Scott Morris: Distinguished Classical Guitarist Finds Life After Carnegie Hall

Dr. Scott Morris, a renowned guitarist and the director of classical guitar studies at California State University, Dominguez Hills, performed at an inauguration reception for CSUDH President Mildred García on May 1.

Since his 1998 debut at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York, Morris has achieved much in his career and continues to have a promising future.

“I have just finished a new CD for the Centaur Records label, which will be out sometime this summer,” says the musician. “I am also preparing new music by Jonathon Grasse [assistant professor of music] and Rod Butler [former chair of the music department] for my summer concert tours, which will take me to Asia and Europe between June and August.”

Not only is Morris a talented performer, he also is an accomplished composer.

“I have composed a few pieces and arranged quite a bit of music,” says Morris. “Clearnote Publications is publishing much of it. Last summer, I also composed an original film score for a short film called 'The Discarded.' I am also writing some original songs with Steve Perry, who was the [lead] singer for Journey.”

Most recently, Morris performed a piece written specifically for him by Grasse for the Faculty New Music Concert featuring Grasse’s original compositions. The concert took place April 17 on campus. Collaborating with others from the music department is proving to be beneficial.

'I have performed and recorded with the music department chair, Dr. Richard Kravchak, and I am also currently performing a piece by the late Dr. Rod Butler called 'L.A. Nocturne,'' says Morris.

Morris first began playing the guitar at the age of 6, and although he took up that instrument as a compromise — his parents wouldn’t let him play the drums — it has paid off. He has won several awards and competitions from the American String Teachers Association, Claremont Graduate University, and the Aspen Music Festival, among others.

The most memorable performance, he says, “[was] my debut in New York at Carnegie Hall in 1998. That was the concert that really helped to launch my performing career. I remember having around 100 friends and family fly in to the city and attend.”

The classical guitarist plays for the possibility of changing or having an effect on someone’s life, saying “It may sound a bit cliché but that is the reason I play. I receive e-mails all of the time, from people all over the world, telling me how much they enjoyed one of my recordings or concerts. That makes all of the hard work worthwhile.”

Morris admits there were times he wanted to quit, but realized music was the only career he wanted to pursue.

“My father told me to make a list of anything else that I would be happy doing for a living and if anything was on that list, to do that instead,” recalls Morris, who earned a doctorate in musical arts from Claremont Graduate University and has studied at other prestigious universities such as Yale and the USC Thornton School of Music. “I tried for several days, but the paper was still blank. I often give this same advice to students struggling with this question.”

Morris, who joined the faculty at CSUDH four years ago as the instructor of the music department’s small but growing guitar program, serves as an example to his students that musicians have multiple avenues they can pursue, from studio artist to performer to teacher.

He says of coming to CSUDH that he “loved the idea of building a guitar program rather than simply joining an already established department. I also love the closeness of the Dominguez Hills family and the sense of mission that everyone here seems to share. I’m very excited about the future of the music department.”

For more information on Morris, visit http://www.scottmorris.net/.

-Heather Roach