Tyler Taylor

From Wind Repertory Project
Tyler Taylor

Biography

Tyler Taylor (b. 1992, Louisville, Ky.) is an American composer and hornist.

Dr. Taylor holds degrees from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music (DM composition with minors in music theory and horn performance), the Eastman School of Music (MM composition), and the University of Louisville (BM composition). His principal composition teachers include Tansy Davies, Aaron Travers, Don Freund, David Liptak, Robert Morris, Krzysztof Wołek, and Steve Rouse. His principal horn teachers include Dale Clevenger, Jeff Nelsen, W. Peter Kurau, and Bruce Heim.

Tyler Taylor's recent pieces are explorations of the different ways that identity can be expressed in musical scenarios. Common among these pieces is a sense of contradiction – sometimes whimsical, sometimes alarming – that comes from the interaction of diverse musical layers. This expression of contradiction likely comes from his being a person of mixed race; being raised on hip hop and R&B while inheriting a European tradition of “classical art music” as his primary form of musical expression in spite of having little or no other cultural ties to Europe; and pursuing a career in a field that generally lacks representation of his demographic.

As a composer and contemporary chamber musician, Tyler finds the composer-performer experience to be most inspiring. Most recently, he performed his horn concerto Lake Music with Orchestra Enigmatic in Louisville, Kentucky. He was also invited to perform in the premiere of his horn quartet “some notes” – a commission by the Allumer Horn Quartet of Louisiana. He has enjoyed similar experiences at summer festivals including the Bang on a Can Summer Festival, the Oregon Bach Composers Symposium, the Sewanee Summer Music Festival, and the Imani Winds Chamber Music Festival.

His latest performances include Modus operandi, featured on the "Jacobs Students Play for NASM" recital, the premiere of Fray by the Indiana University Wind Ensemble, and the premiere of his master’s thesis Liberation Compromise for 17 players – winner of a 67th Annual BMI Student Composer Award and the 2016 Howard Hanson Ensemble Prize. Other notable performances include his sinfonietta Encompass – winner of the 2015 Howard Hanson Ensemble Prize – during the 2017 University of Louisville New Music Festival and his mixed sextet Burlesque Suite performed by members of the Talea Ensemble.


Works for Winds


Resources