Jump to content

Kit Armstrong

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 213.41.72.26 (talk) at 15:10, 12 December 2012. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Kit Armstrong (born March 5, 1992 in California, USA) is a British-Taiwanese[1] classical pianist and composer.

Education

Kit Armstrong was born into a non-musical family.[2] He displayed remarkable gifts for science, languages and mathematics.[3] At the age of 5, he taught himself music composition by reading an abridged encyclopaedia, without access to a piano.[4] He subsequently started formal composition and piano studies with Michael Martin and Mark Sullivan respectively (1997 – 2001).

Armstrong has always pursued music and academic education in parallel. He attended Garden Grove Christian School (1997 - 1998), Anaheim Discovery Christian School (1998 – 1999), Los Alamitos High School and Orange County High School of the Arts (1999 – 2001). While in high school, he also took physics courses at California State University at Long Beach and music composition at Chapman University[5].

At the age of 9, Armstrong became a full-time undergraduate student at Utah State University studying biology, physics, mathematics as well as music (2001 – 2002).[6] While at Utah State University, Armstrong befriended Irving Wassermann. In 2003, Armstrong enrolled at the Curtis Institute of Music studying piano with Eleanor Sokoloff and Claude Frank, in the meantime, took courses in chemistry and mathematics at the University of Pennsylvania.[7] In 2004, Armstrong moved to London to continue his music education at the Royal Academy of Music studying piano with Benjamin Kaplan and composition with Paul Patterson, Christopher Brown and Gary Carpenter. In parallel, he studied pure mathematics at the Imperial College, London (2004 – 2008).

Armstrong received Bachelor of Music degree with First Class Honours from Royal Academy of Music, University of London in 2008 and Master of Sciences and Technologies degree with honours fromPierre and Marie Curie University, Paris in mathematics in 2012.

Since 2005, Armstrong has had regular lessons with Alfred Brendel.[8]

Compositions

Kit Armstrong composes for a wide variety of ensembles in various styles and genres. Armstrong has received many Morton Gould Young Composer Awards from the ASCAP Foundation in New York, including the prestigious Charlotte V. Bergen award for Struwwelpeter: Character Pieces for viola and piano.[9]

List of works

Piano

  • Miniatures (2012)
  • Fantasy on B-A-C-H (2011) – Commissioned by Sommerliche Musiktage Hitzacker
  • Half of One, Six Dozen of the Other (2010) – Commissioned by Till Fellner
  • Origami (2010)
  • Lenz (2009) – Dedicated to Senator Gerhard Lenz
  • Message in a Cabbage (2008) – Dedicated to Lady Jill Ritblat
  • Reflections (2007)
  • Variations on a Theme by Monteverdi (2007)
  • Portraits, Theme and Six Variations (2006) – Dedicated to Lily Safra
  • Fantasia and Toccata (2005)
  • Sweet Remembrance, Suite in C Minor (2005) – Dedicated to Mrs Grosser
  • A Spooky Night (2002)
  • Six Short Pieces (2001)
  • Transformation, Piano Sonata in G Minor (2002)
  • The Triumph of a Butterfly (2001)
  • Homage to Bach (2000)
  • A Thunderstorm (2000)
  • Chickens in the Spring Time, Theme and 46 Variations (1999)
  • Five Elements (1999)
  • Piano Sonata in F (1999)
  • Chicken Sonata (1998)

Solo instrumental

  • Pursuit, Five Pieces for solo marimba (2004) – Commissioned by Pius Cheung

Duo

  • Der kranke Mond for violin and cello (2012) – Commissioned by Movimentos Festwochen
  • Who Stole My Wasabi? for cello and piano (2008) – Commissioned by Music at Plush
  • Struwwelpeter, Character Pieces for violin and piano (2007)
  • Struwwelpeter, Character Pieces for viola and piano (2006) – Commissioned by Maria Gouvas
  • Viola Sonata in A Minor (2005)

Trio

  • Time Flies like an Arrow for violin, cello and piano (2011) – Commissioned by the Klavier-Festival Ruhr
  • Trio for violin, cello and piano (2009) – Commissioned by Music at Plush

Quartet

  • Breaking Symmetry for horn, violin, viola and cello (2008) – Commissioned by the International Chamber Music Festival The Hague
  • String Quartet in D Minor (2005)
  • Birds by the Pond, String Quartet in A (2004)
  • Forest Scenes, String Quartet in B (2002)
  • Millennium, Piano Quartet in C Minor (2000)
  • String Quartet in B-flat (2000)

Quintet

  • Quintet for oboe, clarinet, horn, bassoon and piano (2009) – Commissioned by the International Chamber Music Festival The Hague
  • Landscapes, Piano Quintet in F Minor (2006) – Commissioned by the International Chamber Music Festival The Hague
  • Wind Quintet, Theme and Six Variations (2004)
  • Bug Quintet, Piano Quintet in G (2003)
  • A Day of Chatting and Playing, Theme and Six Variations for flute, violin, viola, cello and piano (2001)

Orchestra

  • Andante (2012) – Commissioned by Musikkollegium Winterthur
  • Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra (2010) – Commissioned by Frankfurter BachKonzerte
  • Piano Concerto in F (2005)
  • Anticipation, Cello Concerto in G (2003)
  • Piano Concerto in D Minor (2001)
  • Celebration, Symphony in F (2000)


References

  1. ^ "Kit Armstrong: Playing by numbers". The Independent. Sunday, 20 February 2011. Retrieved 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= and |date= (help)
  2. ^ Palo Alto Online
  3. ^ Davidson Institute
  4. ^ Baltimore Sun
  5. ^ "Los Angeles Times".
  6. ^ Palo Alto Weekly
  7. ^ The New York Times
  8. ^ The Arts Desk
  9. ^ ASCAP

Template:Persondata

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Kit_Armstrong&oldid=527708778"