Career
Originally from Deer Lodge, Montana, he currently resides in Bozeman, Montana, where he teaches music courses at Montana State University. Mr. Funk"s considerable compositional output includes five symphonies, three operas, six ballet scores, three large works for chorus and orchestra, thirteen concertos, several orchestral tone poems, and numerous works for chamber ensembles, solo instruments, and vocal works. Newly completed works include the massive Mandelshtam: A Valediction to the 20th Century, a work in 5 movements for large chorus, two orchestras, and amplified string quartet, based on poems by the Russian poet Osip Mandelshtam.
The latter was commissioned by the Gallatin Performing Arts Center for their upcoming grand opening.
Numerous compositions of Mr. Funk have been recorded commercially.
These include three releases on the MMC label, featuring three of his symphonies (Nos 1, 3, and 4), as well as two concertos and a string quartet. His Symphony Number. 5, "Dante Ascending" was recently released on the composer"s own label, and recorded by the Latvian National Symphony Orchestra and Opera Chorus, conducted by Terje Mikkelsen.
Mr. Funk was featured on the Charles Osgood Columbia Broadcasting System Sunday Morning show in October of 1998, which in turn followed on the heels of a front page story in the New York Times "Arts & Leisure" section (April 14, 1998).
More recently, Mr. Funk was featured on the nationally syndicated National Public Radio radio show, "Theme & Variations" (August 23-30, 2002). From 1994-2002, Eric was conductor of the Helena Symphony Orchestra in Helena, Montana.
From 1994-1999, he was also the conductor of the Gallatin Chamber Orchestra in Bozeman, Montana.