Timothy Munro (flute)
www.timothymunro.com
Tim Munro is a Chicago-based, triple-Grammy-winning musician. His diverse work as a flutist, speaker, writer and teacher is united by a single goal: to draw audiences into an engrossing and whimsical musical world.
Born in Brisbane, Australia, Tim was the flutist and co-artistic director of the chamber ensemble eighth blackbird from 2006 till 2015. As a member of eighth blackbird, Tim performed at major concert venues in 40 US states and abroad, worked as soloist with America’s finest orchestras, curated three music festivals, and premiered more than 100 new works, including Steve Reich’s “Double Sextet” (Pulitzer Prize winner, 2009). Tim won his third Grammy Award as a member of eighth blackbird in 2016, for the Cedille Records album “Filament.”
According to the Chicago Tribune, “the fierce virtuosity of Tim Munro was worth the price of admission all by itself.” Tim’s solo performances are “captivating…bravura…charismatic” (The New York Times), “engrossing” (Chicago Tribune) and “brilliantly clear and beautifully balanced” (Sydney Morning Herald). Tim memorizes his solo repertoire, leaving him free to add a theatrical dimension to his shows.
Tim’s solo album, “one two three,” is a funny, terrifying, and unpredictable journey that casts Munro as flutist, singer, amateur mathematician, and supervillain, produced in collaboration with cassette tape label Parlour Tapes+.
Future projects are many and varied. Tim has upcoming commissions from Chicago post-punk guitarist Dave Reminick (a wild and whimsical work for flutist-singer) and Pulitzer prize-finalist Chris Cerrone (a major solo work exploring extreme acoustic spaces). In 2016 he plays with Sandbox Percussion and the Chicago Symphony, writes for Australia’s Limelight Magazine and the Sydney Symphony, teaches at Grand Valley State University and Southern Methodist University. Tim makes his New York solo debut in November, and is co-music director for a large-scale musical project, involving 1000 performers, planned for its US premiere in Chicago in 2017.
An experienced and energetic teacher, Tim guides and provokes students to use their instruments to tell compelling tales with emotional honesty. As a member of eighth blackbird, he held faculty positions at the Curtis Institute of Music, University of Chicago and University of Richmond, and has appeared as a guest lecturer at more than 50 universities across America.
Tim is also a passionate writer and speaker about music, inviting audiences into his beloved musical worlds with intelligence and humor. Tim is principal flute of the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra in Santa Cruz, and has performed with many of Australia’s orchestras and chamber ensembles.