Timothy Kramer (born 1959) is an American composer whose music has earned him a Fulbright Scholarship, an National Endowment for the Arts grant, and a Guggenheim fellowship. Currently Professor Emeritus at Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois, he served as the Edward Capps Professor of Humanities at Illinois College, and also served on the faculty of Trinity University (San Antonio) as Professor of Music, and is a founding member of the Composers Alliance of San Antonio.
Career Kramer was trained as a composer and organist at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU)"Biography: Kramer, Timothy". Henshaw, W.B. and Bardon Music, 2003-2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021. in Tacoma, Washington studying with David RobbinsLeCompte, Mandi. "Finding a Special Place at PLU" April 21, 2010. Retrieved 25. Jan. 2021. (composition) and David P. Dahl (organ). He also played electric bass and jazz piano in addition to his compositional studies. He earned his master's degree and doctorate at the University of Michigan,Kramer, Timothy (DMA ‘91), University of Michigan Composition Alumni List. Retrieved January 25, 2021. where his primary composition teachers were William Albright, Leslie Bassett, William Bolcom and George Wilson.Pfitzinger, Scott. "Composer Genealogies: A Compendium of Composers, Their Teachers, and Their Students." Rowman & Littlefield, 2017. (pp. 8,34-35,59,585-586). He studied organ with James Kibbie and harpsichord with Edward Parmentier. As a Fulbright Scholar he studied with Martin Redel at the Hochschule für Musik Detmold, in Germany from 1988 to 1989. Early in his career he taught at Indiana State University,Pete Ford (1964-), Student of Timothy Kramer’s at Indiana State University. Retrieved 25. Jan, 2021. Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, and at the University of Michigan. Starting in 1991 he taught for nineteen years at Trinity University in San Antonio.Brackenridge, R. Douglas. Trinity University: A Tale of Three Cities. Trinity University Press, 2016. While living in San Antonio, he founded (with composers David HeuserHeuser, David. Retrieved January 25, 2021. and Elisenda Fábregas) CASA (Composers Alliance of San Antonio), a group that promotes contemporary music in South Texas."Composers’ Alliance of San Antonio" (a history of the group and its formation). Co-authored by Heuser, David and Timothy Kramer. Society of Composers, Inc. Newsletter, July–August 2005, XXV4. Retrieved 25. Jan. 2021. In 2010, he moved to Illinois College in Jacksonville, Illinois, where he was Chair of the Music Department and named the Edward Capps Professor of Humanities in 2013."Faculty Faculty: Timothy Kramer." Docplayer.net, p.199. Retrieved 25. Jan. 2021. He became professor emeritus in 2020.
Early life Although born in Seattle, Kramer was raised in Pasco, Washington, the son of Robert and Shirley Kramer. His father was a physician, and his mother was a homemaker. Both parents encouraged his interest in music by supporting his lessons on piano along with lessons on guitar and percussion at a young age. His first piano teacher, Cherry Courteau, gave him his strongest foundations as a musician. His earliest experiences as a composer began in grade school and he experimented with arrangements of popular music for his high school jazz ensemble (Pasco High School). He also studied classical organ and Jazz improvisation. In high school much of his time was devoted to playing bass guitar in different ensembles. He entered Pacific Lutheran University in 1977 as an engineering major but switched to music composition by his second year of studies. His first work, a thirty-minute string trio titled Of All the Centuries, received a student award from Broadcast Music, Inc. in 1981 which confirmed his decision to continue to study composition."BMI Student Composer Award Winners." BMI, Retrieved January 25, 2021. His graduate work at the University of MichiganYears at University of Michigan 1981-1987. Completion of dissertation in December 1990. led him to meet many other living composers outside of his primary instructors, such as Krzysztof Penderecki, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Elliott Carter, and Alberto Ginastera, and this influenced his decision to study abroad (with Martin Redel). He also met his wife, Lisa Udel, during his graduate studies in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Awards and commissions Kramer has received a number of awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship,"Timothy Kramer (1998)" John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship. Retrieved January 25, 2021. a Fulbright Scholarship,U.S. Fulbright Grantee Directory grants from the National Endowment of the Arts,"Composers Fellowships: Kramer, Timothy A." Awarded in 1993-1994 for Concerto for Organ and Orchestra. National Endowment of the Arts 1992 Annual report, [92-3112-0760] p. 150. Retrieved 25. Jan. 2021. the American Music Center (now New Music USA),"American Music Center Composer Assistance Program Grant for Party Favors, 2007. American Music Center Margaret Jory Copying Assistance Grants, 1998, 1990." Full Academic CV of Timothy Kramer. Retrieved January 25, 2021. and the MacDowell Colony,"MacDowell Colony Fellowship Artists: Timothy Kramer (1998)." Retrieved January 25, 2021. New Music USA,"New Music USA - MetLife Creative Connections Grant for All in Golden Measure, 2013." Full Academic CV of Timothy Kramer. Retrieved January 25, 2021. the Artist Foundation of San Antonio,Artist Foundation Grants 2009 Martin, Deborah, "Artist Foundation grants go to 11 artists." San Antonio Express-News, 16 Nov. 2009. "Artist: Timothy Kramer." Artist Foundation of San Antonio, Retrieved January 25, 2021. "2009 Awardees Artist Foundation of San Antonio." Retrieved January 25, 2021. and awards from the American Guild of Organists,American Guild of Organists Holtkamp Award: First Prize awarded to Timothy Kramer for "Perceptions of Antiquity." ""Student Activities." Music at Michigan, vol. 18-19, fall 1984. Retrieved January 25, 2021. Broadcast Music, Inc. (two Student Awards in 1981, 1983),"BMI Student Composer Award Winners." BMI, Retrieved January 25, 2021. ASCAP,ASCAP awards ASCAP Young Composer's Grant, 1986 (Sentinels of the Dance, orchestra) for performance by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra at the State University Contemporary Music Festival. "Student Activities." Music at Michigan, vol. 20-21, p. 15, fall 1986. ASCAP Raymond Hubbell Music Scholarship, 1983. Indiana State University,About the Indiana State University 20th annual Contemporary Music Festival Composition Contest: "Class Notes: 1981: Timothy Kramer." Pacific Lutheran University Scene archives 1986-1987 vol. 17 no. 1-4. Dec. 1986, p. 107. and the Clear Lake Symphony,"Winner - Clear Lake Symphony New Music Competition, Houston, 1997." Full Academic CV of Timothy Kramer. Retrieved January 25, 2021. among others.
