Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.)
Trumpet Performance
University of Maryland, College Park
2018
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Faculty
Faculty
Guericke Christopher Royal, D.M.A.
Associate Professor
Department/Office
- Department of Music
School/College
- College of Fine Arts
Additional Positions
-
Coordinator of Graduate Studies in MusicDepartment of Music
-
ChairFaculty Senate
Biography
Childers Hall, Room 3036
(202) 806-7082
groyal@howard.edu
Guericke C. (Chris) Royal, D.M.A. is an associate professor and served as chair of the Department of Music from 2008-2012, during its successful reaccreditation of 2010 by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) and during the Howard University PCAR process. He remains active as an accreditation site evaluator and consultant for NASM.
At Howard University, Royal has been active on many committees in COAS, including the COAS Executive Committee (during and after the Music Chair position), the Technology Committee (Chair), The Nominations and Elections Committee (Chair), and the Distinguished Faculty Awards Committee (Chair), as well as on several ad hoc committees. He has also served on the Faculty Senate as Secretary, has Chaired the Committee on Committees and served as a panelist for Faculty Grievances. He currently serves as the Chair of the Faculty Senate.
He earned the degrees Bachelor of Music (B.M.), cum laude, and Master of Music (M.M.) at Howard University, and Doctor of Musical Arts (D.M.A.) from the University of Maryland School of Music. Additionally, he studied audio recording and mixing under legendary audio engineer Bruce Swedien, and studied Trumpet Performance and Orchestration at the Peabody Conservatory of Music and Oberlin College Conservatory of Music. He has won multiple Downbeat Magazine College Awards for Extended Composition, Jazz Arranging and Jazz Improvisation while at Howard University.
Professionally, Royal has performed on trumpet in concert and/or televised performances and recordings with Henry Mancini, the Duke Ellington Orchestra under Mercer Ellington, Whitney Houston, Lionel Hampton, the Temptations, Johnny Mathis, Stevie Wonder, Anita Baker, Barbra Streisand, Donnie McClurkin, Petula Clark, Dionne Warwick, and others. He continues to be active as a freelance trumpet performer for musicals, recordings, and concerts in many different genres.
His many theatrical credits include Five Guys Named Moe, Grease, The Hot Mikado, Sophisticated Ladies, South Pacific, and The Gospel at Colonus (Original Broadway cast and recording). Artist-in-Residence for the Smithsonian Institution's The Music of Louis Armstrong and the Hot Five/Seven 1926-1931. Featured soloist with the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, the Peabody Ragtime Ensemble, the Baltimore Jazz Orchestra, and the Soulful Symphony.
Royal performs as a freelance trumpet player for the National Philharmonic Orchestra, the Alexandria Symphony, the Harrisburg Symphony, and several chamber ensembles in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. He is also a very busy music copyist/ engraver for productions at the John F. Kennedy Center, the Signature Theatre, and other organizations.
Royal composed and arranged music for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games and the TV series America's Most Wanted, as well as many theatrical and recording productions, such as the Helen Hayes Award winning production of The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui at the Catalyst Theatre in Washington, DC. A second collaboration with Catalyst produced the critically acclaimed Roundheads and Peakheads, in which he again composed all new music. He also composed and performed the music for the opening session of the Nancy Hanks Lecture on the Arts honoring Ken Burns. Dr. Royal is also in demand as a studio arranger and as an independent audio recording, mixing, and mastering engineer.
Royal holds active memberships in the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), the Audio Engineering Society (AES), the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), NARAS (The Grammy Foundation), and MENC: The National Association for Music Education.
Education & Expertise
Education
Mentorship
Bruce Swedien - West Viking Studios
2010-2012
Master of Music (M.M.)
Jazz Studies (Jazz Arranging)
Howard University
1992
Bachelor of Music (B.M.)
Jazz Studies
Howard University
1985
Areas of Expertise
Jazz studies
Specialty Area: Jazz Arranging
Music technology
Music recording
Orchestration
Trumpet performance
Academics
Academics
Jazz Theory I and II
Jazz Arranging I and II and Graduate
Music Technology I and II, and Graduate
Accomplishments
Accomplishments
Distinguished Faculty Award - Outstanding Service - Associate Professor; Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, Howard University, 2025
Green Teacher of the Year Center for Excellence in Teaching, Learning and Assessment (CETLA), Howard University, 2015
“In the Studio with Bruce Swedien- Alumni Session;” 8-day reunion from 2010 training sessions with Bruce Swedien, 2012
Publications and Presentations
Publications and Presentations
Composer /Arranger/ Musical Director (Concert, Theatrical and Broadcast Music)
2023 Arranger, “Simama Kaa.” Commissioned by Montgomery County Public Schools for MCPS annual performances with the National Philharmonic Orchestra at The Strathmore Performing Arts Center, Rockville, MD
