Andy Vores
Encyclopedia
Andy Vores is a Welsh
classical music
and opera
composer
. He has lived in the United States
since 1986 and is based in Boston, Massachusetts.
in Lancaster, England. He initially focused on playing drums and keyboards in local rock bands, but his studies under the tutelage of composer Edward Cowie
switched his focus to writing classical music. He received first prize in the Kucyna International Composition Competition at Boston University
in 1985, and the following year he returned to Massachusetts as a Fellow in Composition at Tanglewood
. 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.
in Bemidji, Minnesota
. 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
. In 2002, he was named Composer-in-Residence to the New England Philharmonic.
play Freshwater, at Boston University
. 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
adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre
’s No Exit
, at the Boston Conservatory's Zack Box Theatre.
Celebrity Series and was performed for the CD by the Boston Trio.
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
and opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. He has lived in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
since 1986 and is based in Boston, Massachusetts.
Education
Vores studied composition at Lancaster UniversityLancaster University
Lancaster University, officially The University of Lancaster, is a leading research-intensive British university in Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established by Royal Charter in 1964 and initially based in St Leonard's Gate until moving to a purpose-built 300 acre campus at...
in Lancaster, England. He initially focused on playing drums and keyboards in local rock bands, but his studies under the tutelage of composer Edward Cowie
Edward Cowie
Edward Cowie is an English composer, author, Natural Scientist, and painter-Biography:Cowie was born in Birmingham, England in 1943 and spent most of his early life in the rural countryside...
switched his focus to writing classical music. He received first prize in the Kucyna International Composition Competition at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
in 1985, and the following year he returned to Massachusetts as a Fellow in Composition at Tanglewood
Tanglewood
Tanglewood is an estate and music venue in Lenox and Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is the home of the annual summer Tanglewood Music Festival and the Tanglewood Jazz Festival, and has been the Boston Symphony Orchestra's summer home since 1937. It was the venue of the Berkshire Festival.- History...
. 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 UniversityBemidji State University
Bemidji State University is a public state university in Bemidji, Minnesota, USA, located on the shores of Lake Bemidji. It is a part of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities .-History:BSU was founded in 1919 as Bemidji State Normal School...
in Bemidji, Minnesota
Bemidji, Minnesota
Bemidji is a city in Beltrami County, Minnesota, United States. Its population was at 13,431 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Beltrami County. Bemidji is the most major city in North Central Minnesota and the largest commercial center between Grand Forks, North Dakota and Duluth,...
. 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
The Boston Conservatory is a performing arts conservatory located in the Fenway-Kenmore region of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in music, dance and musical theater...
. In 2002, he was named Composer-in-Residence to the New England Philharmonic.
Operas
On December 2, 1994, Vores presented his first opera, an adaptation of the Virginia WoolfVirginia Woolf
Adeline Virginia Woolf was an English author, essayist, publisher, and writer of short stories, regarded as one of the foremost modernist literary figures of the twentieth century....
play Freshwater, at Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
. 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
Chamber opera is a designation for operas written to be performed with a chamber ensemble rather than a full orchestra.The term and form were invented by Benjamin Britten in the 1940s, when the English Opera Group needed works that could easily be taken on tour and performed in a variety of small...
adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
’s No Exit
No Exit
No Exit is a 1944 existentialist French play by Jean-Paul Sartre. The original French title is Huis Clos, the French equivalent of the legal term in camera, referring to a private discussion behind closed doors; English translations have also been performed under the titles In Camera, No Way Out...
, 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 AmericaBank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
Celebrity Series and was performed for the CD by the Boston Trio.