Bio

Harry G. Archer Award recipient Jacob Randall Holmes (b. 1992) is a composer, lyricist, songwriter, accompanist, vocalist, and producer from New Concord, Ohio. He has a Bachelor of Music in Composition from Baldwin Wallace University and Conservatory of Music. While at BW Jacob studied music composition with Composer in Residence Clint Needham, and also studied musical theatre songwriting and orchestration with David Pepin the current Conductor for Wicked at the Gershwin Theatre on Broadway. He completed his Master of Music in Composition at Carnegie Mellon University under the instruction of Leonardo Balada and Nancy Galbraith. Jacob completed his Advanced Music Studies Certificate in May under the instruction of Nancy Galbraith, Lance LaDuke, and Rick Edinger. He currently works as Carnegie Mellon University’s Commercial Composer in Residence.

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Jacob’s composing/writing consists of musicals, pop songs, chamber and large ensemble works that have been performed on New Music Concerts at Baldwin Wallace University and Carnegie Mellon University. In the spring of 2017 his chamber piece “Lake Effect” was premiered and recorded by Pittsburgh contemporary ensemble NAT 28 during their residency with the CMU composition department. Jacob’s primary focus during his time at Carnegie Mellon has been working as the composer/lyricist for his new full-length musical Elevation and his one-act musical Layovers (book by Lauren Wimmer). These musicals are in various stages of development and are currently being submitted to several new musical theatre festivals and competitions around the United States in hopes of a future production. Most recently Jacob’s song “Made to Help You” from his one-act musical the Medicine Cabinet was performed as a part of the New York Musical Festivals “Ground Breaking” song cycle concert in July 2018.

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As a performer/accompanist Holmes has studied voice with Dr. Marc Weagraff, and piano with Carla LaRocca, David Pepin, Christine Fuoco, and Marta Perez-Stable.