The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), the nation's premier orchestra dedicated exclusively to commissioning, performing, and recording new orchestral music, proudly welcomes its 2011-13 Music Alive Composer-in-Residence Andrew Norman. BMOP was one of five orchestras nationwide selected for an extended Music Alive residency, a program of Meet the Composer and the American Symphony Orchestra League.
"I am thrilled to be working with BMOP for the next two seasons," exclaims Andrew. "At a time when so many orchestras are falling back on conservative programming and tired creative models, BMOP remains a rare and forceful advocate for the orchestral music of our time. I'm also looking forward to getting to know Boston as a city and to become part of its rich musical life which, until now, I have only seen from a distance."
A composer of chamber and orchestral music and a committed educator, Andrew is known for his wit, clarity and vigor, as evident in his music. During the two-year residency, BMOP will be commissioning a large symphonic work by Andrew scheduled to premiere in 2013. "I love the fact that BMOP has built an audience of loyal and adventurous patrons who are, like the orchestra itself, willing to take risks, and this is why I am particularly excited about writing for this orchestra and this audience; I know they will follow me wherever I choose to take them."
In addition, BMOP will record some of Andrew's pieces for a prospective BMOP/sound album. Building on his past successful residences, Andrew will engage the Boston community by steering BMOP's educational outreach programs, Club Concerts series, and composer collective, The Score Board.
About Andrew Norman
Andrew Norman (b. 1979) is a composer of chamber and orchestral music. A lifelong enthusiast for all things architectural, Andrew writes music that usually features some combination of bright colors, propulsive energy, a healthy dose of lyricism, and the fragmentation of musical ideas. His symphonic works have been described as "wonderfully variegated" (New York Times). The Boston Globe cited Andrew as a composer who is "willing to mix things up." His works have been commissioned and premiered by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Minnesota Orchestra, Tonhalle Orchester Zurich, Oakland East Bay Symphony, Grand Rapids Symphony, New York Youth Symphony, Aspen Music Festival, Caramoor Music Festival, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, and the Heidelberg Philharmonic.
Andrew recently finished a two-year term as Composer-in-Residence for Young Concert Artists. He has held educational residencies with orchestras and festivals across the country, including a two-year relationship with the schools in Colorado's Roaring Fork Valley. Andrew taught piano and composition at Pasadena Conservatory and has given master classes at the Hoff-Barthelson Music School and the Des Moines Symphony Academy. He is an American Academy of Rome 2006-07 fellow and alumnus of both the University of South California and Yale. www.andrewnormanmusic.com