2013 invitational mini-festival electronic music midwest · 2013 invitational mini-festival ......

Electronic Music Midwest2013 Invitational mini-Festival

Providing access to new electroacoustic music by living composers

March 17, 2013Western Michigan University

March 17, 2013Western Michigan University

Kalamazoo, Michigan

Invitational mini-Festival

March 17, 2013

Dear Friends,

I am thrilled you have chosen to be a part of this EMM Invitational mini-Festival. Welcome! We are truly excited about this opportunity to present a one-day festival of electroacoustic music at Western Michigan University.

Since 2000, our mission has been to host a festival that brings new music and innovative technologies to the Midwest for our students and our communities. We present EMM to provide our students and residents opportunities to interact and create a dialog with professional composers and artists. We are grateful that you have chosen to help us bring these goals to fruition.

With your help, we’ve been presenting EMM for 13 years. Your contribution to the festival has given everyone in attendance insight into the current state as well as the future of this ever-developing field of artistic expression. Thank you for your musical contributions.

I believe that today’s concerts will be extraordinary. Dr. Christopher Biggs has participated in numerous EMM festivals and his exceptionally well-crafted compositions have always stood out as engaging and highly creative. Through his work with the KCEMA, SCI, and many other organziations, Christopher has also been a champion of new music. I am grateful to him for all that he does to promote new music, and I am thrilled that Christopher has partnered with EMM to bring this event to Kalamazoo. We are all indeed indebted to him for organizing this EMM Invitational mini-Festival.

On behalf of Jason, Rob, David, Ian, Jay, and Christopher we are delighted that you have chosen to join us this year at Western Michigan University, and we hope that you have a wonderful time during your stay.

Sincerely,

Mike McFerron, D.M.A.Founder, Electronic Music MidwestLewis University

EMM Organizers

Mike McFerronfounder / festival director

Ian Corbettfestival director/ technical director

Jason Boltetechinal director

Jay C. Batznerprogramming director

David McIntiremarketing director

Robert Voiseyorganization advancement director

EMM is made possible by the generous support of Kansas City Kansas

Community College and Lewis University

http://www.emmfestival.org

Concert 12pm

Indiana Rob Voisey

Swarms of Light in Metal Jeff HerriottAndrew Spencer, percussion

Minong Samuel WellsSamuel Wells, piccolo trumpet

[in] Pieces | Slivers Michael James Olson

Promethea Christopher BiggsBarry Anderson, video

Alex Sellers, saxophone

Silhouettes, Receding Jay BatznerBruce Bonnell, horn

Camouflage Dan VanHasselDan VanHassel, piano

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Indiana by Rob Voisey“States” is a collection of 50 second mash-ups consisting of sound collage, featuring post consumer audio; each work is named after one of the United States of America. “States” was inspired by Jon Nelson’s 50/50; a collection of 50 second mash-ups consisting of sound collage, featuring at least 50% post consumer audio. Composing electroacoustic and chamber music, Robert Voisey’s aesthetic oscillates from the Romantic to the Post Modern Mash-Up. His work has been performed in venues throughout the world including: Carnegie Hall, World Financial Center Winter Garden Atrium, and Stratford Circus in London. Voisey has been profiled and music broadcasted on HEC-TV public television in St Louis, Elektramusik in France, as well as radio stations all around the world including: Cityscape NPR St. Louis Public Radio; Arts & Answers & Art Waves on WKCR, Upbeat with Eva Radich on Radio New Zealand; and Kol Yisrael Israeli Radio.

swarms of light in metal by Jeff HerriotIn swarms of light in metal, the interaction between performer and electronics is intended to mirror the interdependence between different elements in an ecosystem. Individual components of ecosystems may by themselves seem simple, but the inter-relationships between them are highly complex and infinitely variable. In the same way, this piece focuses on small, subtle sounds and minute variations in timbre, both in the percussion and the electronics. The relationships between these sounds reflect our ecology, as small changes in any part of the piece affect the meaning and significance of the others. swarms of light in metal was composed for percussionist Trevor Saint as part of his quest to commission and present fascinating modern literature for solo bells.

Jeff Herriott is a composer whose music focuses on sounds that change at the edges of perception, that gently shift and bend. He creates unhurried music, using slow-moving shapes with a free sense of time. His works often explore repetition with subtle variations in gestural pace, instrumental character, and tuning. Jeff employs electronics to alter instrumental timbres and shift tunings by tiny amounts – changes that listeners may not actively perceive but which can foster a sense of uncertainty and wonderment. Jeff’s music has been supported by a MATA Festival Commission; an American Composers Forum commission through the Jerome Composers Commissioning Program; and a McKnight Foundation Visiting Composer Residency for which Jeff spent 2 months recording sounds in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and working with local students at the Ely Public Library. Jeff is currently working on an concert-length work for the ensemble Due East (Erin Lesser and Greg Beyer) plus percussion ensemble, supported by a commission from the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition. Jeff studied composition and computer music with Cort Lippe, David Felder, Orlando Jacinto Garcia, Fredrick Kaufman, and Kristine H. Burns and received degrees from the University at Buffalo (PhD), Florida International University (MM), and Middlebury College (BA). Jeff is an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Wisconsin at Whitewater.

