Tim Janis

Tim Janis is an American composer with 10 Billboard charting CDs, over one million albums sold, four National Public Television Specials, and a constant touring presence.

Career

Tim Janis has worked with some of the top artists in the music and entertainment business including Paul McCartney, Billy Joel, Ray Charles, George Clooney, Jackie Evancho, and James Earl Jones. He has also conducted the Czech National Symphony, the Kwazulu Natal Philharmonic and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra.

On 30 November 2012, Janis produced "The American Christmas Carol" concert for Kate Winslet’s Golden Hat Foundation supported by Sarah McLachlan, Loreena McKennitt, Andrea Corr, Hayley Westenra, Sleepy Man Banjo Boys,an orchestra, a choir, etc. in Carnegie Hall. He has continued to produce similar concerts for 2013 and 2014.

Tim Janis, who has conducted the Czech National Symphony, the Kwazulu Natal Philharmonic, and the Hartford Symphony Orchestra in addition to writing his own music, studied piano and received a degree in composition from the University of New Hampshire in 1991. He has cited composers John Williams, John Barry, and Hans Zimmer as major influences.

A prolific recording artist, Janis has released over 15 solo compositions, among them Etain (1996), A Thousand Summers (2002), Across Two Oceans (2004), and Coming Home (2005), as well as many Christmas recordings. His work generally concerns itself with strong and descriptive melodies, often regarding the beauty of nature (for example, 1996's Along the Shore of Acadia, a rich tone poem inspired by the national park), proving it the perfect accompaniment for two public television programs extolling the physical splendor of the United States, Beautiful America (2004) and Coastal America (2006), both narrated by actor George Clooney. Janis also performed in a live special for PBS, 2001's An American Composer in Concert, with the American Symphony Orchestra, whom he conducted.

Believing that music can be more than entertainment, the composer began his Music with a Mission project, with the purpose of encouraging understanding and cognizance between different people and cultures. He has brought the all-female HIV-positive South African choir Sinikithemba to the U.S. to raise awareness about the AIDS epidemic there, performed a series of concerts in China to bridge communication between the two countries, and as of 2006 was still leading the Music in Our Schools volunteer program, which is meant to inspire elementary school students to create and study music.

Selected discography

• Ghost Town (1992)
• Along the Shore of Acadia (1996)
• Etain (1996)
• Christmas (1999)
• December Morning (1999)
• Flowers in October (1999)
• Water's Edge (2000)
• American Composer in Concert (2001)
• "Music of Hope" (2001)
• Thousand Summers (2002)
• Flowers in October [bonus DVD] (2003)
• Across Two Oceans (2003)
• Beautiful America (2003)
• American Horizons (2005)
• Christmas Piano Collection (2005)
• Simple Gift of Christmas (2003)
• Coming Home (2005)
• Promise (2005)
• Winter's Eve (2005)
• Coastal America (2006)
• Quiet Shore (2006)
• Wondrous Christmas (2006)
• The American Christmas Carol (2006)
• Gifts of the Heart (2007)
• An Enchanted Evening (2008)
• Celebrate America (2009)
• The Journey Home (2010)

Public Television Specials

• Tim Janis: An American Composer in Concert (2002)
• Tim Janis: Beautiful America (narrated by George Clooney) (2004)
• Tim Janis: Coastal America (narrated by George Clooney) (2006)
• Tim Janis: The American Christmas Carol (narrated by James Earl Jones) (2006)

Tim Janis: An Enchanted Evening ( 2007 )

External links

• Official website
• http://www.billboard.com/charts/2002-08-24/classical-albums
• http://unhmagazine.unh.edu/sp01/profjanissp01.html