SOUND DESIGN
I love to create worlds from sound, and thrive on challenging notions, rules, and expectations; I want to move people.
My work currently deals with textures of varying intensity and opacity which combine to create intricately woven webs of sound. Often I manipulate acoustic sources using interactive digital processes to generate these structures. By modeling human interactivity characteristics in the synthesis process, I've found that I can create "living" sounds. These sounds can act according to preplanned structures, though I also like to incorporate improvisation in the mechanics of their realization in order to produce the most organic creations possible.
I also like to create designs/concepts from scratch; in order to define new and relevant scales of frequency I typically build synthesis systems to mutate generative sound concepts for each production. While this tends to be a more rigorous process, I find that it gives each piece it's own distinct personality and energy. I also find these structures enable deep listening on a variety of levels. It is this ability to explore the piece anew which I enjoy about my favorite artists be it Beethoven, Hendrix, or Glass.
I believe that as a contemporary experimental artist, there has not yet been a genre title assigned to my output. However, the fields and aesthetics of No Wave, Noise, Electronic, Free Jazz, Free Improvisation, all eras of Western Art Music, Traditional/Indigenous Music, Jazz, Rock, and Punk have all had a marked influence on my development.
My work currently deals with textures of varying intensity and opacity which combine to create intricately woven webs of sound. Often I manipulate acoustic sources using interactive digital processes to generate these structures. By modeling human interactivity characteristics in the synthesis process, I've found that I can create "living" sounds. These sounds can act according to preplanned structures, though I also like to incorporate improvisation in the mechanics of their realization in order to produce the most organic creations possible.
I also like to create designs/concepts from scratch; in order to define new and relevant scales of frequency I typically build synthesis systems to mutate generative sound concepts for each production. While this tends to be a more rigorous process, I find that it gives each piece it's own distinct personality and energy. I also find these structures enable deep listening on a variety of levels. It is this ability to explore the piece anew which I enjoy about my favorite artists be it Beethoven, Hendrix, or Glass.
I believe that as a contemporary experimental artist, there has not yet been a genre title assigned to my output. However, the fields and aesthetics of No Wave, Noise, Electronic, Free Jazz, Free Improvisation, all eras of Western Art Music, Traditional/Indigenous Music, Jazz, Rock, and Punk have all had a marked influence on my development.
SHORT BIOGRAPHY
As an artist, I’m equal parts designer, computer musician, and saxophonist. I would describe my style as ranging from impulsive and brash to meditative; I approach compositional design from a highly structured perspective with the aim of enabling creation and freedom wherever possible. My conceptual adherence to creativity in performance and education stems from the belief that only through the fundamental engagement afforded by interactivity can we truly contribute to a vibrant and meaningful community.
My background in sound stems from an early interest in music and theater. In high school I studied saxophone, guitar, and piano while working after school on theater productions. Rather than focusing on one aspect of theater, I sought out experiences in sound, lights, costumes, set building and acting.
My college career began with a Bachelor's degree in music education at Bowling Green State University where I was first exposed to contemporary music and theory. Following this, I applied and was accepted to the saxophone studio of Jean-Michel Goury in Paris, France. After two years of rigorous study in contemporary music and chamber music, I received a Diplome des Etudes Musicale with a Premiere Prix a la Unanimité de la Jurie in 2003 and returned to the United States where I was then accepted into the Master's program at the University of Florida. Upon obtaining a Master of Music Performance I finished my musical education with a Doctorate of Music from the University of Maryland in 2007.
For the next five years, I served as Director of the International School of Music in Washington DC where I also taught saxophone and music theory. During that time I presented concerts of new music with the Inscape Chamber Orchestra, the Great Noise Ensemble, the Bay Town Players and others. I also began my first sound design collaborations for theater groups in Washington DC and New York City.
I moved to New York City in 2012 in order to co-found JACK, a not for profit performing arts space in Brooklyn. I curated over 80 performances of new and improvised experimental music. It was here that I first encountered many of today's great avant-garde performers including John Zorn, Peter Evans, Borbetomagus, William Parker, Weasel Walter, and countless others.
It was at JACK that I also began devoting myself more fully to experimental practices in theater by working as a collaborating artist with director Alec Duffy and Hoi Polloi theater collective. The fruits of these labors included performances at some of New York City's most adventurous cultural institutions including Joe's Pub, the Little Theater at Dixon Place, The Collapsable Hole, Danspace, The Secret Theater, Under St. Mark's, and Goodbye Blue Mondays to name a few.
