Andrew David Perkins (born December 31, 1978) is an American music educator, conductor and composer of

contemporary classical music Contemporary classical music is Western art music composed close to the present day. At the beginning of the 21st-century classical music, 21st century, it commonly referred to the post-1945 Modernism (music), post-tonal music after the death of ...

, with an emphasis on music for

wind band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion famil ...

Background

Born in

Royal Oak, Michigan Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Metro Detroit, Detroit, Royal Oak is located roughly north of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 cens ...

, Perkins grew up in

Rochester Hills, Michigan Rochester Hills is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, United States. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Detroit, Rochester Hills is located about north of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a popul ...

, where he attended

Rochester Adams High School Rochester Adams High School (also known as Adams High School, Adams, or AHS) is a public high school located in Rochester Hills, Michigan, and is part of the Rochester Community Schools district. Academics Rochester Adams High School has b ...

and graduated in 1997. He spent the summers of 1995 and 1996 at the Interlochen Arts Camp in Michigan’s Northern Lower Peninsula before earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State o ...

in 2002. In 2007 he received a Master of Music degree from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

, followed by a specialist certificate in Orchestration from the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music () is a Private university, private music college in Boston, Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern Music of the United ...

in 2012. Perkins spent several seasons as a marching member and conductor of The

Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps Phantom Regiment Drum and Bugle Corps (commonly referred to as "Phantom") is a World Class competitive junior drum and bugle corps based in Rockford, Illinois, USA. The corps is a long-standing member of Drum Corps International (DCI), having b ...

from Rockford, Illinois. His compositions for band have been finalists for The National Band Association’s William D. Revelli Memorial Composition Contest & Merrill Jones Award, and the Ravel International Composition Prize. His composition “Gradients” was the winner of the 2018 National Band Association/Alfred Publishing Young Band Composition Contest. In 2023, Perkins' concert band suite "TUEBOR" was selected as the winner of the

American Bandmasters Association The American Bandmasters Association (ABA) was formed in 1929 by Edwin Franko Goldman to promote concert band music.Raoul F. Camus. "American Bandmasters Association." In Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online, http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/sub ...

Sousa/Ostwald Composition Contest. Perkins was an adjunct professor of Film Scoring at

Madonna University Madonna University is a private Catholic university in Livonia, Michigan, United States. It was founded as the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Junior College by the Felician Sisters in 1937. It became Madonna College in 1947 and Mado ...

Livonia, Michigan Livonia ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A western suburb of Detroit, Livonia is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 95,535. Originally organized as ...

as well as the Director of Instrumental Music and Music Technology at Fenton Area Public Schools in

Fenton, Michigan Fenton is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan that lies mostly in Genesee County, with small portions in neighboring Oakland and Livingston Counties. It is part of the Flint Metropolitan statistical area. History It was first established ...

. He has held the position of Music Director and Conductor of the Fenton Community Orchestra since 2011. Perkins is a member of the American Society of Composers Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and has received multiple ASCAP Plus awards from the organization, as well as a 2017 nomination for the

GRAMMY The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

Music Educator’s Award.

''The Birds''

In 2015, Perkins composed a full-length orchestral score to accompany

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

’s 1963

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

film '' The Birds'', which was originally released without musical underscore. The music was performed live by the Fenton Community Orchestra synchronously with the film in February of 2016 at the Fenton Cultural & Community Center, and encore performances were held in October of the same year. Composed in the compositional style of

Bernard Herrmann Bernard Herrmann (born Maximillian Herman; June 29, 1911December 24, 1975) was an American composer and conductor best known for his work in film scoring. As a conductor, he championed the music of lesser-known composers. He is widely regarde ...

, Perkins’ score reinterpreted the experience of the movie from an aesthetic perspective, drawing the film into the reality of the audience and the live music being performed.

Works

Concert Band

*Craig an Tuirc (2024) *Unified Field Theory (2024) *From Ould Inishowen (2024) *Malleus Maleficarum (2023) *Burn After Reading (2023) *Mackinac Island Suite (2023) *The Praetorian (2023) *Hymnsong (2022) *Escher Sketches (2022) *Skeletonic (2022) *Whyclops?! (2022) *Société Blue (2022) *Vox Nostra (2022) *Left Of Boom (2022) *Helioscape (2021) *Among The Leaves So Green (2021) *On Shoulders Of Giants (2021) *Horror Vacui (2020) *Empire Bluff (2020) *Tuebor Suite (2020),

Sousa/Ostwald Award The Sousa/Ostwald Award is an annual award given by the American Bandmasters Association for a composition for concert band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic wi ...

2023 Winner *Clutch. (2019), *Kodachrome (2018) *Until The Night Collapses (2018) *The Raptor Rides The Whale (2018), National Band Association/Merrill Jones Award 2018 Finalist *Gradients (2017), National Band Association/Alfred Publishing Young Band Composition Contest 2018 Winner *Asylum (2017), National Band Association William D. Revelli Memorial Composition Contest 2018 Finalist, Ravel International Composition Prize 2017 Finalist *Conspiracy Theories (2016) *Prayers in Villefranche (2016) *Southeast by Northwest (2016) *Trip The Light Fantastic (2015) *Alcatraz (2014)

Full Orchestra

*The Praetorian (2023) *Rushlight (2018) *Prayers in Villefranche (2016) *The Birds (2015) *Percussion Concerto (2013) *Projections (2012)

String Orchestra

*Bauhaus (2019) *Kodachrome (2018) *Prayers in Villefranche (2016)

Small Ensemble

*Float (2023) *In Three (2023) *Cease & Desist (2023) *Thinking about the immortality of the crab (2023) *Some Assembly Required (2022) *Noble Gases (2017)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins, Andrew David 1978 births Living people 20th-century American classical composers 21st-century American classical composers American male classical composers American classical composers Michigan State University alumni People from Fenton, Michigan University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni Berklee College of Music alumni Classical musicians from Michigan 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians