I am a composer, author, editor, teacher, and technologist. My work engages the advancement of arts and technology from both humanist and experimental perspectives. I am available for commissions, master classes, writing & editing, teaching & presentations, seminars & performances, and music digital engraving.
My music has been commissioned more than 300 times and performed by my own ensembles and over 100 orchestras, chamber ensembles, choruses, and soloists around the world, as well as innumerable student groups and those who have anonymously downloaded and realized scores and performance artworks. My installations have appeared in numerous galleries and museums, and I have performed at venues in the U.S. and Europe. My musical scores are part of the historical Notations21 project and exhibit.
I have composed for orchestras & bands,
chamber ensembles & choruses, and
duos & individuals.
Two Orchestral Pieces Premiered: L'Estampie and Jameo
Two orchestral pieces-in-waiting have finally been heard. The Chicago Modern Orchestra Project directed by Renée Baker premiered the string orchestra version of L'Estampie du Chevalier, originally written as a string quartet for De Rode Pomp in Gent, Belgium. Here is the CMOP premiere performance on May 19. Waiting for eight years has been Jameo y el Delphin Mareado, commissioned by the Tenerife Orchestra but pulled from the program for political reasons. Daniel Bruce and the Burlington Civic Symphony gave the world premiere on June 1. Here is the BCS premiere performance on June 1 with yours truly narrating the text of this environmental suite for children. Scores and parts for both of these are available for download in the alphabetical listing of PDFs
Four Songs from O
Four of the settings of Gary Barwin's poems in the collection O: Eleven Songs were performed by Counterpoint, Vermont's professional chorus. Here is one of their beautiful performances; to obtain a score, see the links below on this page.
Panayiotis & Me, August 2014
Greek pianist Panayiotis Demopoulos is planning to tour a full concert of my music in the Northeast in August 2014 -- with Vermont as a base, but more. This would be my first full concert in the US (I've had them twice in Europe, but never here at home). I've already asked some individuals, and if any of you would be willing to lead the sponsorship/funding of one of these concerts in our area (including Boston & New York), please let me know. We will be crowdsourcing as well.
Winter: Three Songs on the Nature of Armageddon is now available.
This phenomenal Winter: Three Songs on the Nature of Armageddon for mezzo-soprano, piano and orchestra has been waiting more than 25 years to get from pencil to legible form. With the powerful text by poet Claire Chomentowski, this 35-minute work explores the nature of personal despair and human failure, using biblical references. Score for 2 flutes, alto flute, oboe, 2 clarinets, bass clarinet, bassoon, alto sax, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, tuba, piano, timpani, glockenspiel, percussion and strings in 15 parts, the score is available for download now along with an mp3 demo. Parts will be made available for any scheduled performance. Even if you're just browsing for ideas, be sure to grab a copy of this masterpiece.
The Making of Air
My composition for harp & percussion, Air, received a spectacular perfomance by Duo Harpverk. Here's a documentary on the making of Air, as well as the full performance at the end of the video:
Music of My Youth
As a child, Hungarian records were found in the house. When we actually got a record player, I could explore them. And here they are for your listening. By the way, there is a bucketload of other news to be reported on this page, but it's been a little busy. For now, do a quick peek at various events past & present.
Purchase all five of these CDs for $20 here and paste a copy of the order confirmation here. In return you'll receive the 24-page booklet and a bonus CD of Detritus of Mating (while they last!).
New Erzsébet Opera Recordings!
My Erzsébet Opera Project was a long time coming and a big deal for me. You can also get the CD or DVD premiere recordings here!
Beautiful Print Publications You Will Love!
O: Eleven Songs for Chorus SATB with text by Gary Barwin from Lulu.com. These vivid settings of eleven poems by Gary Barwin are mysterious, funny, tender, inventive, rich in association, and eminently singable. From the skittering conversation of "The Birds," to the alternate Medieval world of "Sparrows' Song" and the rhythmic footsy of "Small Apes and White Feet," these songs strike a balance between thoughtful reflection and quirky off-kilter humor.
Erzsébet: A Monodrama is the opera's score from Lulu.com. This large volume is the full orchestration in a beautiful presentation with Lisa Jablow as Erzsébet on the cover. The opera is complete and premiered; a DVD will be offered here shortly! Complete background on the opera and information on downloading information, purchasing T-shirts, programs, etc., as well as future performances can be found on The Bathory Opera Website.
Three Performance Pieces is available from Lulu.com. Three beautiful performance scores from the 2007 "We Are All Mozart" project. One is a set of 99 performance pieces, the second a set of seven sections for French horn, and the third a set of 13 graphical scores for tenor guitar. Several of the latter are part of the "Notations21" gallery series.
