Origins
Origins
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I delved into music composition as a teenager to bring to life book ideas that I struggled to author. I found that creating musical themes for characters came easier to me than paragraphs, and that writing the underscore of a plot point was more plausible than writing pages of descriptions and conversations. So from the very beginning, my music was crafted to serve a story. This motivation continues to this day.
Music as a craft
Music as a craft
While music is traditionally considered an art form, its usage in films and other media lends it a more utilitarian purpose. My compositions, whether for worship, stage, or screen, usually tilt toward the craft side of the spectrum because of my desire to serve specific subject matter. As a result, I consider myself more of a artisan than an artist, especially when working with other creatives.
Every piece has a story
Every piece has a story
Most of my music is conceived with some kind of narrative in mind. This style, coined program music in the 19th century, uses a theme, idea, or event outside of the music as an impetus for its creation and development. In pieces with no explicit program, I tend to explore specific musical parameters such as contemporary compositional processes and instrumental techniques.
Biography
Biography
Timothy Schmidt is a composer, arranger, engraver, and organist based in Norman, Oklahoma. Since 2015, he has written and arranged over 150 works spanning church and concert hall, solos and orchestral pieces, and a number of self-released albums. His music has been performed and recorded at the University of Oklahoma and by ensembles such as the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, the Baker University String Orchestra, and the Chicago-based Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra. Schmidt regularly performs and conducts many of his sacred works through his position as organist and choir director for Trinity Lutheran Church in Norman. An avid film score enthusiast, Schmidt has engaged in several scoring projects, most notably providing additional music for drama film Hawks Ridge (2020). He has also entered several scoring competitions and won first place in the 2021 Score the World Film Scoring Contest. Schmidt holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Composition from OU.
Long Biography
Long Biography
Timothy Schmidt is a composer, arranger, engraver, and organist based in Norman, Oklahoma. He started writing music during his teen years as a way to capture story ideas and soon became enthralled by the art of film scoring. After completing several personal scoring projects, Schmidt caught the attention of Foster Solomon, director of drama film Hawks Ridge (2020), who recruited him to provide additional music. This opportunity reinforced his passion for cinema music and inspired him to enter several competitions, culminating in his first-place finish in the 2021 Score the World Film Scoring Contest. Schmidt would go on to score several student films during college, particularly a pair entered into the 2022 Red Carpet Film Festival, and continues to enjoy opportunities to make music for and inspired by various visual mediums.
In parallel to these scoring ventures, Schmidt has released several albums. "Constellations" (2020), a suite for string orchestra, has received partial performances by the Olathe East High School Concert Orchestra and the Chicago-based Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra, the latter of which came about as a result of a first-place finish in the 2021 Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra Student Composition Contest. "Contemporary Studies" (2022), a compilation of more experimental works, features performances by over 30 student musicians, all recorded throughout Schmidt's time as an undergraduate student in music composition at the University of Oklahoma. And "Septemundos" (2024), a large-scale, multi-movement, hybrid orchestral work, combines 9 soloists, 2 choirs, string quartet ATLYS, and the Czech National Symphony Orchestra with an array of virtual instruments, synthesizers, and sound design into one massive project that completes the musical ideas Schmidt started in his early years as a composer.
These days, most of Schmidt's musical activities resolve around his position as organist and choir director for Trinity Lutheran Church in Norman. In addition to his usual duties, Schmidt regularly composes for the choir, bell choir, and instrumentalists and takes part in the performances as either keyboardist, conductor, or on rarer occasions, a member of the choir. He maintains an online catalog of all his works and publishes both audio and scores himself. When he is not immersed in music, Schmidt enjoys graphic design, movies with friends, and following hometown soccer team Sporting Kansas City.
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