![Andrew Norman at 2014 Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e2/Andrew_Norman_at_2014_Cabrillo_Festival_of_Contemporary_Music.jpg)
Andrew Norman (born October 31, 1979) is an American composer of
contemporary classical music whose texturally complex music is influenced by architecture and the visual arts. His
string trio
A string trio is a group of three string instruments or a piece written for such a group. From at least the 19th century on, the term "string trio" with otherwise unspecified instrumentation normally refers to the combination violin, viola and cell ...
''
The Companion Guide to Rome'' (2010), was a runner-up for the 2012
Pulitzer Prize for Music
The Pulitzer Prize for Music is one of seven Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually in Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first given in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year, and this was eventually converted ...
. While
composer-in-residence
Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...
for the
Boston Modern Orchestra Project
The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) is a professional orchestra in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
Founded in 1996 by artistic director Gil Rose, its mission is to explore the connections between contemporary music and contemporary s ...
, he first gained international attention for the orchestral work ''
Play
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* P ...
'' (2013), which was nominated for the 2016
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition
The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to composers for quality works of contemporary classical ...
and won the 2017
Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition
The Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition () is an annual prize instituted by Henry Charles Grawemeyer, industrialist and entrepreneur, at the University of Louisville in 1984. The award was first given in 1985. Subsequently, the Grawemeyer Awar ...
. He received another Grammy nomination for the orchestral work ''
Sustain
In sound and music, an envelope describes how a sound changes over time. It may relate to elements such as amplitude (volume), frequencies (with the use of filters) or pitch. For example, a piano key, when struck and held, creates a near-immedi ...
'' (2018), a commission from the
Los Angeles Philharmonic. Other noted works include the fantasy for piano and orchestra ''
Split
Split(s) or The Split may refer to:
Places
* Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia
* Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay
* Split Island, Falkland Islands
* Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua
Arts, entertai ...
'' (2015) and the opera ''A Trip to the Moon'' (2017). Since 2020, Norman has been on the composition faculty of the
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...
.
Biography
Norman studied composition at the
University of Southern California
, mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it"
, religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist
, established =
, accreditation = WSCUC
, type = Private research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $8.1 ...
and
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
.
Much of his music is influenced by architecture and visual arts,
in which he has had a lifelong interest.
He was
composer-in-residence
Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with space a ...
for the
Boston Modern Orchestra Project
The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) is a professional orchestra in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
Founded in 1996 by artistic director Gil Rose, its mission is to explore the connections between contemporary music and contemporary s ...
from 2011 to 2013. Among his most notable works are the 2010
string trio
A string trio is a group of three string instruments or a piece written for such a group. From at least the 19th century on, the term "string trio" with otherwise unspecified instrumentation normally refers to the combination violin, viola and cell ...
''
The Companion Guide to Rome'',
the 2013
symphony ''
Play
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* P ...
'', the 2015 fantasy for piano and orchestra ''
Split
Split(s) or The Split may refer to:
Places
* Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia
* Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay
* Split Island, Falkland Islands
* Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua
Arts, entertai ...
,''
the 2017 opera ''A Trip to the Moon,'' and the 2018 orchestral work
''Sustain''.
His composition ''The Companion Guide to Rome'' (inspired by the guidebook of the same name written by
Georgina Masson) was a runner-up for the 2012
Pulitzer Prize for Music
The Pulitzer Prize for Music is one of seven Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually in Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first given in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year, and this was eventually converted ...
.
A recording of ''Play'' by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project was named one of the best classical music recordings of 2015 by David Allen of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' and nominated for the 2016
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
for
Best Classical Contemporary Composition.
Norman won the 2017
Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition
The Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition () is an annual prize instituted by Henry Charles Grawemeyer, industrialist and entrepreneur, at the University of Louisville in 1984. The award was first given in 1985. Subsequently, the Grawemeyer Awar ...
for ''
Play
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* P ...
