Kenneth Amis
Encyclopedia
Kenneth Amis is the tuba
player with the Empire Brass
. He is also the assistant conductor of the MIT Wind Ensemble, 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
. He began studying at Boston University
at age 16. After that, he earned a Masters Degree from the New England Conservatory of Music
. Amis held the International Brass Chair at the Royal Academy of Music
in London
. He teaches at Lynn University
.
Amis is the first known person to transcribe
Bach
's Art of Fugue for wind ensemble (all of the fugues and canons).
He currently resides in Norwood, Massachusetts
.
on his tuba. In addition to his work with the Empire Brass, Amis has performed on tuba for:
, the Boston Conservatory
, Lynn University
, and MIT.
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
player with the Empire Brass
Empire Brass
The Empire Brass is a brass quintet from the United States. Current members include:* Rolf Smedvig, trumpet* Marc Brian Reese, trumpet* Michelle Perry, French horn* Mark Hetzler, trombone* Kenneth Amis, tuba...
. He is also the assistant conductor of the MIT Wind Ensemble, 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
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
. He began studying 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...
at age 16. After that, he earned a Masters Degree from the New England Conservatory of Music
New England Conservatory of Music
The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, is the oldest independent school of music in the United States.The conservatory is home each year to 750 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate studies along with 1400 more in its Preparatory School as well as the School of...
. Amis held the International Brass Chair at the Royal Academy of Music
Royal Academy of Music
The Royal Academy of Music in London, England, is a conservatoire, Britain's oldest degree-granting music school and a constituent college of the University of London since 1999. The Academy was founded by Lord Burghersh in 1822 with the help and ideas of the French harpist and composer Nicolas...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. He teaches at Lynn University
Lynn University
Lynn University is a private, non-profit university in Boca Raton, Florida, founded in 1962.The university currently hosts students from 40 states and 90 nations...
.
Amis is the first known person to transcribe
Transcription (music)
In music, transcription can mean notating a piece or a sound which was previously unnotated, as, for example, an improvised jazz solo. Further examples include ethnomusicological notation of oral traditions of folk music, such as Béla Bartók's and Ralph Vaughan Williams' collections of the national...
Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
's Art of Fugue for wind ensemble (all of the fugues and canons).
He currently resides in Norwood, Massachusetts
Norwood, Massachusetts
Norwood is a town and census-designated place in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 28,602. The community was named after Norwood, England...
.
Performances
At many Empire Brass concerts, Amis performs the piano solo from the third movement of Mozart's Sonata in APiano Sonata No. 11 (Mozart)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Piano Sonata No. 11 in A major, K 331 is a sonata in three movements:#Andante grazioso — a theme with six variations#Menuetto — a minuet and trio#Alla Turca: Allegretto in A minor and major....
on his tuba. In addition to his work with the Empire Brass, Amis has performed on tuba for:
- English Chamber OrchestraEnglish Chamber OrchestraThe English Chamber Orchestra is a British chamber orchestra based in London. The full orchestra regularly plays concerts at Cadogan Hall, and the ECO Ensemble performs at Wigmore Hall...
- TanglewoodTanglewoodTanglewood 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...
Festival Orchestra - New World Symphony OrchestraNew World Symphony OrchestraThe New World Symphony is the United States' only full-time orchestral academy preparing musicians for careers in symphony orchestras and ensembles...
- Palm Beach OperaPalm Beach OperaPalm Beach Opera, a professional opera company in West Palm Beach, Florida resident at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, was founded in 1961 as "Civic Opera of the Palm Beaches." Over its history, the company has presented a season of fully staged operas ranging from a single production...
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:- BelmontBelmont, MassachusettsBelmont is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. The population was 24,729 at the 2010 census.- History :Belmont was founded on March 18, 1859 by former citizens of, and land from the bordering towns of Watertown, to the south; Waltham, to the west; and Arlington, then...
High School Band - The Massachusetts Instrumental Conductors Association
- New England Conservatory Wind Ensemble
- University of ScrantonUniversity of ScrantonThe University of Scranton is a private, co-educational Catholic and Jesuit university, located in Scranton, Pennsylvania, in the northeast region of the state. The school was founded in 1888 by Most Rev. William O'Hara, the first Bishop of Scranton, as St. Thomas College. It was elevated to a...
- 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 MusicLongy School of Music
The Longy School of Music of Bard College is a conservatory located near Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1915, it was one of the four independent degree-granting music schools in the Boston region along with the New England Conservatory, Berklee College of Music, and Boston...
, 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...
, Lynn University
Lynn University
Lynn University is a private, non-profit university in Boca Raton, Florida, founded in 1962.The university currently hosts students from 40 states and 90 nations...
, and MIT.