After early study in piano and theory, exposure to the music of Franck motivated Sowerby to study the organ. Early recognition as a composer came when The Chicago SO played his Violin Concerto in 1913. He served as a bandmaster in the Army in WWI and in 1921 won the American Prix de Rome, allowing him to spend three years studying in Italy. Upon his return he took a teaching position at the American Conservatory and also served as organist and choirmaster at the Episcopal Cathedral of St James. His composition Canticle of the Sun brought him the Pulitzer Prize in 1946 and he was the founder and director of the College of Church Musicians at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. In addition to the sacred music he composed for his church, Sowerby wrote in all genres except opera and included the Western traditions of jazz, blues and folk music among his sources. ~ Lynn Vought, Rovi