TYLERDU NCANM AKESM USIC

In 1999 and 2000, Tyler Duncan won the All-Ireland Championship (the World Championships of Irish Music) on the uilleann pipes – and became the first American to win the All-Ireland on that instrument. In 2001, he won the All-Ireland on the bodhran – also the first American to win an All-Ireland on that instrument as well.  At age 15, he was featured the on EMMY award-winning Kitty Donohoe Album "This Road Tonight."   Upon turning 16, Tyler composed, arranged and performed the score for an original Irish musical comedy, The Changeling, produced by Wild Swan Theater in Ann Arbor.   At 17, Tyler worked with an instrument maker to design a new chromatic Low Whistle, with which he became the first Low Whistle player ever to be accepted into a university music program, becoming a jazz studies major at the Univerisity of Michigan.   That same year he recorded an album with his progressive Irish cross-over band, Millish, which went on to win two International Acoustic Music Awards.  During his first year of college, he was a featured soloist with the Ann Arbor and Ashland Symphony Orchestras.  At age 19, he recorded with with the Kruziki Trans-atlantica Quintet, a Middle Eastern-Tango-Jazz project, performing an extended solo on a high-energy Armenian 9/8 composition.  That track earned a Downbeat Music Award and was selected to be a part of the nationally-distributed Jazziz Magazine compilation.  Later that year, he was recorded with the UNITY award-winning band, Ceili Rain, on their album, "Whatever Makes You Dance," including the #14 single, “Kneeling.” At 20, he composed a big-band drum-and-bass adaptation of  the traditional Irish song, “The May Morning Dew.”  That arrangment was selected to be performed at the prestigious International Assocation for Jazz Educators Conference.  Shortly thereafter, the piece was selected to be performed live on national radio as a part of NPR's, "Jazz Set."  During his last two years of college, he switched directions, and as a synth player and producer, started an electronic dance-rock band called Ella Riot.   Upon graduation in 2008, he began touring with that band full-time.  Today, their live show is described as “an out-of-body experience," (Urb Magazine), they have performed over 250 shows nation-wide, including Lollapalooza, 10,000 Lakes, and Wakarusa.   They have been featured in Seventeen and VenusZine magazines; Fox Network's "Fearless Music;" Pepsi's “Refresh” campaign; and shared the stage with 3OH!3, Mike Posner, Neon Trees, and OK GO!.   

Now he is taking time off the road to focus on composing, producing, mixing, and all those other good studio things.