Join us for an afternoon of new music composed by The Hartt School composition faculty members Robert Carl and Ken Steen.

Program:
Robert Carl – Infinity Avenue
Ken Steen – Assumption

Robert Carl

“Robert Carl’s music, to my ear at least, has always felt like the work of a particularly sensitive sonic observer of the world. Originally a student of history before he refocused his efforts into music, his interest in time, memory, and space are veins running through his compositions, his work more given to conjuring imagery than narrative plot. And whether inspiration is mined in the wake of a seascape or travelers on a speeding bullet train, the resulting music tends to carry a distinct organic beauty and rich, encompassing depth.” ~ Julia Lu, NewMusicBox

~ notes from the composer on Infinity Avenue

Infinity Avenue is an ongoing project now entering its second year. It unites an interest in alternative tuning with open-ended form. It is designed so as to exist in multiple formats. At the core is a patch in MaxMSP that allows for real-time performance and exploration of a world in precise overtone-derived tuning. The materials of this “score” allow for realizations that so far have included the following:

– An installation that may be either directed by a solo performer for any amount of time, or allowed to run semi-automatically.

– A solo performance which can be more precisely structured by a laptop player, allowing for direct choice of pitches, harmonies, and gestures, as well as more automatic fields.

Next up is what will be unveiled at this performance, a version that allows for a small improvising ensemble to interact with the patch.

Watch an interview with Robert Carl with samples of his compositions HERE.

Ken Steen

“Ken Steen is a composer of considerable talent and originality. His music is thoughtful and remarkably well crafted. It has both surface beauty and inner depth.” — Ingram Marshall, composer

Ken Steen’s music and sound art is recognized internationally for its authentic vitality, remarkable range and distinctive personal vision. Whether acoustic, electronic or some multimedia combination, his work is often characterized as being seductively gorgeous, featuring sumptuous textures of gradual yet unpredictable evolution. In the last 5 years Steen’s work in various forms have enjoyed more than 100 performances on 5 continents: from Mumbai to Tripoli, Paris, Reykjavík, Buenos Aires and New York City.

 ~ notes from the composer on Assumption

Assumption, is a fixed audio piece that is informed by traditional “tape” pieces, sound art, and sonic installations. The primary sound sources, derived from a quartet of 18th c. bells and a decaying antique harmonium, were recorded/collected from the 12c. Eglise de l’Assomption in Marnay-sur-Seine, France. Much of the piece relies on juxtaposition of the beautifully out-of-tune harmonium (noisy, decrepit pedals and all…), with vocal and other sonorities based on spectral analyses of the bells that evolve over extended periods of time.