Dr. Hickman was born in Pasadena and later went to Troy High School in Fullerton. He received his BA degree from UC Irvine and a Ph.D. in Music Literature from U.C. Berkeley. He has taught in the music departments at the University of Hawaii and U.C. Irvine, and is currently a full professor in music at the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music at C.S.U. Long Beach. During his career, he has been active as a performer, music educator, and writer.
Dr. Hickman currently serves as the music director for the Long Beach Ballet and the Four Seasons Symphony. He has also conducted local professional orchestras, including the Irvine Symphony and the Hollywood Symphony. Dr. Hickman has also been invited to perform as guest conductor with the San Diego Symphony, the Indianapolis Symphony, and an international ensemble for a performance of Carl Orff’s Carmina burana at the Sydney Opera House.
In 1994, Dr. Hickman established one of the premiere youth symphonies in Southern California, La Primavera. The group won a gold medal in an international music competition held at the Sydney Opera House in 1996 and has performed all over the world. Based on his work with young musicians, the Los Angeles Times named him “Arts Volunteer of the Year” in 1998, and the Orange County Board of Education honored him for “Outstanding Contributions to Education” in 2008.
Dr. Hickman has written two books: Reel Music: Exploring 100 Years of Film Music, which was published in 2006, and Miklós Rózsa’s Ben-Hur, which will appear in 2011. He has also authored four articles in the prestigious New Grove Dictionary of Music, completed an article on Stephen Sondheim’s music for film, published several editions of symphonies and string quartets, and contributed to two prominent college music textbooks, The History of Western Music and The Enjoyment of Music.
