Jared Scheetz is a composer of contemporary music. His work spans the worlds of classical, folk, musical theatre, and film and game music. Though stylistically diverse, he holds the belief that the best music has an infectious melody that tells a story on its own. He advocates for the importance of a well-crafted melody in all music, whether composing for the concert stage, film & television, or a stock incidental music library.
Jared’s most current project is a full-length musical on the lives of famed pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who dressed as men in the early 1700s in order to carry on a pirating lifestyle. This musical explores themes of gender identity, making your mark on the world, and the struggles of working within and around the predefined rules and limitations of society that we are born into.
His work for string quartet, Fleeing Forward, was performed in 2019 by the Dali Quartet. Drawing heavily on Eastern musical traditions, Jared aimed to combine this distinctly cultural sound with a contemporary sound steeped heavily in Neo-Romanticism. Written in a fast 7/8, the work is rhythmically aggressive, juxtaposed with a flowing, lyrical melody. The bridge of the piece, long enough to stand as a full work in its own right, evokes the intense emotion of the late Romantic era that it draws from.
A few other notable works include: Groves of Sweet Myrtle, a Celtic and Bluegrass influenced setting of the lyrics to a Robert Burns poem; Passion and Persistence, a three-part work for solo cello that chronicles the struggles he faced while working two jobs, finishing his Master’s degree, and maintaining his family life; Light, written to highlight the extreme emotions that he and his wife felt prior to and immediately following the birth of their daughter; and This World is Not Conclusion, a ballad setting of an Emily Dickinson poem for voice and piano.
An experienced teacher, Jared serves as director of music at The Grayson School, Pennsylvania’s only Pre-K through grade 12 independent school designed specifically to meet the needs of gifted children. In this capacity, he has researched and presented on topics relating to the challenges of teaching music to gifted learners at the World Council for Gifted and Talented Learners World Conference in Nashville, TN. His self-designed curriculum intentionally focuses on teaching meaningful music composition at all ages, whether he’s working with 3-year-old pre-kindergarten students or 18-year-old high school seniors on a music school track.
As a performer, Jared has performed most notably as a part of the folk duo Salient Roots, along with his wife Lindsay. Known for their powerful, yet ethereal and enigmatic vocal harmonies, the duo has been known to incite chills and leave the hair on the back of the neck on end. Jared has also performed in multiple rock bands and as guitarist and soloist in the West Chester Guitar Ensemble, a group that performs classical guitar music from the Renaissance to the present day. A member of the local greater Philadelphia music scene, Jared has volunteered with the Philadelphia Folk Festival, the “Good Times Get Down” Music Festival, and others.
Jared holds a Masters of Music in Music Theory and Composition, which he earned with summa cum laude honors from West Chester University’s Wells School of Music. He also holds an undergraduate degree in Music Education with a Classical Guitar and Double Bass concentration from West Chester University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts.
When not composing or teaching, Jared spends his free time escaping to the woods or the mountains for hiking and camping or engaged in woodworking projects at his home in Perkiomenville, Pennsylvania.