Larry Tuttle writes propulsive and optimistic music with a strong sense of story and narrative arc. He works in a contemporary orchestral idiom while still taking full advantage of traditional musical values such as strong melody, meaningful structure and thematic development. Larry won the Pittsburgh Symphony’s 2014 H.J. Heinz Company Audience of the Future Composition Competition with his first orchestral work, CHORALE AND FIDDLE TUNE. The competition was judged by students from the greater Pittsburgh area. His piece BY STEAM OR BY DREAM won second prize in the 2016 Keuris Composers Competition, in the category of Youth Symphony Orchestra. Both contest wins serve to emphasize Larry's commitment to creating challenging but accessible music for young players, and for re-vitalizing the audience for orchestral music.
ORCHESTRAL WORKS By Steam or by Dream (2nd prize - 2016 Keuris Composers Contest, Youth Symphony Division) ---- Chorale and Fiddle Tune (winner - Pittsburgh Symphony 2014 Audience of the Future Composition Competition) --- Tales of Science and Magic (four-movement orchestral suite) ---- Dark Forest (violin concerto) ---- The Alchemy of Hope (orchestra and choir)
BACKGROUND --- Trained extensively in double bass and piano from an early age, Larry’s youth growing up in Seattle was saturated with orchestral music. Youth symphonies, All-City orchestras, music camps (including a transformative summer spent at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, where he played principal bass in the World Youth Symphony Orchestra), you name it. Larry’s bass mentors included Ron Simon, James Harnett, Oscar Zimmerman and jazz legend Gary Peacock, who opened Larry’s eyes and ears with some amazing lessons in ear training and the scientific underpinnings of music. An obsession with the bass guitar and a long detour through rock and pop music (including two albums released on Warner Brothers Records with the rock group RUSSIA) eventually led Larry to an eclectic instrument called the Chapman Stick, and a pop-classical hybrid group called FREEWAY PHILHARMONIC. Made up of viola, classical guitar, Chapman Stick and drums, FREEWAY PHILHARMONIC mixed twentieth century classical styles with rock, pop and filmscore ideas, all unified by an intricate and complex arranging style. FREEWAY PHILHARMONIC released four CDs, and its later iteration, STRING PLANET, released two. Larry’s disc of solo compositions for the Chapman Stick, THROUGH THE GATES, is considered one of the landmark recordings for that instrument. Larry and his partner violist Novi Novog now perform as STRING PLANET. Turning his attentions to concert music, Larry found success with his first orchestral work, the aforementioned winner of the Pittsburgh Symphony contest. Among other projects, he is currently developing a new violin concerto and several works targeted for Youth Orchestra. He is a composing and performing member of CELA (Composers Ensemble of Los Angeles). CELA is a twelve-member composer’s collective dedicated to developing and promoting new work.