2008 Woodie Awards
Review: A night of new music
Second electroacoustic music concert offers work of USA students and guests
Ariel Davis
Issue date: 3/26/07 Section: Fine Arts
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Last Wednesday was not the average night at the USA Laidlaw Recital Hall. At the electroacoustic music concert, musicians departed from formal tuxedos and music of the past, offering new works created with the use of electronic elements.
This was the second concert of its kind at USA, and attendance was much smaller than the previous concert.
Following an introduction from coordinator and USA professor David Durant, the lights dimmed as music projected from a set of speakers.
Many USA students premiered their compositions, including Brad Seippel, Caleb Givens, Nicholas Markow and Olivia LeSueur, who has received notoriety for her work "Tunnel," which premiered at the last electroacoustic concert.
The concert opened with Givens' "Fire Storm," a rhythmic and repetitive work with multiple percussion and synthesizer with an excess of vibrations. Next, Markow's "Images from Mercury" was perhaps most visibly related to its title, as futuristic tones and sporadic bass provoked images of space.
Seippel's work, "Mueway Receptions" seemed to be an audience favorite for its danceable beat. It was followed by "Finding Out (A Journey Into Mental Time and Space)" by Bryant T. Gilley, where, after guitars and vocals, the work bursts into metallic electronic sounds and voices, including a clip from the famous "Free at last" speech from Martin Luther King Jr.
LeSueur's "Spectrum Disorder," explored three stages of mental illness, with her own recordings of electric guitar.
After hearing the student's work, Durant had a reason to be proud, as their compositions proved both creative and engaging.
USA graduate Colin Pool presented a dreamy piano and tape work at the last concert. This time, his work "Noir," set for sax and digital audio, was performed by USA instructor Tracy Heavner. Blowing out a jazzy melody, Heavner's notes were paired with recorded wails from brass instruments.
Guest composer Tae Hong Park, who also performed at the previous concert, premiered his work "t1 for Trumpet and Tape," performed by USA's Dr. Peter Wood.
To close the concert, Durant performed his own work "Vista for Solo Piano and Tape" where his musical phrases were mimicked by a recording. In a sudden turn, Durant used his forearms to crash out the melody, that became so intermixed with the recorded portions that it was hard to tell which was live and which was recorded.
Just like last year's concert, this year's event offered a tantalizing exploration for the ears.
This was the second concert of its kind at USA, and attendance was much smaller than the previous concert.
Following an introduction from coordinator and USA professor David Durant, the lights dimmed as music projected from a set of speakers.
Many USA students premiered their compositions, including Brad Seippel, Caleb Givens, Nicholas Markow and Olivia LeSueur, who has received notoriety for her work "Tunnel," which premiered at the last electroacoustic concert.
The concert opened with Givens' "Fire Storm," a rhythmic and repetitive work with multiple percussion and synthesizer with an excess of vibrations. Next, Markow's "Images from Mercury" was perhaps most visibly related to its title, as futuristic tones and sporadic bass provoked images of space.
Seippel's work, "Mueway Receptions" seemed to be an audience favorite for its danceable beat. It was followed by "Finding Out (A Journey Into Mental Time and Space)" by Bryant T. Gilley, where, after guitars and vocals, the work bursts into metallic electronic sounds and voices, including a clip from the famous "Free at last" speech from Martin Luther King Jr.
LeSueur's "Spectrum Disorder," explored three stages of mental illness, with her own recordings of electric guitar.
After hearing the student's work, Durant had a reason to be proud, as their compositions proved both creative and engaging.
USA graduate Colin Pool presented a dreamy piano and tape work at the last concert. This time, his work "Noir," set for sax and digital audio, was performed by USA instructor Tracy Heavner. Blowing out a jazzy melody, Heavner's notes were paired with recorded wails from brass instruments.
Guest composer Tae Hong Park, who also performed at the previous concert, premiered his work "t1 for Trumpet and Tape," performed by USA's Dr. Peter Wood.
To close the concert, Durant performed his own work "Vista for Solo Piano and Tape" where his musical phrases were mimicked by a recording. In a sudden turn, Durant used his forearms to crash out the melody, that became so intermixed with the recorded portions that it was hard to tell which was live and which was recorded.
Just like last year's concert, this year's event offered a tantalizing exploration for the ears.
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