Thomas R. Root, associate professor of music at Weber State University, won two first-place awards at the Utah Composers Guild competition.
Guild judges recognized Root in the overall arrangement competition, involving composers from 21 states, as well as the Utah arrangement division for a suite titled "Lithuanian Rhapsody."Based on Lithuanian folk songs, the composition was inspired by WSU's relationship with a university in Lithuania.
Root was also honored late last year by the Utah Music Teacher's Association, which commissioned his composition "Serenade." The piece has been performed in a number of programs, including the recent "Utah Composers Guild Spectacular."
Root will be taking a sabbatical leave from WSU this fall to teach at the Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn. He is currently at work on a new composition tentatively titled "A Midnight Clear," based on a World War I story about opposing soldiers who stop fighting for a day to celebrate Christmas.