Kenneth Amis (born 1970) is a Bermudian

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th&n ...

player best known for his association with the

Empire Brass Empire Brass is a brass quintet from the United States. The group was founded in 1971. The original members met at Tanglewood Music Center (in Lenox, Massachusetts) in 1970. Description and history The quintet chose its name after performing in ...

. He is also the assistant conductor of the

MIT Wind Ensemble The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of t ...

, a group he has been involved with since its creation in 1999. In addition, as of 2005, Amis is an Affiliated Artist of MIT. He was born and raised in

Bermuda ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song_type = National song , song = "Hail to Bermuda" , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , mapsize2 = , map_caption2 = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = , ...

. He began studying at

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original c ...

at age 16. After that, he earned a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

from the

New England Conservatory of Music The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The conservatory is located on ...

. Amis held the International Brass Chair at the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is the oldest conservatoire in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the first Duke ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. He teaches at Lynn University. Amis is the first known person to transcribe

Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the ''Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...

's Art of Fugue for

wind ensemble A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion famil ...

(all of the fugues and canons). He currently resides in Norwood, Massachusetts.

Performances

At many Empire Brass concerts, Amis performs the piano solo from the third movement of

Mozart Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period. Despite his short life, his rapid pace of composition r ...

's Sonata in A on his tuba. In addition to his work with the Empire Brass, Amis has performed on tuba for: *

English Chamber Orchestra The English Chamber Orchestra (ECO) is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and their ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall. The orchestra regularly tours in the UK and internation ...

Tanglewood Tanglewood is a music venue in the towns of Lenox and Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. It has been the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1937. Tanglewood is also home to three music schools: the ...

Festival Orchestra * New World Symphony Orchestra *

Palm Beach Opera Palm Beach Opera, a professional opera company in West Palm Beach, Florida performs at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts as well as other locations throughout South Florida, was founded in 1961 as "Civic Opera of the Palm Beaches." Over it ...

Orchestra

Compositions and commissions

His first published work was ''A Suite for Bass Tuba'', composed when he was fifteen years old. He has been commissioned to write music for many groups including: *

Belmont Belmont may refer to: People * Belmont (surname) Places * Belmont Abbey (disambiguation) * Belmont Historic District (disambiguation) * Belmont Hotel (disambiguation) * Belmont Park (disambiguation) * Belmont Plantation (disambiguation) * Belmon ...

High School Band *The Massachusetts Instrumental Conductors Association *New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble *

University of Scranton The University of Scranton is a Private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in Scranton, Pennsylvania. It was founded in 1888 by William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. In 1938, the college was ele ...

*College Band Directors National Association *Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra of Boston *Boston Classical Orchestra *MIT Wind Ensemble

Teaching

Amis is on the faculty at the Longy School of Music, the Boston Conservatory,

, Lynn University, and MIT.

References

External links

Kenneth AmisAmis Musical Circle
1970 births Living people Bermudian musicians African-American classical composers American classical composers African-American male classical composers American male conductors (music) African-American conductors (music) American classical tubists Boston University alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty Academics of the Royal Academy of Music People from Norwood, Massachusetts American male classical composers 21st-century American conductors (music) 21st-century tubists 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people {{US-composer-20thC-stub