Biography

Andrea Reinkemeyer (b. 1976, she/her) is an internationally performed American composer and mentorship-focused pedagogue. Widely commissioned by orchestras, universities, and chamber ensembles across the United States, critics hail Dr. Reinkemeyer’s unique synesthetic soundscapes that blur the boundary between sound and vision, to “magical” (Fanfare) and even “enchanting” effect (International Choral Bulletin). As her catalog has matured, these soundscapes have been used to interrogate human nature and urgent sociopolitical issues—public and private grief, natural disasters in the Pacific Northwest, and #MeToo are among the myriad subject matter Reinkemeyer deftly navigates. As Oregon ArtsWatch describes, her music “find[s] discordant grace where other composers would flinch. She is a composer who looks to the horizon, but also gazes within, translating private pains and passions into exquisite works.”

Reinkemeyer's music is celebrated for its distinctive combination of topicality and aural entrancement, making her a sought-after composer by artists across a wide range of musical mediums. Her recent commissions demonstrate this breadth, including work for prestigious organizations such as the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and Albany Symphony Orchestra, collaborations with renowned conductors like H. Robert Reynolds and contemporary ensembles, as well as solo performers, visual artists, universities, and even a thirteen-school wind band consortium led by Brant Stai and the Sherwood High School Wind Ensemble. 

Informed by her journey as a “first-generation Classical musician”, Dr. Reinkemeyer has gone to great lengths to build an infrastructure of mentorship for composers. Created after joining the faculty of Linfield University in Oregon in 2014, her flagship programs Composers Studio and the Lacroute Composer Readings serve as a conduit between young composers and professional chamber ensembles—allowing composers to not only rehearse with professional musicians but also to premiere their work to an audience. Dr. Reinkemeyer’s programs not only serve students at Linfield, but also high school and community college students from across the Pacific Northwest who otherwise lack access to compositional mentorship and learning resources. In part due to these efforts, she currently serves as the 2022-23 Edith Green Distinguished Professor, Chair of the Department of Music, and Associate Professor of Music Composition and Theory. In 2019, the school honored her with the 2019 Julie Olds and Thomas Hellie Creative Achievement Award for Linfield Faculty.

Reinkemeyer cultivated this passion for mentorship prior to Linfield through opportunities earlier in her career. From serving as Composer-in-Residence with the Michigan Philharmonic, the American-Romanian Festival’s Fusion Project, and Burns Park Elementary School, to her involvement in outreach programs with the Detroit Chamber Winds & Strings and the Michigan Mentorship Program, she has dedicated herself to mentoring young musicians and composers. Her commitment to this work has been recognized with the support of a Meet the Composer/MetLife Creative Connections Grant.

Reinkemeyer’s music enjoys distribution by Murphy Press and the ADJ•ective Composers’ Collective and is featured on the discographies of several soloists and chamber musicians: Idit Shner (Origin Arts), Primary Colors Trio (Society of Composers Inc. and Navona Records), In Mulieribus, and both Post-Haste Reed Duo and A/B Duo on the Aerocade Music label. Her current work is performed by ensembles and organizations including Eugene Symphony, New Music Gathering, American Composers Orchestra, and Thailand International Composition Festival. Additionally, her music has been featured at the International Alliance of Women in Music, Iowa Music Teachers Association, Society of Composers, Inc., and Society of Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States. 

Dr. Reinkemeyer holds degrees in music composition from the University of Michigan (M.M.; D.M.A.) and University of Oregon (B.M.). Her previous part-time and adjunct positions include at University of Oregon School of Music and Dance, Mahidol University International College in Salaya, Thailand, and at Bowling Green State University. Her Smoulder for Wind Ensemble received two major accolades: the 2021 Alex Shapiro Prize by the International Alliance of Women in Music, and being named a 2020 finalist for the National Band Association William D. Revelli Composition Contest.

Born and raised in Oregon, Andrea has also lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan and Bangkok, Thailand.

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