Tim Keyes
Composer, Vocalist, Conductor, Producer, Audio Engineer

Composer
Tim Keyes is a 1984 graduate in Music Composition and Music Theory from The University of Notre Dame studying with composers Paul Johnson and Ethan Haimo and musicologist Calvin Bower. During college, his talent as a composer emerged big time. In fact, the success of the third movement of his String Quartet No.1 and the second movement of his Six Pieces for Piano landed him a scholarship to the Aspen Music Festival, where he studied composition, conducting, and performance with Charles Jones, Leonard Bernstein, and Andre Watts.

The Career

Rock n' Pop
First stop? Boston, where Tim Keyes was a session musician and toured with the original rock band PAR 3. Next? New York City, of course. There, he launched his studio engineering and production career, working with major label-recording artists including The Throbs, Sebastian Bach of Skid Row, Sammy Merindino, Jon Mover of GTR and more. Then, he honed his engraving talents by working Warner Brothers as a sheet music transcriber.

And through it all, composing, singing, and producing:

· Worlds Apart (1991) Rock/pop solo album with 11 tracks of anthemic rock touching themes of escape, frustration, longing, and change.

· On the Radio (1995) Rock/pop solo album produced with keyboard wizard, Chris Fischer and veteran producer, Kevin Ferd. This album features some of Tim's finest song craftsmanship, including the well-received single, "All I Need is You."

· Sketchbook (2003) A solo album that defies easy classification, this collage of songwriting and sound effects takes listeners on a fantastic journey from despair to redemption.

Sacred Sounds
Not for nothing did Tim Keyes graduate from Notre Dame. He has yet another full identity as a church musician and choral director. He has revitalized church music programs at several parishes by organizing choirs, developing parish orchestras, launching concert series, and conducting major events.

And through it all, composing, singing, and producing:

· In Psalmis Davidis (1998) 100 Settings for the entire Sunday lectionary psalm cycle.

· Resurrexi (1996) Full-length Easter Oratorio, requiring 3 choirs, soloists, and full orchestra.

· Nativitas (1999) Full-length Christmas Oratorio, requiring chorus, 5 soloists, orchestra, and chorus. Performances requested every Christmas season and the greatest selling release to date.

· Crucifixus (2000) An a capella treatment of Tenebrae and the Seven Last Words of Christ. Recorded by the Tim Keyes Consort.

- Concert of Remembrance (2003) - Recording of French Horn Concerto V, The Meadow (Symphonic Poem), One Fine Summer Day In America (Concerto for Clarinet), The Peace of Wild Things (four movement setting of Wendell Berry poem for Orchestra, SATB choir and Tenor Soloist)

- Colorado (2004) - Violin Concerto composed for violinist Hope Cannon and recorded by the Greater Princeton Youth Orchestra

- GPYO (2004) - Live recording of Colorado in concert May 15th, 2004 at Richardson Auditorium.

- Resurrexi Complete (2004) - 2 CD set recording of the complete oratorio for orchestra, choir and soloists.

- Now Until Twilight (2005) - Recording of 3 works for solo instruments and orchestra. Includes Now Until Twilight for Flute and Orchestra, The Battle for Horn and Orchestra, and One Fine Summer Day in America for Clarinet and Orchestra.

- St. Patrick's Breastplate (2006) - Recording of St. Patrick's Breastplate, an oratorio in eight movements and a setting of The Irish Blessing

- Mighty Mississippi (2007) - Recording of Mighty Mississippi a concerto for Cello, Orchestra and Choir performed by Cellist Sofia Nowik with the Tim Keyes Consort.

Because of Tim's vast knowledge of both popular and classical music, he's frequently asked to lecture at seminars on the music business and often advises churches regarding their music programs, organs, and music spaces.

Tim's current post as Pastoral assistant for Music and Liturgy is at St. Charles Borromeo in Skillman, New Jersey where he composes for and directs the orchestra, choirs and cantors.

Conductor and Vocalist

Tim Keyes is often invited to conduct various New Jersey choruses and orchestras, and is in demand as a vocalist throughout the state. He's an active member in the both the National Pastoral Musicians and the American Choral Directors Association:

-Debuted The Meadow a symphonic poem commissioned for the Annual Children's Choir Festival in Plainfield, NJ (1997)

· Music director for the East Coast debut performance of Marty Haugen's The Song of Mark, a large-scale, Broadway-style production based on Mark's Gospel. (1997)

· Debuted The Battle: A Concerto for French horn and Orchestra, which was composed for an International Horn Society competition. Soloist: Lisa Nettleship, (1998)

· Music director for production of Rory Cooney and Gary Daigle's composition, Lost and Found. (2000)

- Nativitas performed for the National Pastoral Music Association at St. Mark's Episcopal in Morristown, NJ. (2000)

- A Celebration of Ireland featuring a performance of Stanford's 'Irish' Symphony no. 3 and the World Premiere of St. Patrick's Breastplate and The Irish Blessing (March 17, 2006)-Richardson Auditorium, Princeton

-Performance of A Concert Of Remembrance at The Cathedral of St. Francis, Metuchen, NJ (September 11, 2006)

-Evening Prayer for Musicians - St. Charles Borromeo for the Regional Chapter of the National Pastoral Musicians (October 2006)

- 10th Year anniversary performance of Nativitas at Richardson Auditorium in Princeton, NJ (November, 2006)

· Actively singing tenor with the Diocesan Choir of the Metuchen Diocese, member of the 16-voice Chamber Choir, and Cantor and Organist for various diocesan liturgical functions. (2001-present)

- Composer in Residence for the Diocese of Metuchen.

- Member of the Art and Environment Board in the Office of Worship for the Newark Archdiocese

- Member of the Committee for the Synod Topical Commission on 'Liturgy and Worship' for the Diocese of Metuchen (2006)

Producer, Audio Engineer and More Stuff

With his brilliant and talented wife, Meg Poltorak Keyes, Tim formed a music production company called August Productions, Inc., and the record company API Records., Inc. The Keyes music publishing company, Humbletunes, is named that because this artist graduated with honors from Humble High School in Humble, Texas. These music companies have currently produced 25 music videos, nationally released over fifty CD's, and published many compositions.

A freelance recording engineer, voiceover talent, and commercial jingle writer, to date Tim Keyes has been involved in the production and/or recording of over 500 commercial master recordings. Because of his sound recording expertise, Tim is also sought by legal professionals to analyze all forms of recorded media including taped witness statements, wire taps, phone taps, and voice identification. The legal profession also calls upon him to repair and restore damaged recording media and transcribe inaudible conversations.