Events in the first week of September

The Center for 21^st Century Music was pleased to sponsor some terrific events by guests who were in residence while preparing for the September 7^th performance of Prof. Tiffany Skidmore’s The William Blake Cycle (Also co-sponsored by the Center). The guests included saxophonist, Kyle Hutchins, who gave a workshop on composing for his instruments, and composer Ted Moore, who offered a masterclass for our PhD students in composition, as well as a composer talk open to the public. Percussionist Annie Stevens, also in town for The William Blake Cycle, gave an excellent workshop for composers, as well.

Kyle Hutchins - credit his Website

As a specialist in experimental performance practice and electroacoustic new music, Kyle Hutchins has performed well over 200 world premieres of new works for the saxophone. He has worked with some of the leading composers and performers of our time including Pauline Oliveros, George Lewis, Chaya Czernowin, etc. In his workshop, Professor Hutchins introduced various experimental techniques on saxophone, showing UB composers some exciting new possibilities for their future projects involving the instrument. 

PhD student in composition, Lihuen Sirvent commented: It is encouraging to have visiting artists like Kyle Hutchins, who are potentially interested in collaborating with us beyond the reading session experience.

Ted Moore - credit Brian Fancher

Ted Moore is a composer, improviser, and intermedia artist whose work fuses sonic, visual, physical, and acoustic elements, often incorporating technology to create immersive, multidimensional experiences. After completing a PhD in Music Composition at the University of Chicago, Ted served as a postdoctoral Research Fellow in Creative Coding at the University of Huddersfield as part of the ERC-funded FluCoMa project, where he investigated the creative potential of machine learning algorithms and taught workshops on how artists can use machine learning in their creative music practice. Ted has continued offering workshops around the world on machine learning and creativity including at the University of Pennsylvania, Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at Stanford University, and Music Hackspace in London. 

In his presentation, Professor Moore introduced his own works and shared the highly creative way he thinks about the relationship between music and technology, including machine learning.

Annie Stevens - credit Virginia tech Website

Annie Stevens, an active soloist and chamber musician throughout the U.S. and internationally, is the Associate Professor of Percussion at Virginia Tech. She has performed internationally at music conservatories in England, Spain, China, France, Germany, and Trinidad. In 2017, she was invited as a fellow to attend Ensemble Evolution, a performance seminar hosted by the International Contemporary Ensemble at the Banff Centre in Banff, Canada. Nationally, she has collaborated with New York’s Ensemble Signal and the Grammy nominated Metropolis Ensemble, as well as performed and lectured at over 35 universities, at four international conferences, and featured on NPR’s "Performance Today." 

During her workshop, Professor Stevens gave an introduction to the compositional possibilities of mallet percussion instruments, and also worked on a chamber piece by UB composer, William Brobston. Stevens offered effective suggestions on writing and notation, while demonstrating some detailed 4-mallet techniques.

The Center for 21^st Century Music and the UB Department of Music have many exciting upcoming events! Please stay tuned on our Blog!