Timothy Archambault facts for kids

Timothy Archambault, born in 1971, is an American composer and musician. He is well-known for playing the Native American flute. He currently lives in Miami, Florida.

Early Life and Learning

Timothy Archambault was born on February 9, 1971. His birthplace was Willimantic, Connecticut.

He has a special heritage. He is from the Kichesipirini Algonquin First Nation and Métis people.

Timothy went to the Rhode Island School of Design. He earned two degrees there. These were in architecture and fine arts. While studying there, he also took music theory classes at Brown University.

Musical Journey

Timothy Archambault started playing the Native American flute in 1989. He learned from famous flutists. These included Kevin Locke (Lakota) and Edmund Wayne Nevaquaya (Comanche).

He has also collected songs from his Kichesipirini heritage. He learned these from elders in Canada. He also found old recordings from the early 1900s.

Archambault plays complex music on his flute. He uses a chromatic style. He has performed music by other Native American composers. These include David Yeagley, George Quincy, and Raven Chacon.

In 2008, his recording of Yeagley's Wessi vah-peh was released. He played the Native American flute with an orchestra. This was the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra Katowice.

Timothy was the first to use an old flute technique. It is called the "warble." This technique makes one flute note split into many sounds. He used this in modern classical music.

He also recorded an orchestral piece called The Choctaw Diaries. This was by the Choctaw composer George Quincy. It was released in June 2008. Later that year, he joined The Coast Orchestra. This was a Native American orchestra.

As a composer, Timothy wrote a piece for solo cello in 2007. It was for a Mohawk cellist. This work, called Anoki, was released on CD in late 2008.

Archambault is part of the First Nations Composer Initiative. He performed at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C., in November 2006. In August 2007, he recorded traditional Kichesipirini flute songs. These recordings are now in the museum's archives. In 2008, he helped choose musicians for grants.

Architecture Work

Before joining OMA, Timothy worked for other architecture firms. He worked on the Pratt Stabile Hall Dormitory. He also worked with Frank O. Gehry and Associates. There, he helped with the Samsung Museum of Contemporary Art and the Walt Disney Concert Hall.