John White, born in Rochester, Minnesota in 1931, was educated at the University of Minnesota (BA, Magna cum Laude). He also holds the Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Eastman School of Music of the University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, where he studied composition with Howard Hanson and Bernard Rogers. White also studied with Nadia Boulanger and Ross Lee Finney.
For many years White taught composition, theory and violoncello at the University of Florida where he is Professor of Music Emeritus. In early and mid-career he was Professor of Music at Kent State University in Ohio and Whitman College in Washington. He has served as Visiting Professor at the University of Innsbruck, Austria. White was a Fulbright-University of Vienna Distinguished Chair in Humanities (2003-04).
White now lives in Westminster, Colorado. His music is frequently performed at meetings of the Society of Composers, Inc. and over the years by the Cleveland Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, Atlanta Symphony, Eastman Wind Ensemble, Oklahoma City Symphony, Akron Symphony, Madison Symphony, and numerous university and community ensembles. White's music is widely published. Recent publications include Palindromes for Native American Flute (J.P. Publications), Time and the Water for Horn and Piano (R.M. Williams Publishing) and Concerto for Flute and Wind Ensemble (Ludwig Music Publishers). White's recorded music appears on the Zalo/Provincia, Opus One, Advent, Mark and Capstone labels. A prolific composer for the human voice, his choral works are published by G. Schirmer, Lawson-Gould and others.
Recent works by White include The Canonical Hours, Eight Anthems for the Divine Offices (premiered in a series of concerts by the distinguished Saint Martin's Chamber Choir of Denver), Olympiad for chorus, brass, and percussion (premiered in Dearborn, Michigan by Vanguard Voices, and a prize winner in the Vanguard Voices International Composition Contest of 2004). His most recent work is Music for Victims of our Earth, a 30-minute a capella setting of the ordinary of the Mass to remember the victims of the Tsunami of 2004-2005.