HALE SMITH is regarded as one of America's finest composers. He has also had a distinguished career as an arranger, editor, and educator. Born in Cleveland, Ohio

He moved to New York in 1958 and from that time he has worked with many prominent jazz artists, including Chico Hamilton, Dizzy Gillespie, Eric Dolphy, Randy Weston, Melba Liston, Ahmad Jamal, and Oliver Nelson. He also served as an editor and consultant with several music publishers (E.B. Marks, C.F. Peters, Frank Music Corp. and Sam Fox Music Publishers).

In 1952,was a winner of the first Student Composer's Award sponsored by Broadcast Music Inc., and in 1960 was commissioned by BMI to composer Contours for Orchestra. His other works include Ritual and Incantation, Innerflexions, By Yearning and By Beautiful, Music for Harp and Orchestra, Orchestral Set, Mediations in Passage, several chamber music and solo pieces and several works for chorus and solo voice and piano.

Hale Smith has received several honors: the Cleveland Arts Prize, and Awards from the American Academy and Institute of Arts and Letters, The National Black Music Caucus, and an honorary doctorate from the Cleveland Institute of Music.

He has taught at C.W. Post College and Professor Emeritus from the University of Connecticut. In addition, he has served on the boards of several organizations: The American Composers Alliance, Composer's Recordings, Inc., The American Music Center, several state arts councils; as a copyright infringement consultant; and as orchestrator and artistic consultant for the Black Music Repertory Ensemble of the Center for Black Music Research Columbia College Chicago. Hale was appointed to the New York State Council on the Arts (1993-1997) by Governor Mario Cuomo.