CV/Resumé (pdf)
is an LGBT+ “Two-Spirit” (he/him, they/them) Music Composer in North America that has been actively commissioned, writing music for ensembles and performers across the globe. He has taught as an Adjunct Professor of Western Music Theory, performed as a Guest Artist for numerous ensembles, and spearheaded efforts to expand and innovate the repertoire for Lakota traditional choral music. His works include a wide array of themes stemming from his cultural, environmental, and spiritual influences; namely his Hispanic, European, and Indigenous heritages. He is currently a freelance composer living in the United States of America.
Dr. Blackhorse began composing on his own at the age of 12, subsequently attending Baylor University in 2007 to study Aerospace Science. In 2014 he was accepted into the graduate program for composition at Texas Tech University, completing his Master’s degree in 2016 and his Doctor of Musical Arts degree (DMA) in 2019 concluding with his capstone musical drama:
The Raven, performed jointly by Moonlight Musicals Co. and TTU Opera (video)
Dissertation Paper (pdf)
is an American Indian Pipe-carrier in the traditional spirituality of the Lakȟóta Sioux of South Dakota, United States of America. He has a Doctorate degree in Musical Arts from Texas Tech University and actively advocates for the LGBT+ community he is a part of.
As a Lakȟóta Pipe-carrier, he has spent years participating in ceremony and spiritual education with a desire to provide factual and honest information to the public. In 2021, the Medicinal Opportunities of the Sioux American Indian Culture initiative, or M.O.S.A.I.C., was launched as a platform that consolidates the research and knowledge of traditional spirituality. Dr. Blackhorse learned from prominent chiefs and medicine men, wičháša-wákȟaŋ, like Albert White Hat Sr., Sičháŋǧu Lakȟóta, among other spiritual leaders.
“Everything in Lakȟóta Spirituality is based in reality.”
-A. White Hat Sr.
『艺术赋予生命意义, 这就是我们不断追寻它的原因』