Andrew Earle Simpson (http://andrewesimpson.com), composer, pianist, and organist, is associate professor at the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music of The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
A composer of opera, silent film, orchestral, chamber, and choral music, he explores how music interacts with other arts, in concert and on stage. His pieces make multi-faceted connections with literature, visual art, or film, reflecting his interest in linking music intimately with the wider world.
An increasingly active silent film musician, Simpson is House Accompanist for the Library of Congress’ Mt. Pony Theatre and Resident Film Accompanist for the National Gallery of Art. He has performed original film scores at the Giornate del Cinema Muto in Pordenone, Italy, Sala Cecelia Meireles in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, the National Gallery of Art, Kennedy Center, New York Public Library, and many other venues. In spring 2010, he will perform new film scores at the J. Paul Getty Villa in Los Angeles and at Lincoln Center.
He is also co-founder of the Snark Ensemble, a group devoted to creating and performing new scores for silent film and theater. More than twenty of Simpson’s film scores appear on DVD, and his instrumental chamber music is recorded on the Capstone, Fleur de Son Classics, Athena, and other labels. His most recent disc of chamber music, Fireflies: Chamber Music by Andrew Earle Simpson, was released by the Red Cedar Trio in April 2009 (Fleur de Son Classics). Additional commercial recording projects in progress include The Golden Prophecy, for alto saxophone and piano, Too Many Mammas, silent film score for chamber ensemble, and A Crown of Stars, a wedding oratorio for chorus and chamber orchestra.
At Catholic University, Simpson created the Master of Music in Composition, Stage Music Emphasis program, which opened in August 2005. This innovative graduate program, unique in its scope, combines practical training in collaborative and theatrical composition with professional academic coursework.
More information and work samples: http://andrewesimpson.com