Andrew Spencer, currently holds the position of professor of percussion at Central Michigan University. An active recitalist and clinician, he has performed as a soloist in the United States, Poland, Japan, Canada, and Costa Rica. In 1999, he released “Slender Beams,” a recording that features works by composer Dave Hollinden. Spencer has also premiered works by David Gillingham, Mark Polishook, Samuel Adler, Robert May and Henry Gwiazda among others. Equally experienced in orchestral performance, Dr. Spencer is timpanist with the West Michigan and Lansing Symphony Orchestras, and has acted as Visiting Principal Percussionist for the Midland and Saginaw Orchestras. Additional positions have included timpanist/principal percussionist with the Yakima Symphony Orchestra, Cascade Festival Orchestra, Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra and Fargo-Moorhead Civic Opera Company. He has performed with the Oregon Symphony, Spokane Symphony, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. In addition, he has performed with numerous chamber ensembles throughout the United States, and plays drum set with the CMU Faculty Jazz Ensemble with whom he has recorded two CDs, “Caught In The Act” and “Conspiracy Theory”. Dr. Spencer received his bachelor of music and master of music in performance (percussion) and studied with Dr. Terry Applebaum at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He earned his doctor of musical arts in performance and literature (percussion) from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York where he studied with John Beck. In addition, Eastman granted Dr. Spencer the coveted performer’s certificate as a percussion soloist.

minong by Samuel Wellsminong is a lyric account of the time I spent in Isle Royale National Park in the Summer of 2012. Isle Royale, or Minong in the Ojibwa language, is a large island in Lake Superior. After going to island several times, I am continually moved by the freshening and transformative effects Isle Royale has on me.

Samuel Wells is composer, performer, and arranger based in Bloomington, Indiana. As an advocate for new and exciting music, he actively commissions and performs contemporary works for trumpet. Hailing from Des Moines, Iowa, Sam has performed throughout the United States, as well as in Canada and France. He has performed electroacoustic works for trumpet at the Chosen Vale International Trumpet Seminar, as well as the Electronic Music Midwest, Electroacoustic Barn Dance, and SEAMUS festivals. Sam and his music were featured by the Kansas

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City Electronic Music and Arts Alliance (KcEMA) on November 12, 2011 as part KcEMA’s 2011-2012 concert series. Sam has also had music performed as part of the SEAMUS 2012 & 2013 festivals. This past summer, Sam collaborated with Max Wellman and the Belin Quartet to create all new arrangements of classic songs from the American songbook.

Sam has degrees in both performance and composition at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he studied composition with James Mobberley, Paul Rudy, Chen Yi and Zhou Long, and trumpet with Keith Benjamin. He is currently attending Indiana University for degrees in Trumpet and Computer Music Composition, and studies with John Rommel, Jeffery Hass, and Sven-David Sandström. More information is available at www.samwellsmusic.com

[in] Pieces | Slivers by Michael James OlsonThis work explores the inner life of sounds. Larger sounds are fragmented into thousands of microscopic bits, which are subsequently combined to form gestures. The video acts as a structural representation of these newly formed gestures; with individual components in constant flux. Throughout this fast-paced piece, the audio and the visual components move in counterpoint with each other, which produces separation between the movement of the sound and the image. The separation between two synchronized elements ebbs and flows, gradually gaining momentum towards the middle of the piece, and then building to a strictly literal representation in the end.

Michael James Olson is a composer, producer, and musician currently residing in Indiana. Michael’s concert music has been performed throughout the world, including the International Computer Music Conference, SEAMUS National Conference, Indian Institiute of Technology TechFest, Noisefloor Festival, International Saxophone Symposium, Electroacoustic Juke Joint, Electronic Music Midwest, and the Electroacoustic Barn Dance, among others. Michael’s music, performance, and production can also be heard on more than 15 albums spanning the genres of folk to pop, on numerous record labels. Michael holds a Master of Music from Georgia Southern University, and is currently a doctoral candidate (ABD) at Ball State University where he teaches music technology, songwriting, composition, and theory.

Promethea by Christopher BiggsPromethea is a collaborative project between Christopher Biggs, who created the music and electronics, and Barry Anderson, who created the video. The initial impetus for the work was Allan Moore’s graphic novel Promethea. Moore’s novel combines somewhat typical comic book superhero actions with abstract conversations about and adventurers through a fantastical posthumous world. This mix of recognizable, popular action and abstract philosophical meandering are musically and visually represented in the work. The action correlates to the popular iconography, the memorable musical gestures, and the distinct drum and bass percussion. The expansive, sustained, and textural sections of music and video relate to the abstract, conceptual conversations. This results in a dialectic over which the live saxophonist journeys.

