The Music

Samuel Adams, Curator

Posted by SoundBox

March 9, 2015

"Their Own Devices" is curated by composer Samuel Adams. Sam grew up in the Bay Area, where he studied composition and electroacoustic music at Stanford while playing as a jazz bassist around San Francisco. His own music draws from his experiences working in a wide range of fields, including noise and electronic music, jazz, and field recording.

Here are some of Sam's thoughts on "Their Own Devices":

This concert focuses on works by exciting young composers. Together, the pieces form a multifaceted examination into the way digital culture shapes our music making.

Many of the works embrace and utilize digital technology. Tristan Perich’s Observations includes an ensemble of 1-bit microchips that chirp and flicker, creating a brilliant tapestry. Daniel Wohl’s Saint Arc builds a cathedral of sound by sampling and stretching the most intimate whispers of a cello. Clara Iannotta’s Àphones distorts an acoustic ensemble, embracing the extreme sonic spectrum that is more typical of electronic music.

Conversely, some of the composers question the world of digital ubiquity and fragmentation. Ted Hearne’s Law of Mosaics uses certain popular music techniques—remixing, needle-dropping, ‘mashups’—to create a disquieting mosaic where climaxes are superimposed, introductions are misplaced, ultimately raising the question: where do we find meaning in the absence of wholes?