Timothy Long facts for kids

Timothy Long (born December 19, 1967) is a talented American musician. He is known as a conductor, which means he leads groups of musicians like orchestras or opera singers. He is also a skilled pianist, playing the piano. Timothy Long has performed music all over the United States and in other countries. He is a member of the Thlopthlocco Tribal Town, which is part of the Muscogee Creek Nation of Oklahoma.

Timothy Long's Musical Journey

Timothy Long was born in Holdenville, Oklahoma. He has dedicated his life to music. He teaches music at Stony Brook University, where he is also the music director for the Stony Brook Opera. This means he helps lead and guide the opera performances there. He also works as an assistant music director for the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis.

Leading The Coast Orchestra

One of Timothy Long's special achievements is starting The Coast Orchestra. This is a unique group because all of its musicians are Native American and have been trained in classical music.

The Coast Orchestra has performed in famous places like the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian and the American Museum of Natural History. They also played at Rutgers University. The orchestra performs many different kinds of music. For example, they have played the original music for an old movie from 1914 called In the Land of the Head Hunters, which was made by Edward S. Curtis.

Working with Other Orchestras

Before leading The Coast Orchestra, Timothy Long gained a lot of experience. For three years, he worked as an assistant conductor with the Brooklyn Philharmonic. He learned from famous conductor Robert Spano during this time. He also spent two years as an associate conductor at the New York City Opera.

Music Recordings

In 2008, Timothy Long released his first music recording. On this recording, he was both the conductor and the pianist. The recording was for a special play/opera called The Music Teacher, which was created by Wallace Shawn and Allen Shawn. This recording was released by Bridge Records.

Education and Training

Timothy Long started his musical studies early. He learned to play both the piano and the violin at Oklahoma City University. While he was studying there, he also played the violin in the Oklahoma City Philharmonic orchestra.

After his studies in Oklahoma, he went on to the Eastman School of Music. There, he focused on piano performance and literature for his advanced studies. He is now returning to the Eastman School of Music to become their Opera Music Director, which is a very important role.