Finding Aid for Michael Cameron Music and Papers, ca. 1938-2019 | The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Title: Michael Cameron Music and Papers, ca. 1938-2019

ID: 12/5/79

Primary Creator: Cameron, Michael Joseph (1959-2022)

Extent: 11.5 cubic feet

Arrangement:

Organized into five series:

Series 1) Educational Materials ca. 1977-2004, arranged by type (syllabi, listening lists, teaching plans, recruitment) and then chronologically;

Series 2) Administrative ca. 1993-2018, arranged by committee and then chronologically;

Series 3) Performances, Research, and Service ca. 1989-2019, arranged by type (programs and fliers, reviews, publications, recording contracts, professional organizations) and then chronologically;

Series 4) Published and Original Music ca. 1938-2014, arranged in five subseries and then alphabetically by composer's surname;

Series 5) Sound Recordings, arranged in two sub-series of Cameron's personal recordings and course listening lists for MUS 437 and MUS 560;

and Series 6) Personal Papers.

Date Acquired: 05/19/2021. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Composers, Compositions-Music, Faculty, Faculty Papers, Music, School of, Music Composition, Music instruction, Music teachers, Orchestra, Stringed Instruments, Symphony Orchestra

Formats/Genres: Experimental Music, Papers, Sheet music, Sound Recordings

Consists of educational materials such as syllabi and listening lists, performance programs and fliers, correspondence, meeting minutes, music and scores, and audio recordings which were used by Michael Cameron during his time as a tenured faculty member and bassist in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's School of Music. Of note are the records of the Ciosoni trio and correspondence to Pauline Oliveros.

Michael Joseph Cameron (1959-2022) was a bassist, educator, composer, and writer. He was born in Utica, New York to parents Raymond and Margaret Cameron. Growing up in Hudson Falls, he began playing the double-bass in high school. He began performing with the Albany Symphony orchestra as a teenager. Cameron graduated in 1981 from Indiana University with a Bachelor's of Music, and from the same institution in 1982 with a Master's of Music. While there, he studied with Murray Grodner, Barry Green, and Stuart Sankey. He began his teaching career at West Texas State University in 1982, before transitioning to Baylor University in 1983.

In 1985, he joined the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's School of Music String Division as professor of double bass. During his time at the University of Illinois, he taught several classes in addition to his bass studio. Cameron also served as the head of the string division on several occassions. In addition to his work as a faculty member, he served as principal bass both of the Sinfonia da Camera and of the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra. Cameron played in the  Ciosoni Trio (Esperanto for "all sounds") alongside clarinetist Paul Martin Zonn and later Eric Mandat, and flutist Tim Lane. The group was known for its unusual instrumentation and the technical expertise of its members, performing interpretations of known works as well as works written for the trio.

In 2000, Cameron began working as a freelance writer with the Chicago Tribune, with whom he wrote over 100 concert and CD reviews. He also published scholarly articles with the American String Teachers Association and Bass World. Cameron was a member of the International Society of Bassists. His performance history includes many world premieres and American premieres for bass, as well as works dedicated to or commissioned by him. His repertoire varied widely, and included works in both classical and modern styles.

In 2008, Cameron began the company BassScores.com, a website devoted to enhancing bass repertoire. Most of the scores available on the site were arranged or edited by Cameron. Cameron was featured on or appeared in multiple published recordings, including "Progression," "Sound Bites," "Canto: Music for Double Bass by Thomas Frederickson," "Teresa LeVelle: The Shadowlands," "Uncommon Voices," and "Exhortations: Virtuoso Solo Instrumental and Chamber Music." Cameron died in Urbana on July 13, 2022. Following his death, Dr. Marcos Machado, Cameron's first DMA student, initiated the Michael Cameron Double Bass Competition on the Gult Coast.

Composers
Compositions-Music
Faculty
Faculty Papers
Music, School of
Music Composition
Music instruction
Music teachers
Orchestra
Stringed Instruments
Symphony Orchestra

Repository: The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

Accruals: An addition of music was provided by Renata Soares Caceres on November 14, 2022.

Access Restrictions: None.

Acquisition Source: Theresa Cameron, sister, for Michael Cameron

Acquisition Method: Gift