Dr. Christopher Biggs is a composer and intermedia artist residing in Kalamazoo, MI, where he is Assistant Professor of Digital Composition at Western Michigan University. Dr. Biggs’ recent projects focus on integrating live instrumental performance with interactive audiovisual media. In addition to collaborating with artists in other disciplines on projects, Dr. Biggs treats all of his works as collaborations between himself and the initial performing artist by working with the performers during the creative process and considering their specific skills and preferences.

Dr. Biggs’ music has been presented across the United States and Europe, as well as in Latin America and Asia. His music is regularly performed on conferences and festivals, including the SEAMUS Conference, Visones Sonoras, Electronic Music Midwest, and Society for Composers, Inc. His music is available on Ravello Records, Irritable Hedgehog, and Peanut Shell Productions.

Dr. Biggs received the 2008 Missouri Music Teacher’s Association composer of the year award, the 2009 SEMAUS/ASCAP first place award, the 2011 MACRO International Composition Award, and the 2012 Issa Music and Dance Faculty Award. Dr. Biggs was a Preparing Future Faculty Fellow at the University of Missouri-Kansas City from 2007-2010.

Dr. Biggs teaches acoustic and electronic music composition, electronic music, and music theory. He received degrees from American University (B.A. in Print Journalism), The University of Arizona (M.M. in Music Composition), and the University of Missouri-Kansas City (D.M.A. in Music Composition). He studied music composition with Pulitzer Prize winning composer Zhou Long and Charles Ives Award recipient Chen Yi, in addition to renowned composers James Mobberley, Joao Pedro Oliveira, Daniel Asia, and Paul Rudy.

Alex Sellers is currently pursuing a master’s degree in saxophone performance from Kent State University where he studies with Jeffrey Heisler. He received a BM in saxophone performance and MM in music technology from Georgia Southern University where he studied with Carolyn Bryan and John Thompson respectively. While at Georgia Southern, Alex was lucky enough to be immersed in the world of saxophone and electronics. Ever since then, Alex has focused much of his time working with composers on new works for saxophone and electronics. He has performed at the International Saxophone Symposium, SEAMUS National Conference, Electro Acoustic Barn Dance and North American Saxophone Alliance Regional Conference.


Silhouettes, Receding by Jay C. BatznerThis piece is the first in a series of collaborations with Bruce Bonnell for natural horn and live electronics (the whole project has been dubbed Supernatural). Originally performed under the title Golfballs the Size of Hail, the title Silhouettes, Receding seems to be a better fit for the mood and tone of the piece. Hectic, spastic, staccato gestures are initiated in the horn until a long and lyrical line emerges. The hectic material returns, as it is wont to do, but is beaten back into place for a subdued and introspective ending.

Jay C. Batzner has been a source of irritation for musical biographers for more than three decades, due to his refusal to provide standardized biographical claptrap suitable for concert programs and musical encyclopedias. He further irritates in his refusal to adopt any musically dogmatic viewpoint, choosing instead to write music that “sounds good.” – David D. McIntire

A chamber music specialist, Dr. Bruce Bonnell has enjoyed a successful career as orchestral performer, soloist, clinician and pedagogue on the horn and natural horn throughout North America and Southeast Asia. Born and raised in Newfoundland, Dr. Bonnell received his undergraduate degrees in Music Education and Performance from Memorial University and The Guildhall School of Music (London, England), his Master of Music from Northwestern University (Pi Kappa Lambda) in 1991 and a Doctor of Music at Indiana University in 2003. From 1997-98 he was Assistant Professor of horn and theory at Indiana State University and has been professor of horn at Central Michigan University since 2000.

Camouflage by Dan VanHasselIn Camouflage the most important material, what I consider the “heart” of the piece, is most of the time veiled or obscured in some way by other interfering or intervening ideas. The piece could be interpreted as an epic battle for the true nature of the music to get out from behind these musical obstacles. One aspect of this ‘camouflage’ is the electronic component, which is built entirely from sounds of the piano sampled live during the performance. The pianist is in large part able to directly control the playback of the electronics through his or her playing, rather than having to synchronize to a pre-existing track or coordinate with an additional performer.

Dan VanHassel is a composer and multi-instrumentalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His music has been performed across North America, Europe, and Asia by performers such as pianists Keith Kirchoff and Gloria Cheng, Dinosaur Annex, Red Fish Blue Fish, Ensemble SurPlus, saxophonist Michael Straus, and bassoonist Dana Jessen. Active as a performer, Dan draws influence from his experience performing in rock bands, Javanese and Balinese gamelan, free jazz groups, and chamber ensembles. Dan is co-director of the Wild Rumpus new music collective in San Francisco and was a founding member of the new music ensemble Agenda, the free-improv group Output, and the Embryonic Noise new music series in Boston. He has studied composition at Carnegie Mellon University, the New England Conservatory, and the University of California at Berkeley.


