Role

:

Composer Conductor  

Birth

:

1957

Genre

:

Concerto

 

 

Opera

 

Andy Teirstein is a renowned American composer, musician, and educator who has made significant contributions to the world of classical music. Born on August 6, 1955, in New York City, Teirstein grew up in a family of musicians. His father was a jazz pianist, and his mother was a classical pianist. Teirstein started playing the piano at a young age and later learned to play the guitar and the violin. Teirstein attended the High School of Music and Art in New York City, where he studied composition with Jack Gottlieb. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Music degree from the Manhattan School of Music and a Master of Music degree from the Yale School of Music. While at Yale, Teirstein studied composition with Jacob Druckman and Martin Bresnick. Teirstein's early works were heavily influenced by his Jewish heritage and his interest in world music. His first major composition, "Kaddish," was written in 1979 and is a setting of the Jewish prayer for the dead. The piece features a solo violin and a choir and has been performed by numerous ensembles around the world. In the 1980s, Teirstein began to incorporate elements of American folk music into his compositions. His "American Dance Suite" for violin and piano, written in 1985, is a collection of traditional American folk tunes arranged in a classical style. The piece has been performed by many prominent violinists, including Joshua Bell and Itzhak Perlman. Teirstein's interest in world music led him to study the music of India, Africa, and the Middle East. He has incorporated elements of these musical traditions into many of his compositions, including his "Concerto for World Music Ensemble and Orchestra," which was premiered by the Brooklyn Philharmonic in 1997. The piece features a diverse ensemble of musicians playing instruments from around the world, including the tabla, the kora, and the oud. Teirstein has also written extensively for the theater. He has composed music for numerous plays and musicals, including "The Merchant of Venice" and "The Tempest" for the New York Shakespeare Festival. He has also collaborated with choreographer Martha Clarke on several productions, including "Vienna: Lusthaus" and "Garden of Earthly Delights." In addition to his work as a composer, Teirstein is also an accomplished performer. He has played the violin and guitar in many of his own compositions and has performed with numerous ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic and the Brooklyn Philharmonic. Teirstein has received many awards and honors for his work as a composer. He was a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship in 1995 and has received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York State Council on the Arts. He has also been a resident composer at numerous institutions, including the MacDowell Colony and the Yaddo Artist Colony. Teirstein is currently a professor of music at New York University, where he teaches composition and world music. He continues to compose and perform, and his works are regularly performed by ensembles around the world.

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