(b. 1953, New York, New York – d. c. 15 April 2021, New York, New York).
American composer of mostly chamber, vocal and piano works that have been performed in North America; he was also active as a pianist.
Mr. Violette studied at the High School of Music and Art in New York, New York from 1968–71 and there earned the Regent's Scholarship. He studied composition with Elliott Carter and Roger Sessions and counterpoint with Otto Luening at the Juilliard School in New York, New York from 1971–75, where he earned his BMus and MMus, as well as the Lado Prize in Composition. He was later a student at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception in New York, New York from 1994–96.
Among his honours were three fellowships from the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire (1983–85), a fellowship from the artist colony Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, New York (1999) and a fellowship from the Virginia Center for the Arts (1999).
As a pianist, his specialty was contemporary music. He worked as an accompanist to dance classes for Robert Blanshine, Nanette Cherrise, Merce Cunningham, and Janet Panetta in New York, New York in the 1980s.
He was also active in other positions. He served as music director of the Lutheran Church of Our Savior's Atonement and of its concert series Cornerstone Center from 1975–88. Moreover, he served as music director of the Battery Dance Company, the Paul Sanasardo Dance Company and the Peggy Florin Dancers, all in New York, New York, all in the 1980s before his term as a contemplative Benedictine monk at St. Mary's Monastery in Massachusetts from 1988–94. He served as music director of the St. Augustine Roman Catholic Church in Park Slope, Brooklyn from 1996–2021.
He taught as an adjunct instructor of literature and materials of music at the Juilliard School in 1975–76.
His publisher is the American Composers Alliance, for music written from 1970–89.
COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS
ORCHESTRAL:
Symphony in Six Movements, 2000
CHAMBER MUSIC:
Little Lullaby, guitar, 1970
Sonatina, harp, piano, 1973–74
In Memoriam Igor Stravinsky, 2 French horns, 2 trumpets, marimba, 1974
Waltz, cello, piano, 1976
Last Dance, 2 pianos, percussion, 1979
Worldes Blis, 2 French horns, piccolo trumpet, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, timpani, 1982
Quintet, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, 1983
Pastorale, bass trombone, organ, 1983
American Songs, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, 1984
Chaconne, violin, marimba, tubular bells, 1984
Trio, French horn, bass trombone, piano, 1984
String Quartet 1, 1985
String Quartet 2, 1986
String Quartet 3, 1986
String Quartet 4, 1987
String Quartet 5, 1988
String Quartet 6, 1989
Adagio, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 2000
Six Performances, flute, clarinet, French horn, violin, cello, piano, synthesizer, 2001
Rave, electric violin, violin, 2 pianos, 2 synthesizers, 2001–05
Jazz, synthesizer, 2006
Two Sax Sextets, 6 saxophones, 2006
Songs and Dances, cello, 2006
Sonata, violin, 2006
Sonata, guitar, 2007
CHORAL:
Three Madrigals, mixed chorus, cello, piano, 1983–87
The Voices of God, mixed chorus, 4 synthesizers, percussion, amplified string quartet, 2004
Adam and Eve in Heaven, female voice, male voice, mixed chorus, flute, oboe, violin, cello, 3 synthesizers, percussion, 2005
VOCAL:
Pistis Sophia, voice, 1970
Black Tea, soprano, harp, double bass, percussion, 1982
À Margarita Debayle, soprano, piano, 1982
Little Boy Blue/Danny Boy, tenor, piano, 1986
Songs for a Dead Hero, baritone, piano, 1986
La Mejor Tinta, baritone, piano, 1987
Song Set, soprano, tenor, piano, 1993–96 (also version for voice, piano, 1996–97)
The Death of the Hired Man (text by Robert Frost), soprano, piano, 1996
The Love Duet (text by Walt Whitman), soprano, tenor, piano, 1996
Love Songs, tenor, piano, 1997
Adulterous Woman, voice, piano, 1997
Whitman, soprano, mezzo-soprano, baritone, 2 pianos, percussion, 2000
A Very Valentine, voice, piano, 2002
Love Alone, voice, piano, 2003
PIANO:
Fugamericana, 1970
Fantasy, 1970
Piano Piece 1, 1972
Piano Piece 2, 1974
Amor Dammi Quel Fazzolettino, piano 4 hands, 1976
Sonata #1, 2 pianos, 1976, revised 1989
Fast/Short, 2 pianos, 1977
Intermezzo, 1977
Three Pieces in F, 1978
Sonata 1, 1978
Sonata 2, 1979
Sonata 3, 1979
Sonata 4, 1982
Harmonizations, any keyboard instrument, 1983
Sonata 5, 1985
Sonata 6, 1986
Five Sonatinas, 1994–95
Sonata 7, 2001
ORGAN:
Dance, 1981
Organbook, 1981
Three Choral Preludes, 1983
Libera Me, 1986
DISCOGRAPHY (as composer)
Sonata 7; Sonata 1. Andrew Violette, piano (Innova Recordings: 587, 2003)
The Death of the Hired Man; The Love Duet. Sherry Zannoth, soprano; Brad Cresswell, tenor; Andrew Violette, piano (Innova Recordings: 608, 2004)
Sonata 2; Sonata 3; Sonata 4; Sonata 5; Sonata 6. Andrew Violette, piano (Innova Recordings: 641, 2005)
Rave. Gregor Kitzis, electric violin; Curtis Macomber, violin; Andrew Violette, pianos, synthesizers (Innova Recordings: 674, 2007)
Five Sonatinas (3 excerpts). Andrew Violette, piano (Composers Recordings, Inc.: CRI 864)
Amor Dammi Quel Fazzolettino. Andrew William Thomas, Andrew Violette, piano 4 hands (Opus One Music)
Black Tea. Judith Bettina, soprano; Alyssa Hess Reit, harp; Joseph Tamosaitis, double bass; Andrew Violette, percussion (Opus One Music)
Piano Piece 2. Andrew Violette, piano (Opus One Music)
Sonata #1. Andrew William Thomas, Andrew Violette, pianos (Opus One Music)
DISCOGRAPHY (as performer)
Various works (Virgil Thomson). (Composers Recordings, Inc.)
B sharp; Miraplex; Everybody's Favourite Rag (Max Schubel). (Opus One Music: 151)
An Wasser Flüssen Babylon (Andrew William Thomas). (Opus One Music)
Death of Yukio Mishima (Andrew William Thomas). (Opus One Music)
From a Time of Snow (Lawrence Widdoes). (Opus One Music)
Rue de la Tombe-Issoire (Carmine Pepe). (Opus One Music)
Sonata 3 (Roland Trogan). (Opus One Music)
Suite (Willard Roosevelt). (Opus One Music)