Illinois Rob Voisey

Openings 2 Michael PoundsAlex Sellers, saxophone

Canotila Mike McFerronAndrew Spencer, claves

Envy Valeria JonardAbderrahman Anzaldua, violin

luft am morgan Jon Anderson

Melting Rob VoiseyRob Voisey, voice

exit crafting Ben Willis, double bass

Eric Sheffield, electronics, guitarAnna Weisling, visualizations

Concert 25pm


Illinois by Rob Voisey“States” is a collection of 50 second mash-ups consisting of sound collage, featuring post consumer audio; each work is named after one of the United States of America. “States” was inspired by Jon Nelson’s 50/50; a collection of 50 second mash-ups consisting of sound collage, featuring at least 50% post consumer audio. Composing electroacoustic and chamber music, Robert Voisey’s aesthetic oscillates from the Romantic to the Post Modern Mash-Up. His work has been performed in venues throughout the world including: Carnegie Hall, World Financial Center Winter Garden Atrium, and Stratford Circus in London. Voisey has been profiled and music broadcasted on HEC-TV public television in St Louis, Elektramusik in France, as well as radio stations all around the world including: Cityscape NPR St. Louis Public Radio; Arts & Answers & Art Waves on WKCR, Upbeat with Eva Radich on Radio New Zealand; and Kol Yisrael Israeli Radio.

Openings 2 by Michael PoundsOpenings 2 is a further development in a series of works that explore live performance with gestural control of computer processing of live and computer-generated sound. The first version, “Openings,” used pre-recorded accordion sounds as the source material for all of the music. Another version in progress will incorporate a live accordion player. For “Openings 2” the piece was adapted for saxophone. The Electrotap Teabox and associated sensors were used for this piece, along with Max/MSP. This activity is made possible, in part, with support from the Indiana Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

After a relatively short career as a mechanical engineer, Michael Pounds turned his energies toward composition, studying at Bowling Green State University, Ball State University, the University of Birmingham in England, and the University of Illinois, where he completed his doctorate. He specializes in computer music composition and collaborative intermedia projects. His awards include the ASCAP/SEAMUS Student Commission Award, a Residence Prize at the Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Competition, a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship for studies in England, and residencies at the MacDowell Colony and I-Park. His music has been performed throughout the United States and in Canada, Mexico, England, Ireland, France, Spain, Austria, Slovenia, Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Recent performances include the Society of Composers, Inc. National Conference, the Electronic Music Midwest Festival, the International Computer Music Conference, the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the US National Conference, and the Toronto Electroacoustic Symposium. He was a co-host of the 2005 national conference of the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the U.S. Michael is the Assistant Director of the Music Media Production program at Ball State University, where he teaches composition, acoustics, music perception, recording and computer music.


Canotila by Mike McFerronCanotila, according to Lokota Native American lore, are spirits that live in trees.

Mike McFerron is professor of music and composer-in-residence at Lewis University and he is founder and co-director of Electronic Music Midwest (http://www.emmfestival.org). A past fellow the MacDowell Colony, Ucross, June in Buffalo, and the Chamber Music Conference of the East/Composers’ Forum, honors include, among others, first prize in the Louisville Orchestra Composition Competition, first prize in the CANTUS commissioning/residency program, recipient of the CCF Abelson Vocal Music Commission, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s “First Hearing” Program. McFerron’s music can be heard on numerous commercial CDs as well as on his website at http://www.bigcomposer.com.

Andrew Spencer, currently holds the position of professor of percussion at Central Michigan University. An active recitalist and clinician, he has performed as a soloist in the United States, Poland, Japan, Canada, and Costa Rica. In 1999, he released “Slender Beams,” a recording that features works by composer Dave Hollinden. Spencer has also premiered works by David Gillingham, Mark Polishook, Samuel Adler, Robert May and Henry Gwiazda among others. Equally experienced in orchestral performance, Dr. Spencer is timpanist with the West Michigan and Lansing Symphony Orchestras, and has acted as Visiting Principal Percussionist for the Midland and Saginaw Orchestras. Additional positions have included timpanist/principal percussionist with the Yakima Symphony Orchestra, Cascade Festival Orchestra, Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra and Fargo-Moorhead Civic Opera Company. He has performed with the Oregon Symphony, Spokane Symphony, and the Civic


Orchestra of Chicago. In addition, he has performed with numerous chamber ensembles throughout the United States, and plays drum set with the CMU Faculty Jazz Ensemble with whom he has recorded two CDs, “Caught In The Act” and “Conspiracy Theory”. Dr. Spencer received his bachelor of music and master of music in performance (percussion) and studied with Dr. Terry Applebaum at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He earned his doctor of musical arts in performance and literature (percussion) from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York where he studied with John Beck. In addition, Eastman granted Dr. Spencer the coveted performer’s certificate as a percussion soloist.

Envy by Valeria JonardEnvy is one of the most degrading and vicious feelings. Among the Cardinal Sins in religion, it is the only one that doesn’t reward with any sort of pleasure. Being culturally a shameful emotion, Envy grows and eats you silently from the inside. This piece tries to explore these internal affects; the heartbeat of the performer is amplified in real time, mimicking or recalling the moment when envy arises in a person. The violin fluctuates among the obscure feelings caused by envy, and the aim to ignore them.