I kept busy as a musician by forming the avant-art group The Georges, and performing as soloist and with artists like Tatsuya Nakatani, Jooklo Duo, Nathan Davis, Michael Foster, Stanley Zappa, Daniel Carter, Tamio Shiraishi, Mike Pride, Michael Evans, Michael Ibrahim, Kjell Nordensen, and countless others.
In 2014, I enrolled in the sound design studio of Shahrokh Yadegari at the University of California San Diego where I studied Pure Data with my personal hero Miller Puckette, musical anaylsis with Roger Reynolds, and directing with Gabor Tompka. As an active member of the International Computer Music Association, I’ve published and presented papers on creating interactive software instruments in visual programming environments, most recently at the Conservatiore National de Region Boulogne-Billancourt (Paris, France), the Qualcomm Institute, and the International Computer Music Conference 2016 (Utrecht, Netherlands). I've served as sound designer/composer for over 30 projects in the past 7 years and have many more productions planned for the future.
I am currently serving as Lecturer of Sound Design at the University of California San Diego, as a board member for JACK in New York, as a Design Director for the Exceptionally Decent Media Group, and as a professional sound designer for theater, dance, and live music.
My background in sound stems from an early interest in music and theater. In high school I studied saxophone, guitar, and piano while working after school on theater productions. Rather than focusing on one aspect of theater, I sought out experiences in sound, lights, costumes, set building and acting.
My college career began with a Bachelor's degree in music education at Bowling Green State University where I was first exposed to contemporary music and theory. Following this, I applied and was accepted to the saxophone studio of Jean-Michel Goury in Paris, France. After two years of rigorous study in contemporary music and chamber music, I received a Diplome des Etudes Musicale with a Premiere Prix a la Unanimité de la Jurie in 2003 and returned to the United States where I was then accepted into the Master's program at the University of Florida. Upon obtaining a Master of Music Performance I finished my musical education with a Doctorate of Music from the University of Maryland in 2007.
For the next five years, I served as Director of the International School of Music in Washington DC where I also taught saxophone and music theory. During that time I presented concerts of new music with the Inscape Chamber Orchestra, the Great Noise Ensemble, the Bay Town Players and others. I also began my first sound design collaborations for theater groups in Washington DC and New York City.
I moved to New York City in 2012 in order to co-found JACK, a not for profit performing arts space in Brooklyn. I curated over 80 performances of new and improvised experimental music. It was here that I first encountered many of today's great avant-garde performers including John Zorn, Peter Evans, Borbetomagus, William Parker, Weasel Walter, and countless others.
It was at JACK that I also began devoting myself more fully to experimental practices in theater by working as a collaborating artist with director Alec Duffy and Hoi Polloi theater collective. The fruits of these labors included performances at some of New York City's most adventurous cultural institutions including Joe's Pub, the Little Theater at Dixon Place, The Collapsable Hole, Danspace, The Secret Theater, Under St. Mark's, and Goodbye Blue Mondays to name a few.
I kept busy as a musician by forming the avant-art group The Georges, and performing as soloist and with artists like Tatsuya Nakatani, Jooklo Duo, Nathan Davis, Michael Foster, Stanley Zappa, Daniel Carter, Tamio Shiraishi, Mike Pride, Michael Evans, Michael Ibrahim, Kjell Nordensen, and countless others.
In 2014, I enrolled in the sound design studio of Shahrokh Yadegari at the University of California San Diego where I studied Pure Data with my personal hero Miller Puckette, musical anaylsis with Roger Reynolds, and directing with Gabor Tompka. As an active member of the International Computer Music Association, I’ve published and presented papers on creating interactive software instruments in visual programming environments, most recently at the Conservatiore National de Region Boulogne-Billancourt (Paris, France), the Qualcomm Institute, and the International Computer Music Conference 2016 (Utrecht, Netherlands). I've served as sound designer/composer for over 30 projects in the past 7 years and have many more productions planned for the future.
I am currently serving as Lecturer of Sound Design at the University of California San Diego, as a board member for JACK in New York, as a Design Director for the Exceptionally Decent Media Group, and as a professional sound designer for theater, dance, and live music.
