Dr. Andrea Reinkemeyer

Dr. Andrea Reinkemeyer, internationally performed American composer, joins the faculty of George Mason University in Fall 2023 as Associate Professor and Director of Composition. Widely commissioned by orchestras, universities, and chamber ensembles across the United States, critics hail Dr. Reinkemeyer’s unique synesthetic soundscapes that blur the boundary between sound and vision, to “magical” (Fanfare) and even “enchanting” effect (International Choral Bulletin). As her catalog has matured, these soundscapes have been used to interrogate human nature and urgent sociopolitical issues—public and private grief, natural disasters in the Pacific Northwest, and #MeToo are among the myriad subject matter Reinkemeyer deftly navigates. As Oregon ArtsWatch describes, her music “find[s] discordant grace where other composers would flinch. She is a composer who looks to the horizon, but also gazes within, translating private pains and passions into exquisite works.”

For her music’s distinctive combination of topicality and aural entrancement, Reinkemeyer is a sought-after composer by artists across a wide range of musical mediums. Examples include Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and Albany Symphony Orchestra, collaborations with renowned conductors like H. Robert Reynolds and contemporary ensembles, as well as solo performers, visual artists, universities, and even a thirteen-school wind band consortium led by Brant Stai and the Sherwood High School Wind Ensemble. 

Seeking out artistic partners on the forefront of contemporary music, Reinkemeyer’s work enjoys distribution by Murphy Press and the ADJ•ective Composers’ Collective and is featured on the discographies of several soloists and chamber musicians: Idit Shner (Origin Arts), Primary Colors Trio (Society of Composers Inc. and Navona Records), In Mulieribus, and both Post-Haste Reed Duo and A/B Duo on the Aerocade Music label. Her current work is performed by ensembles and organizations including Eugene Symphony, New Music Gathering, American Composers Orchestra, and Thailand International Composition Festival. Additionally, her music has been featured at the International Alliance of Women in Music, Iowa Music Teachers Association, Society of Composers, Inc., and Society of Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States. 

Dr. Reinkemeyer holds degrees in music composition from the University of Michigan (M.M.; D.M.A.) and University of Oregon (B.M.) She previously served as the 2022-23 Edith Green Distinguished Professor, Chair of the Department of Music, and Associate Professor of Music Composition and Theory at Linfield University. Coveted as a mentor, Reinkemeyer has served as Composer-in-Residence with the Michigan Philharmonic, the American-Romanian Festival’s Fusion Project, and Burns Park Elementary School, and has led outreach programs with the Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings and the Michigan Mentorship Program. Her Smoulder for Wind Ensemble received two major accolades: the 2021 Alex Shapiro Prize by the International Alliance of Women in Music, and being named a 2020 finalist for the National Band Association William D. Revelli Composition Contest.

Born and raised in Oregon, she has also lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Bangkok, Thailand.

Degrees

• DMA, Music Composition, University of Michigan
• MM, Music Composition, University of Michigan
• BM, Music Composition, University of Oregon