Native from Mexico, Valeria Jonard is a composer residing in Kalamazoo, Michigan. She received her bachelor´s degree in 2009 at the “Conservatorio de las Rosas” in Morelia, Mexico. In 2006 she presented Yeyuno at the “Internationale Ferienkuse für Neue Musik” in Darmstadt, Germany. In 2011 she was awarded with the FONCA scholarship (National Fund for Culture and Arts) considered one of the most important supporting grants for young artists in Mexico. Her recent interest focuses in combining different sounds regardless it source. She studied her master’s degree at Western Michigan University where she was the Graduate Assistant in the composition program.

Abderrahman Anzaldua formally started his studies in the Conservatory of Music in Chihuahua Mexico, he won first prize in the school’s first soloist contest. He pursued his undergraduate studies with Gellya Dubrova in the Conservatory of Las Rosas in Morelia, Michoacan. During this time he was regularly invited to perform with the Ensamble de las Rosas a collective that focuses in contemporary music consisting of faculty members of the institution. He’s had lessons with Mijahil Kopekkman, David Bowlin, Yuriko Kuronuma, Annie Fullard, Brian Lewis, Lawrence Dutton, the Cuarteto Latinoamericano, Enzo String Quartet, International Contemporary Ensemble, Cavani String Quartet and the Talich String Quartet, to mention a few.

He recently completed his master’s degree program in music performance at Western Michigan University, under the tutelage of Renata Knific. During this time, he was a member of Birds on a Wire, dedicated to perform new music.

Abderrahman has been invited to perform in important festivals throughout Mexico and the United States. He currently focuses in multimedia works and is in constant pursuit of new projects.

luft am morgen by Jon Andersonluft am morgen is a acousmatic video work derived from environmental audio and video captured by the composer one early morning in Frankfurt around the Eiserner Stag and surrounding neighborhood. Abstract aural and visual landscapes teased out solely from these audio-visual locations allude to an unwillingness to fully awaken. A rejection of the real environment unfolds, with clarity and recognition of source material briefly revealed at the conclusion. Audio and visual elements were processed with a variety of software environments including Max, Adobe Premiere, and Nuendo.

Jon Anderson DMA, Assistant Professor of Music at Wayne State University, teaches composition and theory courses, and composes for a variety of acoustic and electroacoustic mediums. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Composition and Theory from the University of North Texas where he studied with Joseph “Butch” Rovan, Cindy McTee, and Joseph Klein. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Luther College, where he studied composition with John Howell Morrison, and a Master of Music degree in Composition from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he studied with Eddie Bass.

Melting by Rob VoiseyPremiered in New York City at Composers Concordance Festival II: 3. 4th annual Composers Play Composers “Voisey’s Melting was a sudden change of pace (just vocals with electronics), a very well done performance of a moving piece delivered with care, making an instant connection with the audience.” - Kevin Williams


Exit crafting by Eric Sheffield, Anna Weisling, and Ben WillisThe process for creating exit crafting was/is a collaborative one. That is, each member of the ensemble is responsible for their own part, and, in composition, responsible for effectively reacting to and critiquing the other parts of the ensemble. To those of us musicians who have been involved in musical groups within ‘popular’ idioms, such as rock bands, and, to an extent, jazz combos, this process doesn’t sound unfamiliar in the least. But in the world of Western Classical music, which is instilled with a separation of composers and performers--the idea that there is one composer, and the ensemble has only the creative liberty to interpret the piece--this process is rarely seen.

The compositional language of exit crafting is intentionally located in a space between ‘art music’ and ‘popular music.’ The harmonies created are largely consonant, often based around fourths, fifths, triadic and tonal-sounding material. Formally, each section works through a series of changes--the first a gradual evolution of the pitches ascending in the bass, the second a series of sections that treat similar material in several ways (a repeated arpeggiating guitar pattern with melodic bass sounds layered on top), and the third a sort of merging of the two: sections that are different and moved through gradually elaborated material, but based in a distended pop-song form of verse-chorus-bridge, but is stretched in a way that disallows the sections from being repeated.

The video element of exit crafting ties the material into a combined sensory experience. The video material was developed alongside the musical material, rather than sculpting one to fit the other, as when music is written for films, or music videos are made to complement pre-existing music. -Ben Willis

Eric Sheffield is a musician living in Madison, WI that focuses on collaborative projects. He is a founding member of the group bell monks and plays bass in the blues band The Organgrinders. Eric earned his B.M. in Music Education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he currently works as a technology coordinator.music.ersheffield.com

Anna Weisling is an active and dedicated collaborator based in Madison, Wisconsin. She recently completed her Master’s Degree at Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where she studied Sonic Arts with an emphasis on live visual performance. Recent works have included collaborations with the electroacoustic chamber ensemble the Weather Duo and the sleepy-rock band bell monks, as well as well-known artists such as Atau Tanaka, Marco Donnarumma, Jeff Herriott, and Gascia Ouzounian. Anna earned her Bachelor of Arts in Electronic Media from UW-Whitewater, and works as a recording engineer at Audio For the Arts, a full-service recording studio and live sound company in Madison. She is currently teaching courses at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and Art Institute International Minneapolis.

