News

This page contains postings on compositions, performances and press.

The Sound of Innovation - Stanford and the Computer Music Revolution

In

Fascinating book by Andrew J. Nelson on the history of CCRMA, particularly focusing on the 1980s and 1990s. Chapter 7 is called "Plucking the Golden Gate Bridge," with extensive excerpts from the author's interviews with me, Julius Smith, and others. Overview from web site...

In the 1960s, a team of Stanford musicians, engineers, computer scientists, and psychologists used computing in an entirely novel way: to produce and manipulate sound and create the sonic basis of new musical compositions. This group of interdisciplinary researchers at the nascent Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA, pronounced “karma”) helped to develop computer music as an academic field, invent the technologies that underlie it, and usher in the age of digital music. In The Sound of Innovation, Andrew Nelson chronicles the history of CCRMA, tracing its origins in Stanford’s Artificial Intelligence Laboratory through its present-day influence on Silicon Valley and digital music groups worldwide.

Nelson emphasizes CCRMA’s interdisciplinarity, which stimulates creativity at the intersections of fields; its commitment to open sharing and users; and its pioneering commercial engagement. He shows that Stanford’s outsized influence on the emergence of digital music came from the intertwining of these three modes, which brought together diverse supporters with different aims around a field of shared interest. Nelson thus challenges long-standing assumptions about the divisions between art and science, between the humanities and technology, and between academic research and commercial applications, showing how the story of a small group of musicians reveals substantial insights about innovation.

Nelson draws on extensive archival research and dozens of interviews with digital music pioneers; the book’s website provides access to original historic documents and other material.

Further info here.

Bits, Birds and Bluegrass - Mills College Songline Series - Nov. 23, 2015

In ,

I will be presenting a concert and lecture at Mills College on November 23, as part of their Songlines series. Entitled "Bits, Birds and Bluegrass," it will include my first public performance of "Cluck Old Hen Variations" (though not the first time the work has been performed). I will also be performing "Impossible Animals," for Zeta violin and computer voices. The lecture will include excerpts from such works as "Would You Just As Soon Sing As Make That Noise!?," "Who's on First?" and "The Space Between Us."

More info at Mills Now.

Here is a short excerpt of my performance of "Cluck..." from an informal concert at Universal Audio corporate headquarters in Scotts Valley, California. 

Dybbuk performed by Santa Cruz New Music Works

In

On October 24, 2015, Santa Cruz New Music Works performed my 1980 work, Dybbuk, as part of their annual halloween concert, "Night of the Living Composers" at Samper Recital Hall at Cabrillo College, Aptos, California. I performed the offstage mandolin part from a hidden location in the balcony. Photos below. The concert was conducted by Phil Collins.

"125 Party Pieces" receives European premiere

In

Thanks to a gift from Pierre Boulez, the group piece I participated in, along with 124 other composers, is being premiered in Leipzig on January 20,2016. Press release below...

On the initiative of the Forum of Contemporary Music Leipzig [FZML] 125 of the most distinguished contemporary composers created »Party Pieces«. On January 20th the world's largest group composition will finally experience its European premiere in Leipzig.

Patron: Pierre Boulez

20th January 2016 | 7.30 pm | UT Connewitz Leipzig

Kohlgartenstraße 24
04315 Leipzig, Germany
info@fzml.de
tickets: http://www.fzml.de/index.php?article_id=40&clang=0
fon: +49 - 341 - 24693 45
fax: +49 - 341 - 24693 44