B i o g r a p h y
Tony is composer and orchestrator for concert music and video games living in Petoskey, MI. He provides a multi-layered and sensory experience through expressive, colorful orchestration and warm melodies. He adds sonic perspectives to stories, environments, and everything in between through massive orchestral productions, as well as intimate atmospheres.
Tony's music has been played worldwide, with performances and readings from renowned ensembles such as Apollo Chamber Players, the Washington Metropolitan Gamer Symphony Orchestra, the University of Cambridge Concert Band, and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Much of his music is published through NewMusicShelf and MusicSpoke.
Recent and upcoming commissions include music for the Northern Michigan Brass Band, Michael Hall (violist), Megan Ihnen (mezzo-soprano), Alan Theisen (saxophonist), Strake Jesuit Symphonic Band, orchestrations for Benzie Area Symphony Orchestra as well as an oboe concerto for Jonathan Thompson.
Advocating to continually bring new music to his Northern Michigan home, Northern Symphonic Winds (NSW) of Charlevoix, MI, commissioned Tony to write a new piece for the ensemble, titled "On the Threshold of Spring," which premiered in May 2019. He is currently NSW's composer-in-residence. Since 2018, he has worked closely with the Bay View Music Festival in Petoskey, with premieres (WHOA!: for wind quintet), performances, and presentations for the summer students including commissioned art songs by Risa Renae Harman and Casey Robards. In December 2019, he worked with The Accidentals, a local folk band, orchestrating their music for performance with the Traverse Symphony Orchestra.
Living the life of a video game composer, Tony constructs sonic spaces and emotionally-driven tracks to enliven each game's world. His most recent, completed soundtracks are that for Kharon's Crypt and Call of Saregnar. Currently, he is working on the music for The Ambassador: Fractured Timelines, a twin-stick fantasy shooter centered around the ability to stop time. Bridging the gap between “game music” and “contemporary classical music,” he continually strives to have his soundtracks performed, drawing in new audiences to the world of classical music. One example is his Suite from Kharon's Crypt, an orchestral medley of tracks from the Kharon's Crypt soundtrack. He plans on creating a "Suite from The Ambassador," as well as a piano concerto of music from Kharon's Crypt, composed for Jeffrey Biegel.
Continually branching out into various styles, many of his projects involve sacred music: the full, orchestral score for Saint Luke Productions' latest drama, "Tolton: From Slave to Priest," their upcoming film, "Faustina: Messenger of Divine Mercy," and a Concert Band piece commissioned by Holy Ghost Preparatory School in Bensalem PA, "Rejoice in the Holy Spirit." Most recently, the St. Francis High School students in Traverse City performed his "Ave Maria" for SATB Choir and Organ.
Recent awards include Brazosport Symphony Orchestra's Composer Competition, the inaugural Texas A&M University’s Composition Competition and Symposium, Symphony Number One's Fourth Call for Scores as a semi-finalist, and a Merit Award in the Tribeca New Music Young Composer Competition.