'', which the music writer Will Robin called "the best orchestral work that the 21st century has seen thus far". In reference to the prize, Norman said in an interview with
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
:
In 2018, the
Los Angeles Philharmonic commissioned Norman to write
''Sustain'' for the beginning of their centennial season. Norman was a finalist for the 2019
Pulitzer Prize for Music
The Pulitzer Prize for Music is one of seven Pulitzer Prizes awarded annually in Letters, Drama, and Music. It was first given in 1943. Joseph Pulitzer arranged for a music scholarship to be awarded each year, and this was eventually converted ...
for the work. In 2020, it won him a nomination for the
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition
The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Classical Composition is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to composers for quality works of contemporary classical ...
, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic won the
Grammy Award for Best Orchestral Performance
The Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by m ...
for their 2019 recording of the piece. He was a
MacDowell Fellow in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, and 2014.
Norman is currently on the composition faculty of the
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School ( ) is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Established in 1905, the school trains about 850 undergraduate and graduate students in dance, drama, and music. It is widely regarded as one of the most elit ...
, and is serving as
Carnegie Hall's Debs Composer's Chair for the 2020–2021 season. He was previously an Assistant Professor of Composition at the
USC Thornton School of Music
The USC Thornton School of Music is a private music school in Los Angeles, California. Founded in 1884 only four years after the University of Southern California, the Thornton School is the oldest continually operating arts institution in Los An ...
.
Andrew Norman is program director of the Nancy and Barry Sanders Youth Composer program at the
Los Angeles Philharmonic, through which he teaches composition for larger ensembles. His works are published by Schott Music.
On October 31, 2020, 31 members of the
Berlin Philharmoniker performed Norman's composition ''Sabina'' (arranged for string orchestra), described as "a sound painting full of iridescent reflections of light", at the
Philharmonie in Berlin. The arrangement was commissioned by the Berlin Philharmoniker Foundation.
List of compositions
Opera
* ''A Trip to the Moon, a Melodrama for Children'' (2017)
Chamber
*''Light Screens'' (2002) for flute and string trio
*''Farnsworth: Four Portraits of a House'' (2004) for four clarinets, flute, violin, piano, and percussion
*''Gran Turismo'' (2004) for violin octet
*''Garden of Follies'' (2006) for alto saxophone and piano
*''
The Companion Guide to Rome'' (2010) for string trio
*''Try'' (2011) for large chamber ensemble
*''Peculiar Strokes'' (2011–2015) for string quartet
*''Music in Circles'' (2012) for flute, clarinet, trumpet, violin, viola, and cello
*''Mime Mime Mime'' (2015) for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion
*''Frank's House'' (2015) for two pianos and two percussion
Orchestral
*''Sacred Geometry'' (2003)
*''Drip Blip Sparkle Spin Glint Glide Glow Float Flop Chop Pop Shatter Splash'' (2005)
*''Unstuck'' (2008)
*''The Great Swiftness'' (2010) for chamber orchestra
*''Apart'' (2011)
*''
Play
Play most commonly refers to:
* Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment
* Play (theatre), a work of drama
Play may refer also to:
Computers and technology
* Google Play, a digital content service
* Play Framework, a Java framework
* P ...
'' (2013, rev. 2016)
*''Suspend'' (2014) for solo piano and orchestra
*''
Split
Split(s) or The Split may refer to:
Places
* Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia
* Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay
* Split Island, Falkland Islands
* Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua
Arts, entertai ...
'' (2015) for solo piano and orchestra
*''Switch'' (2015) for solo percussion and orchestra
*
''Spiral'' (2018)
*
''Sustain'' (2018)
Solo
*''Sabina'' (2008–09) for violin, viola, or cello
*''For Ashley'' (2016) for solo cello
Vocal
*''Lullaby'' (2007) for mezzo-soprano and piano
*''Don't Even Listen'' (2010)
References
External links
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Norman, Andrew
1979 births
21st-century American composers
21st-century American male musicians
21st-century classical composers
21st-century LGBT people
American classical composers
American contemporary classical composers
American male classical composers
LGBT classical composers
American LGBT musicians
Living people
USC Thornton School of Music alumni
Yale School of Music alumni