Piling Sand, Piling Stone 6 by André Cormier (2014) performed and programmed by Andrew Reed Miller

made possible by a Commissioning grant from the Canada Council for the Arts

André Cormier’s work has been presented in Canada, the US, Europe and New Zealand. He has written for solo, small and large chamber ensembles, as well as music for opera, dance and collaborative work with visual artists. His works have been commissioned from a variety of artists in Canada, the US and Europe. In 2004 he founded Ensemble Ordinature and has since served as artistic director. He produced their debut recording of Kurt Schwitters’ Ursonate, which is featured on ubu.com and was favourably reviewed in UK new music magazine The Wire. Along with violist Mieka Kohut and artist Donna Kelly, Cormier co-founded CO•LAB, a multi-disciplinary collaborative project.

In 2008 he launched Éditions musique SISYPHE (emsis.ca) a music publishing house focusing on experimental music. His piece Piling Sand–Piling Stone 2 was featured at the inaugural concert of Listen/ Space, in Brooklyn, NY.

Ensembles that have presented Cormier’s work include musica intima (Can), Park Lane (Can/US), Erreur de type 27, (Québec), Nu:BC (Can),The Tempest Flute Ensemble (Can), Suna no onna (Can/US),Vancouver Miniaturist Ensemble (Can),Aventa (Can), ctrl +alt+repeat Large Ensemble (LA), Quatuor Bozzini (Montréal), Audiamour (Germany/Greece), Saint Crispin's Chamber Ensemble (Can), Motion Ensemble (Can) Lost Dog New Musik Ensemble (NY), Guthrie/Streb (LA), OXO Ensemble (NY), New Century Players (US), Redshift (Can), BEAMS Electroacoustic Ensemble (Can), 60x60 Project (US), New Century Players (US). Soloists that have presented Cormier’s work include violinist Clemens Merkel, vocalist Andrea Young, cellist Jessica Catron, harpist Susan Allen, violinist Johnny Chang, violist Mieka Kohut, and his work has been broadcasted on CBC, Radio Canada, Radio New Zealand, KZSU (LA),Wandelweiser web radio (Germany).

Andrew Reed Miller has worked as a professional musician for over 25 years, playing in orchestras, opera and ballet companies and performing chamber music. Originally from New York, Andrew now lives in the small city of Saint John, Canada. In 1994 he began focussing on contemporary and experimental music, developing original compositions, audio installations and media art. Much of his recent work explores the culture of music in the early 21st Century and uses interactive electronics, extended instrumental techniques and psychedelic dissonance. He was founder of Motion Ensemble (1998-2014), which premiered many new works and performed at all sorts of venues, including Sound Symposium (Newfoundland), Tonic (NYC), Western Front (Vancouver) and New Music Concerts (Toronto) Miller is principal bass of Symphony NB, Atlantic Sinfonia, has been heard on numerous CBC broadcasts and was invited as guest artist by the NB Summer Music Festival, the Scotia Festival of Music, The Confederation Centre for the Arts (Charlottetown), Ensemble Kore (Montreal) Open Waters (Halifax) and Earshot concerts (Toronto). Andrew had many student inspirations studying bass in Toronto with the great Joel Quarrington , at the University of Ottawa, the Kent Blossom Chamber Music Festival in Ohio, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and many other places. More recently he studied Max/MSP/Jitter programming at Harvestworks in New York