Andy Vores (born 1956) is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

and

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

. He has lived in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

since 1986 and is based in Boston, Massachusetts.

Education

Vores studied composition at

Lancaster University Lancaster University (legally The University of Lancaster) is a public university, public research university in Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established in 1964 by royal charter, as one of several pla ...

Lancaster, England Lancaster (, ) is a city and the county town of Lancashire, England, standing on the River Lune. Its population of 52,234 compares with one of 138,375 in the wider City of Lancaster local government district. The House of Lancaster was a bran ...

. He initially focused on playing drums and keyboards in local rock bands, but his studies under the tutelage of composer

Edward Cowie Edward Cowie (born 17 August 1943) is an English composer, author, natural scientist, and painter. Life Edward Cowie was born in Birmingham, England, in 1943 and spent most of his early life in the rural countryside. This first-hand experience ...

switched his focus to writing classical music. He received first prize in the Kucyna International Composition Competition 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 campu ...

in 1985, and the following year he returned to Massachusetts as a Fellow in Composition at

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 T ...

. His work ''Hammer and Darkness, Mirror and Knife'', written in the summer of 1986, won the Tanglewood Prize for Composition. Also in 1986, he met pianist Patricia Thom, whom he later married, and decided to take up residence in the U.S.

Appointments

In 1992, Vores became Composer-in-Residence at

Bemidji State University Bemidji State University (BSU) is a public university in Bemidji, Minnesota. Founded as a preparatory institution for teachers in 1919, it provides higher education to north-central Minnesota. It is part of the Minnesota State Colleges and Univ ...

Bemidji, Minnesota Bemidji ( ) is a city and the county seat of Beltrami County, in northern Minnesota, United States. The population was 14,574 at the 2020 census. According to 2021 census estimates, the city is estimated to have a population of 15,279, making it ...

. In this one-year position, he was first person to receive the Interdisciplinary Fellowship established by the American Composers Forum and the Minnesota State University System. In 1999, Vores was named Composer-in-Residence to the FleetBoston Celebrity Series: Emerging Artists in Boston. In 2001, he became Chairman of Composition and Theory at The

Boston Conservatory Boston Conservatory at Berklee (formerly The Boston Conservatory) is a private performing arts conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in dance, music, and theater. Boston Conservatory was founded ...

. In 2002, he was named Composer-in-Residence to the

New England Philharmonic The New England Philharmonic is a volunteer orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1976. The current music director is Tianhui Ng. History The New England Philharmonic, a volunteer orchestra, was founded in 1976, by Michel Perrault, ...

Operas

On December 2, 1994, Vores presented his first opera, an adaptation of the

Virginia Woolf Adeline Virginia Woolf (; ; 25 January 1882 28 March 1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist 20th-century authors and a pioneer in the use of stream of consciousness as a narrative device. Woolf was born i ...

play ''Freshwater'', at

. Vores first came across the Woolf text while browsing the shelves of the Boston University bookstore. Vores received assistance in the opera’s creation from Woolf's nephew and executor, Quentin Bell, who provided Vores with a rarely seen earlier version of the text that served as the inspiration for several passages of his libretto. On April 24, 2008, Vores presented his latest opera, a one-act

chamber opera Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra. Early 20th-century operas of this type include Paul Hindemith's ''Cardillac'' (1926). Earlier small-scale operas such as Pergoles ...

adaptation of

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and litera ...

’s ''

No Exit ''No Exit'' (french: Huis clos, links=no, ) is a 1944 existentialist French play by Jean-Paul Sartre. The play was first performed at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier in May 1944. The play begins with three characters who find themselves waiting ...

'', at the Boston Conservatory's Zack Box Theatre.

Classical compositions

Vores' classical compositions include ''Wonder Wheel'', ''Umberhulk'' and ''Dark Mother''. His first CD, ''Urban Affair'', a classical work consisting of nine movements, was released on the Vera label in 2005. ''Urban Affair'' was commissioned as part of the

Bank of America The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank w ...

Celebrity Series and was performed for the CD by the Boston Trio.

References

External links

Official web site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vores, Andy 1956 births 20th-century British composers 20th-century British male musicians 20th-century classical composers 21st-century British composers 21st-century British male musicians 21st-century classical composers Alumni of Lancaster University Living people Male opera composers Welsh classical composers Welsh male classical composers Welsh opera composers