the digital composer-in-residence shortlist
Digital composer in residence
We have our finalists, you choose the winner.
The winner of the competition will be announced at a live concert at Wilton's Music Hall (London, UK) on the 5th November 2009
Back in June, we began our quest for the world's first Digital Composer-in-Residence to take up a one-year 'virtual residency' on Dilettante. With fabulous entries from all over the world, our judging panel had the challenging task of short-listing just three finalists. Now it's down to you to decide who you want as your Digital Composer-in-Residence for 09/10.
Listen to the finalists' pieces below, recorded by the London Sinfonietta, and vote for your favourite. You can only vote once, though, so make it count.
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Biography:
Born in Edmonton, Canada in 1980, Aaron Gervais earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Toronto and a Masters from the University of California at San Diego. Aaron’s music has been performed all over the world by l’Ensemble Contemporain de Montréal, Tapestry New Opera and the Arditti Quartet amongst others.
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About this work:
Composed in 2008, Sensational Revolution in Medicine for soprano and speaking pianist is a set of three pieces with text taken from spam email messages that Aaron has collected over the years. ‘I am attracted to the idea of using spam email texts because of what they represent’, says Aaron. ‘Since the purpose of commercial spam is always to trick someone into spending money, these texts are always targeted at our most deep-seated fears and vulnerabilities.’
Listen to Aaron and soprano Amy Haworth talk about Sensational Revolution >>
Biography:
A native of Banciao, Taiwan, Chiayu studied at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, and at Yale University. Currently a Ph.D. student at Duke University, Chiayu’s compositional career has gone from strength to strength with her works being performed at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall and the Davies Symphony Hall.
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About this work:
Zhi for violin and piano was composed in 2008 and includes folk rhythms from Chinese festive music. Zhi means ‘to weave’ or ‘to interlace’, especially to form a design. ‘The result is often a united and coherent texture,’ says Chiayu, ‘yet one that varies depending on the viewing angle, as in the view through a kaleidoscope. In these movements, relatively simple motifs…weave in and out of one another. Harmony and counterpoint are intricately intertwined to create complex inflections.’
Biography:
Originally from New Jersey, US, David Little is currently studying for a Ph.D at Princeton University. An active performer as well as composer, David’s music has been performed across Europe, the US and Canada – including commissions from Carnegie Hall and performances by the New York City Opera and eighth blackbird.
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About this work:
1986 for string quartet is based on the tune ‘My Grandfather’s Clock’. David says, ‘I have my own connections to this song, which I must have played hundreds, if not thousands of times as a boy playing in a fife and drum corps in New Jersey.’ 1986 calls on this experience, making use of the snare drum part that he played. The ‘tune’ returns throughout the piece in different incarnations – from silly to serious – giving the listener a sense of a hazy, but fond, memory.
Listen to David and violist Paul Silverthorne talk about 1986 >>