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.
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 media or for the concert hall, 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.
The origin of story and craft
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.
Biography
Timothy Schmidt is a Kansas-born composer based in Norman, Oklahoma. An aspiring composer for media, Schmidt provided additional music for award-winning independent drama film Hawks Ridge and won first place in the Score the World 2 Film Scoring Contest. He has also worked on several student films, most recently contributing scores to two films showcased at the Red Carpet Film Festival. Outside of media scoring, Schmidt has written a number of concert pieces that have been performed and recorded at the University of Oklahoma and by ensembles such as the Baker University String Orchestra and the Chicago-based Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra. Compositions have also been played by Schmidt himself through his position as church organist at Trinity Lutheran Church in Norman. Schmidt holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Composition from the University of Oklahoma.
Biography (Long)
Timothy Schmidt is a Kansas-born composer based in Norman, Oklahoma. Writing music during his teen years as a way of capturing story ideas, Schmidt developed a broad portfolio of programmatic works that led ultimately to his recruitment as additional music composer for award-winning independent drama film Hawks Ridge. This opportunity reinforced Schmidt’s passion for media scoring and inspired him to enter several competitions, most recently winning first place for his submission to the Score the World 2 Film Scoring Contest. Schmidt continues to seek out scoring opportunities and hopes to build a career out of making music for media.
In parallel to these media ventures, Schmidt has written a number of concert pieces. He premiered his first music to the public in 2019 and has since organized performances and conducted recordings of several chamber works with musicians at the University of Oklahoma. Schmidt’s compositions have been performed by the Olathe East Concert Orchestra, the Baker University String Orchestra, and the Chicago-based Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra, the latter of which came about as a result of his winning the 2021 Metropolitan Youth Symphony Orchestra Student Composition Contest.
Outside of writing music, Schmidt has played piano since childhood and recently took up organ, resulting in his appointment as music director of Trinity Lutheran Church in Norman. He often takes part in performances of his own work as either a keyboardist or conductor. Beyond these musical activities, Schmidt enjoys graphic design, movies with friends, and following hometown soccer team Sporting Kansas City.