He has received commissions from the San Antonio Piano Competition (now named Gurwitz Competition),"San Antonio International Piano Competition History: New Works Commissioned." Musical Bridges Around the World, Retrieved January 25, 2021. the Midwest Clinic,About the commission of Mosaics (wind band, 1999) for the Midwest International Clinic, Chicago. Midwest Commissions list. Retrieved Jan. 25, 2021. Kramer, Timothy. "Musical Mosaics: Piecing Together a Commission." The Midwest Clinic, 1999. Retrieved Jan. 25, 2021. the SOLI Chamber Ensemble,SOLI Chamber Ensemble commissions and plays music by Timothy Kramer: "SOLI Chamber Ensemble Biography." Greenberg, Mike. "SOLI Chamber Ensemble - An example of recycling at its best." The Incident Light, 11 March 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2021. the Detroit Chamber Winds,Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings commissions of Timothy Kramer: Rituals (brass and percussion, 2014) for the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings, The University of Michigan, and Oberlin College. Mimetic Variations (wind octet, 1998) for the Detroit Chamber Winds and Strings. Trinity University,"When [Scott] MacPherson puts a concert program together, he often begins with a central piece out of which companion works spring. "The centerpiece of these programs is Timothy Kramer’s Lux Caelestis, a piece he wrote for me when I was at Trinity University in San Antonio," the conductor said. "I asked him for a piece we could sing on tour in Cologne Cathedral — one that was appropriate for a watery acoustic." Hathaway, Daniel. "Cleveland Chamber Choir to present "Lux Caelestis" concerts this weekend." 5 Dec. 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2021. the San Antonio Symphony,San Antonio Symphony and Timothy Kramer: Party Favors (orchestra, 2007) for conductor Larry Rachleff and the San Antonio Symphony. "Music Review: Pop piece by Trinity composer has deep roots." Greenberg, Mike. S.A. Life section. March 29, 2007. Document ID: 1183010AF7901730. Newsbank. Retrieved January 25, 2021. BACH meets EsCHeR (orchestra, 2000), San Antonio and Tacoma Symphony Orchestras. the Utah Arts Festival,"Chamber Ensemble Commission: Timothy Kramer (World Premiere - "Lake Effect" by Timothy Kramer". Utah Arts Festival, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2021. the San Antonio Chamber Choir,2009 Awardees Artist Foundation of San Antonio. Retrieved January 25, 2021. the Cactus Pear Festival,Cactus Pear Festival and Timothy Kramer: "Splitting pairs." The San Antonio Current, July 7, 2010. Hendricks, David. "Overnight: Pear-fection (Pear pairings delight in festival's third installment)." San Antonio Express-News, 16 July 2010. Internal Document ID: 1310449E34F0DF28. Retrieved January 25, 2021. the Jacksonville Symphony Society (Illinois),Jacksonville Symphony and Timothy Kramer Shulman, Laurie, 2018. "Program Notes: Bachtoberfest 2018: The Reformation." "Encore" (Program book)." Jacksonville Symphony, Encore 1:2018-2019. p. 49. Retrieved January 25, 2021. Ensemble Mise-en,The Pendulum Swings (mixed quintet, 2016), for the Ensemble Mise-en. 2016 Red Note Music Festival Program. Retrieved January 25, 2021. and the ONIX Ensemble."Onix Ensemble to Perform at Illinois College." 4 April, 2019. (Open Borders (Pierrot ensemble, 2017-18), for the ONIX Ensemble (Mexico).) Retrieved January 25, 2021. He also served as Composer-Not-in-Residence with the San Francisco Choral Artists for the 2019–2020 season.San Francisco Choral Artists Composers in Residence
Music Kramer's works reflect his fascination with visual patterns, cycles, and musical gestures that unfold in a variety of changing speeds and textures.Bauer, Angela. My Journal Courier, June 27, 2020. https://www.myjournalcourier.com/news/article/Composer-captures-his-sentinels-on-album-15370672.php#photo-19607422 Most of his works articulate a clear tonal hierarchy and have a strong melodic component, but some earlier works from his career (e.g. Sentinels of the Dance, Concerto for Organ and Orchestra) are more dissonant and abstract.