“Rector's Renaissance approach came naturally . . .
He treated college as a primer . . . laying the foundation
for the work that was to come. [Rector maintains]
a brisk pace by keeping his mind continuously crafting.”

Mike Morris, Houston Chronicle

“His work is organic. It breathes . . .
and that’s the good thing about it.”

Isaac Hayes, Entertainer

LATEST NEWS

Dr. Rector's latest composition The Old New Second Amendment,
for piano, trombone, and percussion, was selected for performance at the
Fifty-Sixth National Conference of The College Music Society
in Cambridge, Massachusetts, October 31, 2013.

Dr. Rector's music video X-Man has been chosen as an Official Selection
of the European Film Festival, November 2012.

Dr. Rector's screenplay Raped has been selected as a finalist
at the Hollywood Black Film Festival, October 2012.

Dr. Rector's music video X-Man has been chosen as an Official Selection
of the New York City Independent Film Festival, October 2012.

Dr. Rector's screenplay Raped has been selected as a semi-finalist
at the Urban Mediamakers Film Festival in Atlanta, October 2012.

Dr. Rector's music video X-Man has been chosen as an Official Selection
of the Toronto Independent Film Festival, September 2012.

Dr. Malcolm W. Rector is a composer, a writer, a director and an independent filmmaker. Having earned a doctoral degree from Rice University, he divides his time between the previous occupations and teaching at the university level.

“A true renaissance man living in a time
when there are no renaissance men.”

Robert Gerber, International Classical Singer

Dr. Rector earned a bachelor’s degree in classical composition at the University of St. Thomas, followed by both master’s and doctoral degrees from Rice University. Among other awards, he was honored by the American Festival of the Arts and the Sonoklect International Concert Series of 20th Century Music. His compositions have been commissioned and actively sought by a member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, the Wilson Symphony Orchestra, the Durham Arts Council, and Rice University’s choral conductor among others. His electroacoustic piece “Two” was included on the internationally distributed CD 60 X 60. It was also performed on the radio in Amherst, MA, in a weekly program that features the finest in contemporary classical and experimental music on WMUA FM 91.1. His piece Music for Clarinet and Piano was performed at the 2008 Society of Composers, Inc. National Conference.

Additional recent performances include the world premiere of his multimedia piece SS St. Louis, which honors the passengers of the SS St. Louis and other holocaust victims, in April 2009’s Composers Concert at the University of St. Thomas. It featured computer music and video and was performed by flautist Dr. Ann Fairbanks. His solo piano piece Blitzkrieg was performed in the same concert by Jasmine Hatem. Blitzkrieg was also included in a lecture-recital entitled The Black Composer: Influence, Inspiration and Identity given by Dr. Marie-Louise Catsalis. It was performed at Brisbane, for the 2007 joint Australian/New Zealand musicological conference Islands, at Notre Dame de Namur University and at Santa Clara University. Other performances include Shabbat Shalom (for choir, piano and horn), performed at last year’s conference of the Society of Composers, Inc., and Life and Silhouette (both for voice and piano), which were performed at the National Association of Negro Musicians conference, where Dr. Rector participated in a panel discussion of African-American art songs.

A full concert of Dr. Rector’s works entitled The Music of Malcolm Rector was presented by University of St. Thomas in Houston, TX, where Dr. Rector’s string quartet S.q 2 (S dot q 2) was performed by the Enso String Quartet and two of his jazz pieces, Legend and Dancing Dare, were performed by the Tom Borling Quartet. Excerpts of two short films Dr. Rector wrote, directed, produced and scored, The Contest and The Stairwell, were also shown.

Dr. Rector also has a strong background in jazz composition and has been performing (solo piano, small ensemble and big band) at public and private functions ever since he was a teenager. While a student, he studied jazz privately with Tom Borling and Ronnie Matthews. He was one of the featured entertainers at the Houston International Festival, where he performed both standards and originals.

“Regardless of how good you are as a composer
or as a songwriter, you still have to understand [the]
orchestra to do music, whether it’s [a] black film
[or a] white film. This writer clearly does.”

Ken Sutherland, Music Composer

His film scoring has drawn praise from such notable figures as Isaac Hayes, Ken Sutherland and international concert singer Robert Gerber. In 2001, Dr. Rector won the film scoring competition at the Acapulco Black Film Festival. He has scored a number of short films, feature films, television pilots and movie trailers, including:

A Haunting at Giger State University
feature film

Fallen Diva
short film

Wounded Heart
feature film

Angels and Imams
Pilot funded by ABC

The Stairwell
short film

Darryl’s Theme
short film

The Contest
short film

Dr. Rector was the music editor for:

Dreams in the Attic
a feature film, starring Shelley Duvall

Dr. Rector was both an assistant composer and music editor for:

Alamo Gold
feature film

As an undergraduate, Dr. Rector studied screenwriting and playwriting extensively. He is a prolific writer and has since written over a dozen screenplays that range in genre from comedy and romantic comedy to horror and drama. His most recent screenplay, Raped, has been chosen as a semi-finalist in:

and

Dr. Rector's full-length novel The Suirlang Chronicles: Lee was a finalist in

This novel is also available as a screenplay.

Dr. Rector and M. J. Solomon Productions have just wrapped post-production on A Haunting at Giger State University, a horror feature film. Boasting a compact, talented cast, the film revolves around two music students who agree to work late in a university’s music library after the campus closes for the summer, a typically mundane task. The events that follow, however, will push the students to the brink of insanity and leave them fighting for their lives.

To learn more, please view the film's Press Kit.

Dr. Rector has also written, directed and produced three short films. He also scored the films and their trailers.

The Stairwell is a surreal drama in which a man faces the darkness that has guided him throughout his life. Chosen for one of only sixteen highly coveted slots, it was shown at the 2002 Jamerican International Film & Music Festival -- one of the top ten international film festivals in the world, according to E! Entertainment. There it won the Final Draft Screenwriters Award for best short script.

The Contest is a romantic comedy in which a young composer chosen as a finalist in an international composition competition falls in love with the one woman who can cost him the contest. This short film was also chosen for one of the sixteen coveted slots at the 2002 Jamerican International Film & Music Festival. It is based on a full-length script that reached the finals in the Sundance Feature Film Program. Dr. Rector composed all of the modern classical music showcased in the competition scenes. A talented and accomplished pianist, Dr. Rector performed one piece himself along with Robert Gerber: a piece for voice and piano.

Fallen Diva is a surreal drama that tells the story of a much lauded diva who abandons her family for her singing career as drugs lead her down a dark, destructive path. It was filmed in 2007-2008 and is currently making the film festival circuit.

Dr. Rector has also combined his love of music with his love of filmmaking by producing, directing, editing and composing and arranging the music for three music videos.

His latest music video X-Man revolves around an American soldier stationed in Iraq and is currently making the film festival circuit. Thus far it has been selected as an Official Selection of the Toronto Independent Film Festival, an Official Selection of the New York City Independent Film Festival, Official Selection of the Cannes Independent Film Festival, an Official Selection of the London Independent Film Festival, an Official Selection of the Hollywood Black Film Festival, an Official Selection of the San Diego Black Film Festival and an Official Finalist in the Canada International Film Festival. It also won the Silver Remi Award for Creative Excellence at Worldfest - Houston International Film Festival.

That’s Life, which focuses upon the apathy that afflicts society, was chosen as an Official Selection of the Toronto Online Film Festival.

Wack Attack (Crack Attack) reveals the duality of a crack addict’s existence and is currently making the film festival circuit as well.

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