About

Formal Biography

Filipino-American composer and arts manager Tim Corpus brings his music to global audiences with performances at renowned venues like Carnegie Hall, the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, and the Kennedy Center, as well as recognition on BBC Radio3 and CNN Money. As a film and media composer, he has scored over 25 films and episodic projects, earning industry recognition from national festivals.

An accomplished orchestrator and arranger, he often prepares music for esteemed performers worldwide, including Renée Fleming, Andrea Bocelli, Placido Domingo, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, The Ryan Opera Center at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Third Coast Percussion, and others.

Beyond his musical pursuits, he holds leadership roles, serving as Executive Director for the Hyde Park Youth Symphony and the 2025 Ear Taxi Festival, Co-founder of the Chicago Media Composers & Lyricists and Board President for the Illinois Council of Orchestras from 2018-2024.

With degrees from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and The Hartt School at the University of Hartford, Tim Corpus has received accolades from 3Arts, The American Prize, ASCAP, the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Illinois Arts Council. His commitment to Filipino heritage is evident in his research, presented at institutions like Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History and the University of Hartford.

Composer

Concert Music / Film Scores / Sound Design

I compose for a variety of projects, from classical performance, film scores, commercials, and sound design for interactive media.

Producer & Performer

Live Music & Pop Songs

I work producing music for composers and artists. I also play drums, guitar, synthesizers, and piano for performances.

Arts Adminisrator

Executive Director / Arts Consultant

I have worked in arts management since 2012, including work with the Lake Forest Symphony, Chinese Fine Arts Society, AACM, Hyde Park Youth Symphony, Opera Festival of Chicago, and many more.

Press Kit
Production Setup

Composer | Sound Designer

I often compose for music live performance for any and all ensembles. I have music available for solo, chamber, band, and orchestral ensembles. Recent concert works include Moonshot for concert band which is available now. The Great Lake Concerto, commissioned by Roosevelt University for Ed Harrison and Vadim Karpinos will premiere at Chicago’s Auditorium Theater in February 2024. . My orchestral work Breath has been performed around the United States including performances at Carnegie Hall, the James Lumber Center, and St. Catherine University. The piece was recorded by Carlock Records for my debut album and is available on multiple platforms.

As a composer for visual media, I have written soundtracks for film, commercials, and video games. Recent soundtrack releases include the full soundtrack to Ending the War on my Body, released in 2023. You can also hear my original music for Strange Creatures in the Adult Wilderness and the Jordan Black’s comedy series.

The original soundtrack for Cheesecake & Rainbow Tights, directed by T.C. DeWitt, received numerous awards including winning Best Original Score (Artists’ Choice Awards) and nominated for Best Original Music at the Motion Club Indie Film Awards. My soundtracks to LIFE and the Hipster & the Cat have also been performed live multiple times, including at the Thirsty Ears Festival and the Sound of Silent Film Festival. Other recent work can be heard here.

My work as a video games composer and sound designer includes work in Unity and Unreal Engine. I’ve participated in several game jams and am the Lead Audio Designer for Ira, Act I: Pilgrimage, due out in 2021.

In addition to writing original music, I do a lot of arrangements and orchestrations for other artists. Previous clients and performing ensembles include Renée Fleming Andrea Bocelli, Placido Domingo, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Ryan Opera Center, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Third Coast Percussion, Chinese Fine Arts Society, Charlotte New Music, John Van Geem, Austin Symphony Orchestra, Prague Symphony, RTS Symphony, Racine Symphony Orchestra and many more.

I have been honored to have been a recipient of awards and commissions including a 3Arts Project Award (2014) and numerous awards from ASCAP, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events and the Illinois Arts Council. I also received funding for my research on Filipino composer Lucio D. San Pedro and presented at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History and the University of Hartford.

Arts Manager

My work in arts administration has provided a variety of opportunities on and off the stage. I currently consult with multiple arts organizations and previous clients include the AACM, Charlotte New Music, Chinese Fine Arts Society, Midwest Music Services, Orchestra Enigmatic, and others.

From 2017 – 2020 I served as Executive Director of the Lake Forest Symphony. In this short time, the organization achieved its first financially profitable season since 2013-14. The historic 2018-19 season included its first-ever full season sponsorship from the Lake Forest Bank & Trust. Additionally, the Symphony’s debut album, Liquid Melancholy, featuring the music of Composer-in-Residence James Stephenson was nominated for a GRAMMY-Award. I also negotiated a three-year contract with the Chicago Federation of Musicians.

