Robert Gilmore is a composer, arranger,
multi-instrumentalist and vocalist whose various musical pursuits include
string quartets, choral works, chamber and large ensemble compositions,
improvisation, sound collage, popular music/songwriting, arranging and
composing scores for video, film, and modern dance.
Recently,
he has written several string quartet arrangements for Jeremy Cohen's group Quartet San Francisco. He authored the
arrangement of the Raymond Scott tune "Boy Scout In Switzerland" that
was featured on their 2007 CD release "Whirled Chamber
Music" (Grammy nominated for Best Classical Crossover Album).
He also wrote the arrangement of the Dave Brubeck composition "Forty
Days" that is featured on their 2009 CD release "QSF Plays Brubeck",
which received two Grammy nominations; Best Classical Crossover Album and Best
Engineered Classical Recording. Gilmore also wrote an arrangement of Queen's
"Bohemian Rhapsody" for QSF, which has become a crowd pleasing live
encore for the group. QSF recorded and released "Bohemian Rhapsody"
as a digital single in 2013.
Aircastle is
a group that Robert co-founded with David Godet in the
early 1970s in Sonoma County, CA. Aircastle began as
an acoustic guitar and flute duo, and grew to include violin, cello, female
vocalist, and eventually the addition of bass, drums and keyboards,
transitioning to electric music. The group was initially active from 1973-1982.
In 2007, the founding Aircastle duo reunited and
played their first gig together in 25 years, opening for the Poyntlyss Sistars at the
Forestville Club on the Russian River.
In April 2008, the Aircastle quartet performed at the
"Be There
Now" festival at Sonoma State University, with original members Karen
Stokes (vocals) and Jeremy Cohen
(violin). This was a 30 year re-union of the Aircastle
quartet. The Aircastle duo also played the "Be
There Now" festival the following day at the Cotati Plaza, the site of the
original swan song gig Aircastle played back in 1982. In 2009, the Aircastle duo again opened for the Poyntlyss
Sistars.
The Aircastle quartet performed in July 2010 at Montclair
Presbyterian Church in Oakland, CA. This performance was part of a service
celebrating the music in the ministry of Reverend Karen Haygood, minister at
MPC for the past 12 years.
In 2011 and 2012,
the Aircastle duo and trio performed at art gallery
premiers in Oakland and Windsor.
Work continues on
remixing and mastering for an Aircastle release.
Robert has composed, arranged, performed and recorded music for a number of
commercial video and film soundtracks, clients include Waverly, Stroud's,
Buffum's, India Ink and Bloomingdale's. His music has appeared on MTV and NBC.
In 2011, he composed
the soundtrack for Fred Kaplan's film "The River Under the City of
Angels," an award winning documentary about the
Los Angeles river.
He collaborated with
the late choreographer Jennifer Kilfoil, who
commissioned him to compose and arrange music for her "Quiet Violence
Trilogy". The Trilogy was performed by her dance troupe at several SF Bay
Area venues, including Theater Artaud and Laney College.
Robert received an
MA in Composition from Mills College and a BMus from California State
University, Fullerton.
He studied with Warne Marsh, Anthony Braxton, Alvin Curran, Lloyd Rodgers and Will
Johnson.
A published
songwriter affiliated with BMI, he has written over 500 songs.
"I enjoy
composing music that encompasses a wide range of styles: from rock, pop, and
jazz to classical, neo-romantic, post modern
minimalism and lullabyes. Recording projects range
from simple "live to stereo" to more complex productions involving
the layering of acoustic and electric instruments using computer based
multi-tracked digital audio. "
Instruments include
flutes, recorders, saxes, acoustic and electric guitar, piano, synthesizer,
MIDI wind controller, toy instruments, percussion.