Ben Willis is a bassist, improviser, and composer, whose affinities lie in collaborative projects and the merging of cross-disciplinary elements. He’s performed his original collaborative work at venues and festivals around the U.S., including the Electroacoustic Barn Dance, the Whitewater Arts Alliance Series and Chicago’s Ratchet Series. He is a member of numerous performing ensembles, including the electroacoustic contemporary chamber ensemble Weather Duo, the improvising string quartet Watercourse Q4, doom/jazz trio Glacier, and the jazz-rock ensemble Lovely Socialite. He also tours and records as a sideman, working with many indie/folk artists. He currently resides in Ann Arbor, MI, where he studies at the University of Michigan, pursuing an MM in Improvisation. His bass teachers include Richard Davis, Diana Gannett, and Bob Hurst.


Concert 38pm

Michigan Rob Voisey

Fzzl Dan VanHasselAndrew Spencer, snare drum

Vitreous Jungles Caroline Louise MillerSamuel Wells, trumpet

Thrown Glass Kieth KothmanKeith Kothman, performer

Velour Michael James OlsonAlex Sellers, saxophone

Dash.em Jon Anderson

This B is for Brian David McIntire Brian Padavic

The Ensemble of Irreproducible Outcomes

The Swing Garden Project Michael Pounds

Largamente Con Amore, Capriccio Con Attitude Ian CorbettIan Corbett, saxophone


Michigan by Rob Voisey“States” is a collection of 50 second mash-ups consisting of sound collage, featuring post consumer audio; each work is named after one of the United States of America. “States” was inspired by Jon Nelson’s 50/50; a collection of 50 second mash-ups consisting of sound collage, featuring at least 50% post consumer audio. Composing electroacoustic and chamber music, Robert Voisey’s aesthetic oscillates from the Romantic to the Post Modern Mash-Up. His work has been performed in venues throughout the world including: Carnegie Hall, World Financial Center Winter Garden Atrium, and Stratford Circus in London. Voisey has been profiled and music broadcasted on HEC-TV public television in St Louis, Elektramusik in France, as well as radio stations all around the world including: Cityscape NPR St. Louis Public Radio; Arts & Answers & Art Waves on WKCR, Upbeat with Eva Radich on Radio New Zealand; and Kol Yisrael Israeli Radio.

fzzl by Dan VanHasselfzzl fuses the acoustic and electronic through the use of a small transducer attached to the bottom of the snare drum. This allows electronic sounds produced by the computer to resonate through the drum rather than separate speakers. Using a contact microphone attached to the top, the drum is used to trigger and interact with all sorts of electronic modifications and extensions of its sound. The piece was written while I was studying West African dance-drumming which inevitably found its way into the piece, along with a healthy dose of experimental electronica à la Aphex Twin.

Dan VanHassel is a composer and multi-instrumentalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. His music has been performed across North America, Europe, and Asia by performers such as pianists Keith Kirchoff and Gloria Cheng, Dinosaur Annex, Red Fish Blue Fish, Ensemble SurPlus, saxophonist Michael Straus, and bassoonist Dana Jessen. Active as a performer, Dan draws influence from his experience performing in rock bands, Javanese and Balinese gamelan, free jazz groups, and chamber ensembles. Dan is co-director of the Wild Rumpus new music collective in San Francisco and was a founding member of the new music ensemble Agenda, the free-improv group Output, and the Embryonic Noise new music series in Boston. He has studied composition at Carnegie Mellon University, the New England Conservatory, and the University of California at Berkeley.

Andrew Spencer, currently holds the position of professor of percussion at Central Michigan University. An active recitalist and clinician, he has performed as a soloist in the United States, Poland, Japan, Canada, and Costa Rica. In 1999, he released “Slender Beams,” a recording that features works by composer Dave Hollinden. Spencer has also premiered works by David Gillingham, Mark Polishook, Samuel Adler, Robert May and Henry Gwiazda among others. Equally experienced in orchestral performance, Dr. Spencer is timpanist with the West Michigan and Lansing Symphony Orchestras, and has acted as Visiting Principal Percussionist for the Midland and Saginaw Orchestras. Additional positions have included timpanist/principal percussionist with the Yakima Symphony Orchestra, Cascade Festival Orchestra, Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra and Fargo-Moorhead Civic Opera Company. He has performed with the Oregon Symphony, Spokane Symphony, and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. In addition, he has performed with numerous chamber ensembles throughout the United States, and plays drum set with the CMU Faculty Jazz Ensemble with whom he has recorded two CDs, “Caught In The Act” and “Conspiracy Theory”. Dr. Spencer received his bachelor of music and master of music in performance (percussion) and studied with Dr. Terry Applebaum at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He earned his doctor of musical arts in performance and literature (percussion) from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York where he studied with John Beck. In addition, Eastman granted Dr. Spencer the coveted performer’s certificate as a percussion soloist.

