Absolute Zero
Posted on 26 June 2008 | Comments Off
2008
Absolute Zero is concerned with the “life” of the constituent particles of matter as they reach the invisible bonds of absolute zero. Absolute Zero (noun) – the lowest temperature that is theoretically possible, at which the particle constituents of matter do not move or have minimal motion. Imagine these particles as “life forms.” Consider the crowds, the struggle, and the panic that would be the result of such a event as absolute zero. Imagine yourself rebelling against the approaching bonds of cold.
Absolute Zero was produced using Csound, Absynth, and Protools, and was realized in the Experimental Music Studios at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Spectral Evidence
Posted on 18 June 2008 | Comments Off
2008
Spectral Evidence, for percussion and piano, focuses on the stages of sleep and dream memory. “Spectral evidence was a form of evidence, based upon dreams and visions, accepted in court during the Salem Witch Trials. Spectral evidence was typically testimony given that an accused person’s spirit or spectral shape appeared to the witness in a dream while the accused person’s physical body was at another location” (wikipedia). This work is driven by the statistical occurrence of “non-steady-state” brain activity during the different stages of sleep. Brain activity such as Sleep Spindles and K-Complex are mapped to activity through the work. In addition, the “steady-state” brain waves during the different stages of sleep were considered when determining the overall evolution of density in the work.
Spectral Evidence was composed with the aid of GRACE, an algorithmic composition environment, by Taube. Spectral Evidence is an experiment in spectral composition, and is part of the continued experimentation by the composer in mapping the statistical occurrence of gestures over the course of a work. Spectral Evidence was commissioned by percussionist Caleb Herron.
Pendent Trajectories
Posted on 18 June 2008 | Comments Off
2007
Pendent Trajectories is one path that was taken. When started all aspects of the journey were undetermined or thought to be something that proved wrong. We allow intuition to guide us when plans fail or seem unimportant, and sometimes we find that which we did not seek.
Switching
Posted on 24 February 2008 | No responses
I have truly become tired of iweb and have decided that it is time to change. Please bear with me while I transition to this new format.
To anyone out there looking for a new way to manage a website, I highly recommend wordpress.
ds
Upcoming Performance – SCI Region VI Conference – Huntsville, Texas
Posted on 23 February 2008 | 1 response
What I know thus far:
- From the morning of the 16th until the evening of the 19th there will be 15 concerts held at the Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas.
- My piece The Feel of May for solo bassoon will be on one of those concerts.
- I may get to hang with one of my old comp teachers Tayloe Harding at the conference because he also got a piece accepted to be performed.
more to come…
Upcoming Performance – Student Composer’s Concert
Posted on 23 February 2008 | No responses
On March. 12, in the Smith Recital Hall on the UIUC campus, will be the premiere of my recent electronic work Edge Protocol. Come check it out one and all…
Notes on the work-
Edge Protocol, (6’15”), for two-channel electronic playback, is primarily concerned with the notion of the human mind under immense pressure or stress. The work is meant to convey states of mind of a person before they “crack.” However, this journey is not a one way plummet, but like the ebb and flow of life, has its more and then less contorted moments.
Edge Protocol was composed with the aid of GRACE (a algorithmic composition environment by Rick Taube) and sounds produce with the Kurzweil K2000.
Upcoming Performance – Student Composer’s Concert
Posted on 22 February 2008 | No responses
On Nov. 13, in the Smith Recital Hall on the UIUC campus, Stephanie Koher will be premiering my work The Feel of May for Solo Bassoon.
Notes on The Feel of May-
While reading poetry I came across several lines concerning the passing of time and how specific times of year have a “feel” to them. This notion of a perceived “feel” intrigued me, because, while I can associate with having these feelings, I am also aware that I am sometimes (it seems like most of the time) too busy to notice what is going on around me. After making these connections I have found myself making greater efforts to “take in” my surroundings, and to not let the simple beauties around me become a blur, as if being passed in a speeding car. This is not always easy or even possible. In fact, there is now something similar to a tug of war going on within me at all times: one side wants to take all necessary steps to see that the business of life remains in order, and the other desires even the briefest respite in which to essentially “stop and smell the roses.” While the month of May is arbitrary (it is merely the month in which my journey began), this tug of war, or tension and release, is the premise behind The Feel of May. Wanting to slow down and experience life and then being sucked back into the unpleasantly necessary business is something we can all relate to. Hopefully life will allow us a few more breaks in the future so we don’t miss the beauty which surrounds us.
Reflection
Posted on 1 January 2008 | Comments Off
2007
Reflection, for solo piano was commissioned by Adam Scott Neal. This work is primarily concerned with the interaction of light and reflective surfaces. Reflection is characterized by the opening phrase of the work where a single pitch is played twice, a different pitch is played, and then the first is played again. Also, the notion of reflecting is observed in neighboring rolled figures where the first roll will go in one direction and the following will go in the opposite direction.
Reflection was composed with the aid of GRACE, an algorithmic composition environment, by Taube. Reflection is an experiment in mapping the statistical occurrence of gestures over the course of a work, and is part of the continued experimentation by the composer using weighted interval sets as a means of organizing pitch.
Edge Protocol
Posted on 1 January 2008 | Comments Off
2007
Edge Protocol, for two-channel electronic playback, is primarily concerned with the notion of the human mind under immense pressure or stress. The work is meant to convey states of mind of a person before they “crack.” However, this journey is not a one way plummet, but like the ebb and flow of life, has its more and then less contorted moments.
Edge Protocol was composed with the aid of GRACE (a algorithmic composition environment by Rick Taube) and sounds produced with the Kurzweil K2000.
Pelagic
Posted on 1 January 2008 | Comments Off
2007
Pelagic, for Wind Ensemble is inspired, as many works are, by the ocean. Pelagic is meant to portray images of the sea in various states. Although there is no program for the order of these states, definite moments of calm and rough seas are apparent throughout the work. The word pelagic means “open ocean.”
Pelagic was composed with the aid of athenaCL, a algorithmic composition tool, by Arriza. Pelagic is part of the continued experimentation by the composer using weighted interval sets as a means of organizing pitch.