Biography
Influences
some composers my age I like
Jenny Olivia Johnson writes powerful, sometimes overwhelmingly expressive music; Nomi Epstein; Moon Young Ha; Sebastian Armoza brings great energy to the music that he writes; Jonathan Mitchell, who is a composer and radio producer - typically both at once; Timo Andres; Angelica Negron; Casey Hale knows something about rhythm; Samuel Andreyev; I didn't know that Nick Patterson was a composer while I worked for him at the Columia Music library, but we seem to have a tremendous amount in common; Jessica Feldman, more a sound artist than a composer; Monica Lynn; Nick Norton, the rare modernist; Ellen Lindquist; Doug Geers, blessed with the perfect name for computer music; Jessica Rudman; Darcy James Argue; Paula Matthusen writes jewelboxes; David Hernandez Ramos, Ronen Landa, in film and concert; Phil Schuessler; Lisa Coons; Florie Namir; Joe DiPonio; Amy Beth Kirsten; Jennifer Jolley; fellow convert to slow time Federico Garcia; Ted Goldman, the extravagantly talented Paul Kerekes; Ed Nesbitt; Fergal Dowling; Milica Djordjevic, author of slow-moving but dangerous music; Ori Talmon; Graham Flett
some organizations that I like
- Make Music New York. The French started doing this thing called the Fête de la musique ("Music Festival," but sounds the same as "Make Music"), and Aaron Friedman has decided that NYC should have one too. It's on the summer solstice, and if you live in New York, you won't be able to escape it on June 21.
- New Music Raleigh, a new ensemble in Raleigh playing music by living composers.
- The New Voices Festival at Catholic University, dedicated to producing new vocal music.
- l'Académie Musicale de Villecroze: All expenses paid for 10 days in the hills of Provence. Incredible.
- The Brooklyn New Music Collective, supported by the Brooklyn Conservatory and run by the fine composer and pianist, Michael Rose.
- What A Neighborhood, an ongoing tribute to the music of the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, run by the Orfeo Duo.
- The International Vocal Arts Workshop in Grožnjan, Croatia. Housed at the Jeunesses Musicales center in Grožnjan and run by Jane McMahan, who also teaches at that weird Columbia/Barnard vortex.
- The American Conservatory at Fontainebleau.
some performers I like, and others
- Tami Morse. Tami convinced me that the harpsichord is awesome. She also got me interested in unequal temperament tunings.
- Violinist Marc Levine
- Flying Forms, the Baroque ensemble Marc and Tami lead.
- Cie Crache Larmes, a clown trio with whom I worked to produce Ubla Dubla Trubla.
- Kelli Kathman, flutist, and the person responisble for QNG, a truly incredible recorder quartet and even more incredible live experience.
- Penny Brandt, a pianist with an interesting middle name.
- Yarn/Wire, for two pianos and two percussion.
- Laura Barger, too.
- The Elixir Trio, a bunch of French in London.
- Blue Strings, a classical mandolin & guitar duo
- Solaris Duo - saxophone and piano, Joel Deigert and Mariam Vardzelashvili.
- Saxophonist Ronan Baudry, who led the creation of Omie Speaks
- Andrew D'Angelo, Esther Noh, Louella Alatiit, Lev Zhurbin, Jocelyn Claire Thomas, and Pedro Bittencourt, among others, have played or sung my music in various ad hoc ensembles.
- Matias Gonzalez, bandeonista (as he puts it) and composer
- Amie M, who plays French horn. In her own pop band.
- along the same lines, Marla Hansen plays viola like a folk guitar and writes beautiful songs to go with.
- drummer Thomas Broda
- The Orfeo Duo: see above
- My vielle a roue teacher, Anne-Catherine Hurault
- My computer music teachers, Jean-Yves Bernhard and Jonathan Pontier
- Assorted: Cellist/chanteuse Jody Redhage, soprano Elizabeth Hillebrand, pianist Trami Nguyen
- Jeff Oishi, a very real influence and the progenitor of the subway series
- I suppose my dad qualifies as an influence. Also see here for solar power solutions to your energy bills.
- The Enloe Symphony Orchestra, my favorite high school orchestra.
- The Triangle Youth Philharmonic, the youth orchestra I played in in high school, and for whom I will someday soon write a piece about mirrors on the RER. Not to be confused with my high school orchestra.
- The Stony Brook Contemporary Chamber Players
blogs, music and otherwise, in no particular order, ever-growing
Strange Maps; The Rambler; therestisnoise; Soho the Dog; Megan V Williams; Nico Muhly; Daniel Stephen Johnson; coloursofbohemia; detritus reviewed; Iron Tongue (fellowstonybrookalum); about sidewalk culture in the Twin Cities, by my inverse (urban theorist by day, musician by night); Judd Greenstein; Tina Antolini; Deceptively Simple; Mark Adamo; Pierre de Brun, architect; Why Compose if You Can Blog?
me, elsewhere
myspace, American Composers Forum, American Music Center, on Soundcloud
some "masters" whom I've learned a lot from
J. Brahms, Morton Feldman, Igor Stravinsky, Steve Reich, Gyorgy Ligeti, George Crumb, Luciano Berio, Giacinto Scelsi, Beat Furrer