Erzsébet: A Monodrama is the opera's libretto available from either Amazon.com or Lulu.com. The opera is complete and premiered, and a DVD will be offered here shortly! The libretto includes the full text along with images in a beautiful commemorative volume. More info at The Bathory Opera Website
Country Stores of Vermont: A History and Guide is available from The History Press. It's a really good book, with fantastic pictures and great stories as well as ten fantastic tours of Vermont. You can get it cheaper at Amazon.com or you can get copies from our local Vermont bookstores and country & general stores. Autographed copies also available..
Missa scanned in!
The 1978 Missa da Camera for voices & small instruments that got great international reviews back in 1978 -- premiered on consecutive days at the Delaware Valley and New York Avant-Garde Festivals -- is now available. You can grab it from the Big List and it will be indexed in the vocal catalog shortly. It's a big file (about 30MB) because it's a PDF made up of score images. It's not on the schedule for Finale input for a while ... but it's way worth it.
Read All About Me, Me, Me!
Kyle Gann wrote a complimentary profile about me (I'm "a shadowy figure" -- yeah!) in Chamber Music Magazine in November. It was a very nice piece which you can read here (PDF).
Opera Lyrics Font
I've created a TrueType font based on 19th century opera scores. It has all the typical characters and a few more, but is missing still a few of the special characters. I'll improve it over the next few months, but if you're interested, here it is: Opera-Lyrics-Smooth. If you distribute it, please keep in mind that this version (1.65) will occasionally be updated. Click image for full-sized chart.
Build 4 U!
People have remarked for years about the imaginative character of our little New England cape, full of hand-made furniture, cabinets, closets, shelves and other interesting items. Now you can have these, too because I will build it 4 u!
Join the nonpop "Buy Local" campaign! If you're a composer or supporter of new nonpop, you can get a bumper sticker for five bucks at CafePress, item number 80570307, or even better you can download and print it yourself. The CafePress one is only 10 inches wide, but you can use the full-size image to print a big one on 11x17 paper and trim it to standard 3.75" x 15" bumper sticker size.
June 1,Colchester, Vermont: Jameo y el Delfin Mareado. Burlington Civic Symphony directed by Daniel Bruce. Elley-Long Music Center, 8pm.
May 19,Chicago: L'Estampie du Chevalier, 3rd string quartet. Chicago Modern Orchestra Project with Third Stream String Quartet. South Shore Cultural Center, 4pm.
May 18,Chicago: L'Estampie du Chevalier, 3rd string quartet. Chicago Modern Orchestra Project with Third Stream String Quartet. Dominican University, 7pm..
April 7,Manchester, Vermont: O: Eleven Songs for Chorus (#2, 3, 4 and 7). Counterpoint, directed by Nathaniel Lew. First Congregational Church, 4:00pm.
April 6,Burlington, Vermont: O: Eleven Songs for Chorus (#2, 3, 4 and 7). Counterpoint, directed by Nathaniel Lew. Unitarian Church, 7:30pm.
April 5,Montpelier, Vermont: O: Eleven Songs for Chorus (#2, 3, 4 and 7). Counterpoint, directed by Nathaniel Lew. McCarthy Arts Center, Saint Michael's College, 7:30pm.
April 4,Bremen: En Trein. Vox Novus 60x60 Project Presenters Mix at University of Bremen, Theatersaal.
April 1,Burlington Vermont: Interview. The :30 WCAX-TV Channel 5/5.1.
March 4,Plainfield, Vermont: Interview. WGDR/WGDH 91.1/91.7 FM and online, 1:00-3:00pm
February 27,Oxford: En Trein. Vox Novus 60x60 Project Presenters Mix at Audiograft, Headington Hill Hall, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BT, 5:00pm/6:00pm UTC.
January 27,Fresno: En Trein. Vox Novus 60x60 Project Presenters Mix at Wahlberg Recital Hall, California State University Fresno.
A Cloak for the Lord of Cats (1995), a short-short story about vampiress Báthory Erzsébet, a true historical figure. This story forms the basis of a scene in a proposed opera.
It's Time to Bury the Dead (1992), intense article calling for the end of performances of older concert music and a revision in thinking and sensibility.
Composing a New Language (1992), proposal presented at MedArt International by Barbara S.J. Balch and me to replace lost language skills with musical language developed through interaction and virtual reality.
The Image Behind the Glass (1986), talk to ID Expo in Boston on light pens and touch screens that presages modern palmtops, handwriting recognition, and artificial intelligence features.
The Impact of the Microprocessor (1982), prophetic and political talk about microprocessor technology and philosophy, presented to the ACM at Rensselaer in Troy, New York.
The Microprocessor as a Modern Odysseus (1982), similar talk with a personal sidelight about music and the arts, presented to the IEEE in Burlington, Vermont.
