Rob Moose
Rob Moose (born 1982)[1] is an American multi-instrumentalist, arranger, producer, conductor, and orchestrator.[2] He primarily plays the violin, viola, and guitar.
Rob Moose | |
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Background information | |
Born | 1982 (age 37–38) |
Origin | New York City |
Occupation(s) | Musician, arranger, producer, conductor, orchestrator |
Instruments | Violin, viola, guitar, mandolin, vocals |
Years active | 2005–present |
Associated acts | yMusic, Bon Iver, Antony and the Johnsons, Sufjan Stevens, My Brightest Diamond, The National, Glen Hansard, Blake Mills, Beth Orton |
Website | robmoose |
Early life and education
Moose was born in 1982.[1] He was raised in Windsor, Connecticut[3] and learned piano and violin at The Hartt School.[4] He attended the Loomis Chaffee School through 10th grade, before moving with his family to Moorestown, New Jersey.[5][4] He completed high school at Moorestown Friends School, graduating in 2000.[5] Moose studied violin at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City.[1][5] He began a master's program in American studies at Columbia University, but left to join Antony and the Johnsons on tour in 2005.[1]
Career
Moose met Sufjan Stevens in 2004 after being introduced to him by Shara Worden, who was then a member of Stevens' touring band.[6] Moose contributed violin to Stevens' album Illinois (2005).[7]
Moose has performed with Sufjan Stevens, The National, Glen Hansard, Blake Mills, Beth Orton, and My Brightest Diamond. He has played viola for Jay-Z and violin for Savion Glover, Josh Groban, Vampire Weekend, and Duncan Sheik.[5][2] Since 2019, Moose has contributed musical analysis of popular songs to the HeadGum podcast Punch Up the Jam.[8][9]
Moose has contributed to three benefit albums by Red Hot Organization, including interpreting Johann Sebastian Bach piano works as a duo with mandolinist Chris Thile on Red Hot + Bach (2014).[2]
Instrumentalist
As a violinist and violist, Moose has performed on close to 300 albums, including albums by artists such as Alabama Shakes, John Legend, and Joshua Bell. He appeared on the Grammy Award-winning albums High Wide & Handsome: The Charlie Poole Project (2009) by Loudon Wainwright III and The Suburbs (2010) by Arcade Fire.[2]
Arranger
Moose has worked as a music arranger for records by numerous artists including The Decemberists, Interpol, The National, Jim James, St. Vincent, tUnE-yArDs, LeAnn Rimes, They Might Be Giants, Laura Marling, Trey Anastasio, and Punch Brothers.[2]
Conductor
In 2007, Moose made his debut as a conductor and orchestrator in a performance with Sufjan Stevens at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Opera House.[10][2] He was the conductor on Antony and the Johnsons' live album Cut the World (2012).[11] He has worked as a condutor at numerous venues, including the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Royal Opera House.[2]
yMusic
Moose is a founding member of the New York sextet chamber ensemble yMusic. Moose formed yMusic with trumpeter CJ Camerieri in Brooklyn in 2008. The ensemble consists of a trumpet, flute, clarinet, violin, viola, and cello.[12] As of 2020, yMusic has released five studio albums.[13] yMusic play classical and pop music compositions and also assist other artists in adding classical elements to their music.[5]
Bon Iver
In 2011, Moose joined Bon Iver. He contributed musical arrangements and recorded strings for the group's self-titled sophomore album, Bon Iver (2011).[14][15] The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2019.[16] The album won Best Alternative Music Album at the 2012 Grammy Awards, while the band won Best New Artist for their work on it.[17] Moose toured with Bon Iver, including performing four sold-out concerts at Radio City Music Hall and an appearance on Saturday Night Live.[2][18][19] Bon Iver's third studio album, 22, A Million (2016), featured Moose's violin and viola arrangements on "22 (OVER S∞∞N)" and saxophone arrangements by Moose throughout.[20] Moose contributed to the band's fourth studio album, I, I (2019). Moose contributed violin, viola, octave viola, piano, string arrangements, and all "Worm Crew" arrangements. He served as the "Worm Crew" conductor. Moose has songwriting credits on "iMi", "Holyfields,", and "Marion".[21]
Production
Moose has worked as a producer on Ben Folds' So There, Gabriel Kahane's The Ambassador (2014), Time for Three's 2014 eponymous debut album, and My Brightest Diamond's All Things Will Unwind (2011).[2]
References
- Mishan, Ligaya (November 16, 2015). "The Coravin Proves Rob Moose Is Serious About His Wine". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- "About Rob Moose". robmoose.com. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- Anderson, Stacey (November 21, 2014). "Rob Moose: Breathing New Life Into Classical Music". The New York Times. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- Danton, Eric R. (December 11, 2011). "Classical Looks To Pop For New Ideas". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- "Rob Moose '00 Wins Two Grammy Awards with Bon Iver". Among Friends (Spring 2012 ed.). Moorestown Friends School. p. 27. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- Reed, Ryan (July 1, 2015). "Inside the Recording Sessions for Sufjan Stevens' Illinois". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- Illinois (CD). Sufjan Stevens. Asthmatic Kitty Records. 2005. AKR014.CS1 maint: others (link)
- "84 - Hotel California PART ONE (w/ Miel's Dad)". HeadGum.
- @punchupthejam (December 19, 2019). "the podcast has officially PEAKED" (Tweet). Retrieved April 13, 2020 – via Twitter.
- Foster, Patrick (February 6, 2007). "Sufjan Stevens". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- Young, Martyn. "Antony & The Johnsons - Cut The World". DIY. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- Weininger, David (September 27, 2014). "yMusic ignores genre boundaries". The Boston Globe. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- Colter Walls, Seth (February 14, 2020). "yMusic: Ecstatic Science Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- Bon Iver, Bon Iver (CD booklet). Bon Iver. Jagjaguwar. 2011.CS1 maint: others (link)
- Hermes, Will (May 26, 2011). "Bon Iver". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- Pelly, Jenn (February 12, 2012). "Bon Iver Wins Grammys for Best New Artist, Best Alternative Music Album". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- Snyder, Steven James (September 20, 2012). "Bon Iver in New York: An Indie Group's Moment to Shine". Time. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- Martens, Todd (February 5, 2012). "Bon Iver on 'SNL': Indie-pop at its most easy-listening". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- 22, A Million (CD booklet). Bon Iver. Jagjaguwar. 2016. JAG300.CS1 maint: others (link)
- Strauss, Matthew (August 8, 2019). "Here Are the Full Credits for Bon Iver's New Album i,i: James Blake, Moses Sumney, and More". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 18, 2020.