Vitreous Jungles by Caroline Louise Miller Vitreous Jungles is the second of a series of three pieces depicting dreamlike apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic scenarios. The first of a set, Tarantella Carbine for cello and electronics, serves as a prelude for the second two. It embodies a frenzied dance using sounds associated with industry and arsenal to establish an atmosphere of militant sardonicism. Vitreous Jungles is a semi-continuation of this idea, and attempts to convey a glass/metallic ecosystem where it alternatively rains acid and ammonia. In the world, I imagine that certain creatures have evolved to vibrate sympathetically with once another (comparable to mutualistic symbiosis in our reality)– because of this, I use the harmonic series and strings of triads, dominant seventh chords freely.

Caroline Louise Miller recently completed her bachelor’s degree in composition at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where she studied with James Mobberley, Chen Yi, Paul Rudy, Zhou Long, and João Pedro Oliviera. She was active as a pianist as well, studying with John McIntyre and Diane Petrella. Ms. Miller premiered many of her peers’ works, appearing as both a soloist and chamber musician.

Ms. Miller has had her music performed throughout the United States, including a premiere by Dr. Chen Yi on the violin, an original electroacoustic ballet (as part of a collaborative effort) on an Artsounds event, a theatrical actor/electronics work at the Kansas City Art


Institute, a commission by the Kansas City Electronic Music and Arts Alliance, a solo piano work at Ithaca College, and an appearance on New Keys season 8 (in Oakland, CA). Ms. Miller has participated in Electronic Music Midwest 2009 and 2011, Electro-acoustic Barn Dance 2011, and the first annual EMCC conference. Additionally, she served as Composition Intern/Mentor for the 2010-2011 Academy Summer Composition Workshops. She is also active as a member of the nonprofit organization KcEMA (Kansas City Electronic Music and Arts Alliance).

Ms. Miller is pursuing her master’s degree in composition at the University of California San Diego, where she serves as a teaching assistant.

Samuel Wells is composer, performer, and arranger based in Bloomington, Indiana. As an advocate for new and exciting music, he actively commissions and performs contemporary works for trumpet. Hailing from Des Moines, Iowa, Sam has performed throughout the United States, as well as in Canada and France. He has performed electroacoustic works for trumpet at the Chosen Vale International Trumpet Seminar, as well as the Electronic Music Midwest, Electroacoustic Barn Dance, and SEAMUS festivals. Sam and his music were featured by the Kansas City Electronic Music and Arts Alliance (KcEMA) on November 12, 2011 as part KcEMA’s 2011-2012 concert series. Sam has also had music performed as part of the SEAMUS 2012 & 2013 festivals. This past summer, Sam collaborated with Max Wellman and the Belin Quartet to create all new arrangements of classic songs from the American songbook.

Sam has degrees in both performance and composition at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where he studied composition with James Mobberley, Paul Rudy, Chen Yi and Zhou Long, and trumpet with Keith Benjamin. He is currently attending Indiana University for degrees in Trumpet and Computer Music Composition, and studies with John Rommel, Jeffery Hass, and Sven-David Sandström. More information is available at www.samwellsmusic.com

Thrown Glass by Keith KothmanThrown Glass explores a soundscape of broken glass in a live-performance environment using Max/MSP. The work is a companion to Bent Metal, sharing its software performance environment and general processing.

Keith Kothman is a composer and sound artist, with performances and installations of his work having taken place at the International Computer Music Conference; Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States; University of Minnesota Spark Festival; Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art; Bowling Green New Music and Art Festival; Electronic Music Midwest; Richmond Third Practice Festival; the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in Sweden; InteractivA ‘03 at MACAY: Museo de Arte Contemporáneo Ateneo de Yucatán, Merida, Mexico; and Videoformes International Multimedia and Video Arts, Clermont-Ferrand, France; Kothman was awarded an Honorable Mention for Interludes at the 31st annual Bourges Electroacoustic Music competition, and recordings of his music are available on the Capstone, Cambria and New Albany labels. He is an associate professor of composition and technology, and coordinator of undergraduate programs in music, at Ball State University. More information is at keithkothman.com.

Velour by Michael James OlsonVelour investigates a descent through register and color. The sensation of each layer simultaneously consists of echoes, impressions, and anticipations. This multilayered examination illuminates the inner relationships between color and pitch space within a larger temporal context.