2022 Composer for the film, Woman Beyond the Influence
2014 Arranger/ Orchestrator. “Bird’s Nest” and “Blue Until June”. The Washington Ballet
2013 Musical Consultant. Singing Praises- stage production. Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
2011 Musical Consultant. Ira Aldridge- stage production. Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
2009 Musical Consultant. Porgy and Bess- stage production. Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
2009 Composer/Musical Director. Roundheads and Peakheads. Catalyst Theatre
2008 Arranger. Monique Midgette.
Musical director. One Woman Show. Princess Cruise Lines.
2007 Composer/ Musical Director. Catalyst Theatre. The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui (Helens Hayes Award: Best Ensemble)
2006 Composer/Musical Director. Evolution. Ken Burns Tribute. “Nancy Hanks Lecture on the Arts” Opening Ceremonies. John F. Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.
2002 Arranger. Blonde Ambitions - stage production. Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery-Arena Stage Old Vat Room
2001 Co-Composer/Arranger. “Soul Street” Theme song. XM Satellite Radio
2001 Arranger/Transcriber. Timbuktu. Howard University Ira Aldridge Theatre
2000 Arranger. Unforgettable- Nat ‘King’ Cole: The Man and His Music. Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
2000 Arranger/Orchestrator. “Bird’s Nest” and “Blue Until June” (2 ballets). The Washington Ballet
2000 Arranger/Transcriber. Black Broadway - stage production. Howard University Ira Aldridge Theatre
2000 Arranger/Transcriber. What Made Sammy Run- The Story of Sammy Davis, Jr. Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
1999 Musical Director/Arranger. The Roots Of Rock and Roll (Concert Series). Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery
1999 Arranger. The Helen Hayes Awards opening production. "Hostess with the Mostess"
1996 Composer “Howard University Hospital.” Television Commercial
1996 Musical Director/Composer. The 1996 Summer Olympic Games. Soccer Events, Opening Ceremonies. RFK Stadium, Washington, DC
PRESENTATIONS
2025
- “Third Stream Music.” Lecture. Theory and Composition Lecture Series. Lulu Vere Childers Recital Hall, Howard University, January 22, 2025
2024
- “Tips for a Smooth Music Major Semester.” Lecture. Lulu Vere Childers Recital Hall, Howard University, August 29, 2024
2022
- “Student Musicians and Technology.” Lecture. Lulu Vere Childers Recital Hall, Howard University, September 1, 2022
2019
- Overview of Apps for Musicians.” Lecture. University, September 5, 2019
- “The Legacy of Louis Armstrong: Finding His Voice.” Lecture Recital, Lulu Vere Childers Recital Hall, Howard University, April 11, 2019
2018
- “Better Practice Habits with Metronomes.” Lecture. Lulu Vere Childers Recital Hall, Howard University, August 30, 2018
2017
- “Computers for Music.” Lecture. Lulu Vere Childers Recital Hall, Howard University, October 12, 2017
- “Blurred Lines: Copyrights and Intellectual Property.” Organizer and Moderator. Guest Speaker Lateef Mtima, Esq. Howard University School of Law Founder and Director, Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice. Lulu Vere Childers Recital Hall, Howard University, January 19, 2017.
- “Trumpet Resonance.” Lecture Recital. University of Maryland Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. May 10, 2017
- Trumpet Recital. University of Maryland Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. February 1, 2017
2014
- “Visual Cues in Music.” Lecture Presentation. University of Maryland Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. December 11, 2014
2012
- “Satchmo at the National Press Club.” Presenter and Panelist. National Press Club, Washington, DC. April 27, 2012
2011
- “Preparing the 21st Century Musician for Breadth- Without Sacrificing Depth.” Organizer and Moderator. National Association of Schools of Music Annual Convention. Phoenix, AZ. November 21, 2011
2010
- “Distance Learning.“ Organizer and Moderator. National Association of Schools of Music Annual Convention. Boston, MA. November 22, 2010
2009
- “The Role of Popular Music in the Curriculum. “ Organizer and Moderator. National Association of Schools of Music Annual Convention. San Diego, CA. November 23, 2009
2004
- “Best Practices Using Finale Software” Presentation and Worshop. International Association of Jazz Education. New York, NY. January 22, 2004
1986
- The Music of Louis Armstrong and the Hot Five/Seven 1926-1931. Lecture Rectal Series- Artist in Residence. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.