Andrew Fowler
Pianist & Composer-In-Residence
Andrew Fowler, composer-in-residence and pianist for the Carolina Master Chorale, is a native of Myrtle Beach who received the M.M. (music theory) and B.A. (piano performance) degrees from the University of South Carolina, and the Ph.D. (music theory) from the University of Texas at Austin. Fowler has served on the faculties of Auburn University at Montgomery, Cornell College, the University of North Texas, and the University of Texas at Austin, where he taught theory, history, and counterpoint. While at Auburn University at Montgomery and at Cornell College, he also served as Director of Choral Activities. He is Music Director at Trinity United Methodist Church in Conway, adjunct faculty at Coastal Carolina University, and also is Financial Development Coordinator for the Carolina Master Chorale. Fowler also serves as music director for the "Broadway at the Palace" series at the Palace Theatre (Myrtle Beach), and composes and orchestrates tracks for musical theater companies such as the Palace Theatre and the Theatre of the Republic (Conway).
As a pianist, he has presented lecture/recital performances of masterworks by Liszt, Schumann, and others of the mid-nineteenth central European school at national music conferences. His articles on 19th century piano repertoire have appeared in various music journals. His choral works can be found in the catalogues of Abingdon, Augsburg, and Roger Dean Publishing, and his works are performed throughout the United States. Also, he is an avid interpreter of the 20th c. American jazz standards, and performs at various venues across the Grand Strand. His compositional style reflects a wide ranging interest in music all of kinds. His interest in state and local history has led to the creation of works such as The Prince of Tides, an opera based on Pat Conroy’s novel (completed 2009), Tales of the Kings Highway (premiered by the Long Bay Symphony Orchestra in February 2004), and Over Yonder’s Ocean (2007: based upon original Murrells Inlet Spirituals.
Fowler’s Directions for Singing (for mixed chorus, soloists, and orchestra) received an enthusiastic world premiere at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center in February, 2007. Commissioned on the occasion of the 300th anniversary of Charles Wesley’s birth, the hour long work reflects Fowler’s interest in creating new ways of combining musical, theatrical, and narrative elements. His multi-media collaborative work Schul at Ulla (with visual artist Hugh Lifson) was performed at the Nobel Conference on Peace in 1999.
Fowler’s works written specifically for the Carolina Master Chorale include:
- Dayspring (2001)
- Olde World Carols (2002)
- Antiphonal Noels (2003)
- Lowcountry Tales (2003)
- Christmas Carmina (2004)
- Songs of Travel (2005)
- Wintertide (2005)
- An Outbreak of Peace (2006)
- Over Yonder’s Ocean (2007)
- Carolina On My Mind (2007)
- Carolina Jazz Masters (2007)
- A Lover’s Day: Poems of Pablo Neruda (2007)
- A Sacred Harp Christmas (2007)
- An Outbreak of Peace: A Christmas Oratorio (2004, revised 2009)
- Five Love Songs (2010)
- Freedom in the 21st Century (2010)
He also creates choral/instrumental arrangements of the Broadway tradition for the CMC. This season will premier two new works: Celestial Equator: Yuletide Jazz Impressions and a choral/orchestral work for the final concert of the 2010-2011 season.
His wife, Scarlet, is lead teacher and administrative supervisor for the Myrtle Beach Christian Academy High School. They enjoy anytime spent with their children Nathan, Gwyn, Tiffany, Austin, and Dalton.
