About the Piece:
“Ornithopter“ is a work for saxophone and electronics inspired by the persistence and creative vision of inventing flying machines and how they compare to the evolutionary perfection of bird species.
Instrumentation:
Alto Saxophone and Electronics
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All consortium members will have their name displayed on the inside score cover in perpetuity and exclusivity of performance until 7/1/2027.
Members
About the Composer
Andrew McGowan is an award winning composer and contemporary performing artist based in Illinois. His career has led him to work as a composer, conductor, performing artist, educator, athletic trainer, and brasswind repair technician. His works have been performed and recorded all over the United States.
Andrew strives to compose music that helps others to reconnect with what it means to feel alive. In his pursuit of a sound that says “I dare you“ he blends styles of the past and present, rigorously constructed form, intense rhythms, improvisatory melodies, contemporary playing techniques, modal tonalities, and often electronics. McGowan writes for musical ensembles of all sizes, film, podcasts, and contemporary media. Most recently his work has focused on Contemporary Chamber music, Jazz, and Cross-Cultural Improvised Music. In 2023 Andrew was an Imani Winds Emerging Composing Fellow, and was a featured Artist at Boneyard Arts Festival in 2024 and 2025.
He holds Masters Degrees from the University of Illinois, a Diploma from Minnesota State College Southeast, and a Bachelor’s Degree from Illinois State University where his studies have included Music Composition, Tuba and Euphonium Performance, Band Instrument Repair, Conducting, and Music Education. His other interests include Visual Art, Reading Fiction, History, Economics, Physiology, Psychology, and anything that gets him outside.
Some of Andrew’s other pieces with electronics