Michael James Olson is a composer, producer, and musician currently residing in Indiana. Michael’s concert music has been performed throughout the world, including the International Computer Music Conference, SEAMUS National Conference, Indian Institiute of Technology TechFest, Noisefloor Festival, International Saxophone Symposium, Electroacoustic Juke Joint, Electronic Music Midwest, and the Electroacoustic Barn Dance, among others. Michael’s music, performance, and production can also be heard on more than 15 albums spanning the genres of folk to pop, on numerous record labels. Michael holds a Master of Music from Georgia Southern University, and is currently a doctoral candidate (ABD) at Ball State University where he teaches music technology, songwriting, composition, and theory.



dash.em by Jon Anderson“to break by striking or knocking; to knock, hurl, or thrust violently; splash, spatter; ruin, destroy; depress, sadden; to make ashamed; to affect by mixing in something different; to complete, execute, or finish off hastily —used with down or off ; [euphemism]: damn” (Merriam-Webster). This electroacoustic music composition for fixed media, explores moments between stillness, breath, anxiety and exhalation. Audio was sampled from running gear paraphernalia and pre-concert noises from the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.

Jon Anderson DMA, Assistant Professor of Music at Wayne State University, teaches composition and theory courses, and composes for a variety of acoustic and electroacoustic mediums. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Composition and Theory from the University of North Texas where he studied with Joseph “Butch” Rovan, Cindy McTee, and Joseph Klein. He also holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from Luther College, where he studied composition with John Howell Morrison, and a Master of Music degree in Composition from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, where he studied with Eddie Bass.

This B is for Brian by David McIntire and Brian PadavicThis B is for Brian is a collaborative work that was seeded by David D. McIntire in the summer of 2012. Subsequent contributions and sonic shaping by Brian Padavic have made the work a “co-composition.” The piece allows for flexible exploration of a sonic landscape (a rich and sensuous dronescape centering around the pitch-class B) that is largely produced by a hand-built analog synthesizer that McIntire constructed, along with layers of bass, treated and untreated. These layers and their configuration change from performance to performance, while retaining a consistent affect.

The Ensemble of Irreproducible Outcomes is a performance group based in Kansas City, initiated by David D. McIntire. Its members are all composers who share an interest in free improvisation and compositional strategies that explore timbre and texture.

David D. McIntire has composed electroacoustic music since 1979. He once played in the Colorblind James Experience, the Whitman/McIntire Duo and the Hotheads, all of which embraced spontaneity and were comfortable with disorder. In 2010 he founded Irritable Hedgehog Music with pianist R. Andrew Lee, a micro-label specializing in minimal and electroacoustic music.

Brian Padavic is a composer and bassist who teaches at Johnson County Community College. As a performer, he is much in demand in Kansas City His musical interests are wide-ranging, encompassing folk, jazz, and new music.

Ryan Oldham is a composer and musician based in Kansas City who teaches at UMKC and MCC Blue River. His children’s opera, Numera, recently premiered to enthusiastic audiences.

The Swing Garden Project by Michael PoundsThe Swing Garden Project is a composition created from sounds recorded when I was in residence at I-Park in Connecticut. Another artist there created a landscape design project called “The Swing Garden.” While she was realizing her design, I recorded many of the sounds associated with the work. These sounds are the only source materials used in my piece. I was particularly interested in the transformation of the materials used in the project. This inspired my transformation of sounds for the piece, and the structure of the piece clearly shows the transformational development of those sounds. The piece was created during a second residency at I-Park.

After a relatively short career as a mechanical engineer, Michael Pounds turned his energies toward composition, studying at Bowling Green State University, Ball State University, the University of Birmingham in England, and the University of Illinois, where he completed his doctorate. He specializes in computer music composition and collaborative intermedia projects. His awards include the ASCAP/SEAMUS Student Commission Award, a Residence Prize at the Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Competition, a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship for studies in England, and residencies at the MacDowell Colony and I-Park. His music has been performed throughout the United States and in Canada, Mexico, England, Ireland, France, Spain, Austria, Slovenia, Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Recent performances include the Society of Composers, Inc. National Conference, the Electronic Music Midwest Festival, the International Computer Music Conference, the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the US National Conference, and the Toronto Electroacoustic Symposium. He was a co-host of the 2005 national conference of the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the U.S. Michael is the Assistant Director of the Music Media Production program at Ball State University, where he teaches composition, acoustics, music perception, recording and computer music.


Largamente Con Amore, Capriccio Con Attitude by Ian CorbettI couldn’t help myself.

Dr. Ian Corbett is the Coordinator of the Audio Engineering Program, and Professor of Music Technology and Audio Recording at Kansas City Kansas Community College. He also owns and operates “off-beat-open-hats - recording and sound reinforcement”, specializing in servicing the needs of classical and jazz ensembles in the Kansas City area. Since 2004 he has been a member of the Audio Engineering Society’s Education Committee, and has mentored, presented, and served on panels at local, regional, national, and international AES events. Ian authors articles on audio recording related subjects occasionally for Sound On Sound (“The Worlds Best Recording Technology Magazine”), and is currently authoring “Mic It!”, a book on mics, mic techniques, and their impact on the mix process, scheduled for publication by Focal Press in 2014. Ian holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in composition from the University of Missouri-Kansas City. He can frequently be found playing in, as well as eating and drinking in various jazz clubs and restaurants around Kansas City. For more information, please see: www.offbeatopenhats.com

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