to his roots and resume composing and teaching.

When not involved in music, Craton enjoys watching the Mets play baseball in the summer, the Saints football in the fall, and sumo wrestling whenever it is available in the U.S. He is an avid reader and has a special interest in history, particularly ancient history and the history of the First World War era.

Craton is a member of ASCAP, the American String Teachers Association, the Indiana Music Teachers Association, Opera America, the Classical Mandolin Society of America, the Monarchist League, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

A number of Craton's chamber compositions are currently in print by Wolfhead Music, and he also released his first orchestral compilation CD in 2008; both his sheet music and CD are available from Amazon.com and other retailers. His professional website is at www.craton.net.

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