Biography
Photo: Soona
Full Biography
Inspired by captivating narrative, speculative fiction and making better humans through art, the music of Timothy C. Takach is a mainstay in the concert world. Applauded for his melodic lines and rich, intriguing harmonies, Takach has received commissions and premieres from GRAMMY Award-winning ensembles Roomful of Teeth and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the St. Olaf Band, Cantus, U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers’ Chorus, Lorelei Ensemble, VocalEssence, the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, The Rose Ensemble, and numerous other organizations. His compositions have been performed on A Prairie Home Companion, The Boston Pops holiday tour, nationwide on PBS, many All-State and festival programs and at venues such as the Library of Congress, Kennedy Center and Royal Opera House Muscat.
He is a co-creator of the theatrical production of All is Calm: the Christmas Truce of 1914, by Peter Rothstein. The critically adored show has had over 120 performances since its premiere in 2006. He was also selected for the 2014 Nautilus Music-Theater Composer-Librettist Studio. Takach and librettist Caitlin Vincent won the 2024 Domenic Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize, and their opera Computing Venus will premiere at the Crane School of Music in 2024. In 2018 his oratorio We, the Unknown premiered at the Folly Theatre in Kansas City featuring the Heartland Men’s Chorus, and in 2019 “Su Rahva Koda (The House of Your Kindred)” was premiered by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. 2019 also saw the premiere of Helios, Takach’s new 65’ work for a cappella choir inspired by the solar system. In 2015 Takach placed third for The American Prize for Composition for Wind Ensemble for his piece “Frost Giant.” His choral ballet Unfashioned Creature, an adaptation of Frankenstein, was created in collaboration with choreographer Penelope Freeh and premiered in 2023 by the James Sewell Ballet and MPLS (imPulse). The Minneapolis Star Tribune named it “one of the 10 most memorable dance events in 2023.” He was Composer-in-Residence for the Texas Boys Choir from 2019-2021, The Singers–Minnesota Choral Artists from 2018-2023 and is a Co-Composer in Residence with Jocelyn Hagen for True Concord Voices and Orchestra from 2022 to the present.
Takach has frequent work as a composer-in-residence, presenter, conductor, clinician and lecturer for conventions, schools and organizations across the country. He is a full-time composer and lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two sons.
“The gorgeous part-song harmonies never obscured the text, making the lyrics an equal partner to the music.”
Photo: Tony Pike, Pike House Creatives
Shorter Biography (217 words)
Inspired by captivating narrative, speculative fiction and making humans better through art, the music of Timothy C. Takach is a mainstay in the concert world. Applauded for his melodic lines, thoughtful text choices and rich, intriguing harmonies, Takach has received commissions and performances from GRAMMY Award-winning ensembles Roomful of Teeth and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the St. Olaf Band, Lorelei Ensemble, True Concord Voices and Orchestra, and numerous other organizations. His compositions have been performed on A Prairie Home Companion, The Boston Pops holiday tour and at venues such as the Library of Congress, Kennedy Center and Royal Opera House Muscat. Takach is a co-creator of the theatrical production of All is Calm: the Christmas Truce of 1914, by Peter Rothstein, and won the 2024 Domenic J. Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize for Computing Venus with librettist Caitlin Vincent.
Takach’s a cappella choral symphony Helios is “larger than life, as if the piece were accompanied by an orchestra” and is “complemented with brilliant visuals created by CandyStations” (Tucson.com). In 2023 the James Sewell Ballet premiered his ballet Unfashioned Creature in St. Paul, MN. Takach was a co-founder, singer and Artistic Co-Director of the vocal ensemble Cantus and has frequent national work as a composer-in-residence, clinician and lecturer. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two sons.
Even Shorter Biography (81 words)
Inspired by narrative, magical realism, speculative fiction and making better humans through art, the music of Timothy C. Takach is a mainstay in the concert world. Applauded for his melodic lines, text choices and rich, intriguing harmonies, his compositions are performed worldwide. He is a co-founder of Cantus, Graphite Publishing and Nation, and he is a co-creator of the theatrical production All is Calm: the Christmas Truce of 1914. Takach has frequent work as a composer-in-residence, presenter, conductor, clinician and lecturer.
“Your talk was helpful, relatable, honest, and exactly the type of visit that helps prepare our students for the ‘real world.’ I’m grateful, too, for the generosity of your offer, preparation, and energy.”