Billy Childs

BILLY CHILDS

Billy Childs was born in Los Angeles on March 8th, 1957. In 1975, he entered USC as a composition major, graduating in 1979 with a BM in composition under the tutelage of Robert Linn.

16 Grammy nominations and 5 Grammy awards.

2006 CMA New Jazz Works grant

2009  Guggenheim Fellowship

2013 Doris Duke Performing Artist Award

2015 Composers award American Academy of Arts and Letters

2018 Outstanding Alumnus USC Thornton School of Music – other notable recipients: Morton Lauridsen, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Marilyn Horne).  

2019 CMA Classical Commissioning Grant for Dorian Wind Quintet

Childs has also served as president of Chamber Music America (2016-2022).