Compositions and Soundtrack Highlights
Explore Tamir's Concert works, as well as his work on Film and Video Game Soundtracks
Materia
For Orchestra
Program Notes:
Materia is a Latin word that describes “stuff”. It is the root for words such as mother and matter. Music is born out of thin air, out of nothing, and returns to nothing. It is fleeting and has no concrete form, yet it fuels revolution and nourishes the soul. Materia was written to be representative of this dichotomy and the rewarding nature of the act of creation. The piece is dedicated to Norman Freedman, Tamir’s late Zaida, a man who could create something from nothing.
The piece was premiered as a part of the Desautels Faculty of Music concert entitled Poèmes sans Paroles (Poems without Words) by the University of Manitoba Student Orchestra on February 6th 2025.
Materia for Orchestra is the 2025/2026 winner of the Dr. Michael Matthews prize for composition.
Be Seeing You
For Flute, Bass Guitar, Piano, and Drumkit
"Originally written as a hypothetical video game boss theme, Be Seeing You is a 4 movement prog rock extravaganza that promises to send off a music degree with a bang."
-Program notes
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Be Seeing you is a prog rock experience mixed with jazz harmony and JRPG final battle levels of eloboracy and difficulty. The piece, through its many sections, is meant to represent the changing of phases players experience in classic RPGs like Final Fantasy VI.
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The instrumentation is inspired by prog-rock titans like Jethro Tull and lesser known heavy hitters like Focus. Be Seeing You was the last piece performed at Tamir's graduating recital so he made sure to include a drum solo at the end for the listeners enjoyment...
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NIGHTMARE SMASH
NIGHTMARE SMASH is a game Tamir worked on in August 2022 for the Summer Slow Games Jam with Soup Stock Games. Tracks two and three are highlights!
"Fight your way through the nightmares of Lucas, a little kid armed with a flashlight. Rescue his friend Tommy Turtle, and defeat the evil monster haunting his dreams."
-NIGHTMARE SMASH itch.io page
Portrait
Initially written for a reading session with the Stenhammar String Quartet, Portrait is a piece that highlights the relationship between light and dark. The piece is inspired by the music of Snarky Puppy and John Coltrane as well as the string quartets of Bela Bartok. Portrait is highly percussive and groove based while allowing room for the soloistic melodic line to take centre stage.
The piece was played in May 2025 as a part of Contemporary Music Interactive's inaugural concert.
Solid State Epitaph
Program Notes:
Solid State Epitaph is a piece written for Clarinet and prerecorded synthesizer backing track. The piece draws from Retro Video Games like "Castlevania" as well as Modal Jazz and Contemporary music. Solid State Epitaph was premiered at the Desautels Faculty of Music as part of their midday series by guest collaborator Jean-François Charles who teaches at the university of Iowa. Jean-François is a talented Clarinetist and contemporary improviser. The term "solid state" is in reference to semi-conductor electronics such as those found within a synthesizer. The name also pays homage to the album "Solid State Survivor" by Yellow Magic Orchestra.
The piece is meant to evoke the feeling of grieving, though is not based on the 7 stages of grief. Grief is a complicated process that advances and regresses; in times anger we still reminisce on better times with someone we've lost. The piece is sensitive to this complicated nature.