Prior to the Lake Forest Symphony I served simultaneously as the Executive Director for the Hyde Park Youth Symphony, Education Coordinator for the Northwest Indiana Symphony and Drumline Instructor at Loyola University Chicago. Serving as the first Executive Director for the Hyde Park Youth Symphony, I focused on building a strong structure for the organization and established a flagship season sponsorship with the University of Chicago Medicine. While at the Northwest Indiana Symphony, we began multiple new programs including a music educator award, composition competition and a community hand drumming event in East Chicago, Indiana.

My career in arts management began in 2012, working with the Chinese Fine Arts Society as the Production Manager. In my time with the organization we produced concerts at Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’s Millennium Park, the Field Museum of Natural History, Navy Pier’s Crystal Gardens, as well as managing multiple Chinese New Year celebrations across Chicago.

Educator

I am an advocate for arts education and have taught clinics, college courses, and private lessons since 2005. In 2012, I began teaching at the collegiate level at Richard J. Daley College and Loyola University Chicago. I’ve also been a guest speaker at University of Texas-Austin, Illinois State University, Kansas State University, and Elmhurst College.

Currently I serve as the Board President for the Illinois Council of Orchestras and Secretary of the Board for the Opera Festival of Chicago. Previously I’ve served on the Composition Committee of the Percussive Arts Society and the Vic Firth Education Team. I am a proud member of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers and my compositions are published by Attacca Publishing.

Recent Projects

W is for Waves

Alphabet

Silence Speaks

Ira

#Stay Home.Save Lives

Moonshot

Race Day

Viking Village

Awards

Tim Corpus is a composer with a genuine lyric impulse. He writes music that is at the same time challenging and appealing - which should be the ideal of any composer. He has a wonderful ear for sound and for shape. This is a composer with a real and important voice.

Henry Fogel Retired Dean - Chicago College of Performing Arts, CEO/President - Chicago Symphony Orchestra

The melodic gestures in Tim Corpus' masterful piece for strings, Breath, are paced so that a listener’s respiration pattern aligns itself instinctively with the slow and even pulse of the piece. Breath creates a powerful performer/listener symbiosis, a remarkable accomplishment on the part of the composer.

Steve Gryc Composer

Tim Corpus is a wonderfully skilled composer who has important things to say with his music. His debut album, Breath, is extremely impressive. Beautiful and exciting music to be sure!

(about MMXX) Tim Corpus has created a powerful and evocative album that expertly combines electronic and acoustic sounds. The music is meaningful, fresh, and extremely beautiful.

Larry Alan Smith Composer& Dean and Professor of Composition (retired), The Hartt School of the University of Hartford

Breath is very professionally produced, and the overall impression is of a lyrical and rhapsodic voice. I think Breath is a great starter, very ample and serene, even ecstatic. The second quartet is lively and engaging throughout.

Dr. Robert Carl Composer

I've had the pleasure of knowing Tim for years now, and I learned very quickly that his passion and talent as a performer and composer are unquestioned. Everything he does is handled with a rare combination of intensity and care, and his works display such attributes. His lyricism in particular, along with his rich, beautiful harmonies and intricate polyphony set him apart from many of his colleagues. In a world littered with simple, non-intellectual music, Tim is breaking through and creating a new, exciting, accessible, and, most importantly, intelligent style of music that is imperative to the future of our art form.

Matt Bronstein Axiom Brass Quintet

I have worked with Tim Corpus as a performer, composer and teacher. He brings passion and energy to his craft. He is a young lion who is making his mark on the Chicago music scene.

Kevin Miller Retired Band Director, Schaumburg High School

Tim Corpus’s music is beautifully lyrical, nicely voiced and technically well-realized. In person, he is a pleasure to work with. We very much enjoyed recording his first two string quartets and hope to see more from him in the future.

Jen Leckie Violinist, Grant Street String Quartet

I recently had the pleasure of conducting the premiere of First Flight. It is artfully written, fresh, unique, and best of all – a beautiful piece of music! Tim is a major talent with big things in store for his future. My students loved rehearsing and playing it, and the audience went crazy for it. It clearly deserves a permanent place in the repertoire of any serious wind ensemble. I can't wait to program it again!

Stephen Squires Conductor, Chicago College of Performing Arts Wind Ensemble

...`{`Three Pieces for Five Timpani`}` is an outstanding addition to the literature for timpani and great for advanced recital programs.

George Frock Professor Emeritus, The University of Texas

MMXX really takes you there. It is so clearly an experience, and a deeper layer of conversation

John Van Geem Composer

I Use

Header photo by Ashley Deran