SPLICE Festival V 2023 Concert 5 Program
featuring
SPLICE Ensemble
Saturday November 4, 2023
7:00pm EDT
David Friend Recital Hall, Berklee College of Music
921 Boylston Street Boston, MA 02115
Livestream available at https://vimeo.com/showcase/dfrh
Peter Van Zandt Lane : Anabranch
Derek Hurst : Fissure
Shahrzad Talebi : Eternal Embrace of the Sea
Bella Rose Kelly and Ziaire Trinidad Sherman : Yield
Zouning (Anne) Liao : Rupturing Signals
Notes
Peter Van Zandt Lane : Anabranch I believe
in the violence of not knowing.
I've seen a river lose its course
& join itself again,
watched it court
a stream & coax the stream
into its current,
& I have seen
rivers, not unlike
you, that failed to find
their way back.
- Andrew Zawacki, excerpt from “Anabranch: Credo" (Wesleyan Poetry Series, 2004)
Brian Sears : bare.
bare. is an exploration of restraint, simplicity, and vulnerability, which is presented in various ways. A simple chord progression reoccurs throughout the piece, first as a deconstructed and sparse piano texture, and later as fully stated straight forward chords, and outlined melodies in the trumpet. As the texture and energy of the piece increases, the overarching themes of the piece persist with repeating and hypnotic rhythmic textures, simple tonal melodies, and sustained tones that are transformed and given life by the live electronics, adding interest and complexity to simple beauty. Within the piece, each instrument has a moment to stand on its own, giving each performer a chance to show their own vulnerability through exposed improvisations.
The final moments of the piece brings the instruments together for a pop/dance music inspired celebration of the simple elements presented throughout the earlier sections, showing the versatility and beauty of simple ideas.
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Shahrzad Talebi : Eternal Embrace of the Sea
Eternal Embrace of the Sea is written for the Splice ensemble, inspired by the poem “Quietness” by Rumi. The poem centers around spiritual awakening and rebirth, representing the act of killing one's ego and breaking free from the prison of thought. The music is expressing this idea by creating an eerie, soft yet intense atmosphere that is periodically disrupted by sudden loud attacks. As the piece progresses, these sudden attacks occur more frequently, eventually becoming the defining texture and character of the music.
Inside this new love, die.
Your way begins on the other side.
Become the sky.
Take an axe to the prison wall. Escape.
Walk out like someone suddenly born into color.
Do it now.
You’re covered with a thick cloud.
Slide out the side. Die,
and be quiet. Quietness is the surest sign
that you’ve died.
Your old life was a frantic running
from silence.
The speechless full moon
comes out now.
“Quietness” by Rumi
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Ted Moore : nand
Electrons oscillating high and low, edgy square waves that turn on and off different tones, noise, oscillating with silence, in turn turning off and on themselves. A complex system creating simple sounds (repeating phrases consisting of square waves, filtered noise, and silence), each gesture has microvariations, just enough entropy to keep me listening for the next squealy tone.
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Zouning (Anne) Liao : Rupturing Signals
TThe inspiration for this composition project is to explore the electromagnetic signals that surround us but are not audible in everyday life. Humans emit electromagnetic radiation when making decisions or engaging in activities like driving or choosing what to wear. These brainwave activities alter the electromagnetic field (EMF) signals. I find it fascinating that these physical EMF signals can be transformed and amplified into audio signals, allowing us to hear the sonic differences between devices like laptops and iPhones.
To prepare for this project, I used electromagnetic sensors to detect various gadgets that emit EMF. These sensors convert the magnetic signals into audio signals. I am fascinated by the diverse musical qualities present in these recordings. Some have strong rhythmic grooves, while others have distinct and persistent frequency content. However, these signals are fragile and unstable, depending on the position of the sensors. Even a slight movement of the sensor can significantly weaken the audio signal or completely change the sound. Sometimes, moving the sensors closer to the source can trigger a dangerously loud boom, followed by a signal break.
In Rupturing Signals, the ensemble and electronics collaborate to recreate different rhythmic and frequency patterns of the EMF. This composition aims to highlight the unstable, ever-changing, and instantly breaking characteristics of the recorded audio signals.
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Bella Rose Kelly and Ziaire Trinidad Sherman : Yield
Yield was written about a character's relationship with a singular moment. They relive and rewrite what happened trying to justify their actions. This ultimately leads to them being stuck in a feedback loop, unable to break out. Through microtonal interactions and contrasting electronics, reality begins to tear leaving the character where they started. By the end, there is no time for them to stop or start down a new path; All they can do is yield.
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Bios
SPLICE Ensemble is a trumpet, piano, and percussion trio focused on cultivating a canon of electroacoustic chamber music. Called a “sonic foodfight” by Jazz Weekly, SPLICE Ensemble works with composers and performers on performance practice techniques for collaboration and integrating electronics into a traditional performance space. The resident ensemble of both SPLICE Institute and SPLICE Festival, SPLICE Ensemble has been a featured ensemble at M Woods in Beijing, SEAMUS, the Electroacoustic Barn Dance, SCI National, Electronic Music Midwest, and New Music Detroit’s Strange Beautiful Music 10. They have recorded on both the SEAMUS and Parma Labels.back to program
Derek Hurst is a composer writing acoustic and electroacoustic concert music. His work exhibits a balance between visceral solemnity and muscular jocularity, mixed with timbral subtlety. Both his acoustic and electronic works have been performed throughout the U.S. and abroad by ensembles such as: Boston Modern Orchestra Project, String Noise, Left Coast Ensemble, Ensemble Pamplemousse, Interensemble, Brave New Works, Ecce Ensemble; and prominent soloists: Ian Pace, Winston Choi, Geoffrey Burleson, Ashleigh Gordon, Sarah Brady et al, with works featured on concert events of: League-ISCM, SEAMUS, ICMC, Boston Cyberarts and the ComputerArts Festival. Mr. Hurst and his creative work have received several awards, honors and distinctions including: Fromm Foundation Commission, Jebediah Foundation Commission, MCC Artist’s Fellowship, the Wayne Peterson Prize, The Copland House Residency et al. As a new music advocate, he also has directed numerous concerts of new music and was Cohost for SEAMUS’ 2019 National Conference, which was held on the Berklee / BoCo campus.
Derek is Professor of Composition at Berklee and teaches courses in composition, electronic music, theory, counterpoint & contemporary music. Mr. Hurst earned his PhD in Composition / Theory from Brandeis University. Major teachers include David Rakowski, Eric Chasalow, Martin Boykan, Yehudi Wyner and John Melby. His dissertation on Schoenberg’s Piano Concerto (op. 42) is published by Verlag, D.M.
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Peter Van Zandt Lane is an American composer of acoustic and electroacoustic music, whose unique musical style draws from his eclectic musical background in genres ranging from classical, Renaissance music, avant-garde electronic music, EDM, folk, and progressive rock. When awarded the Charles Ives Fellowship in composition, the American Academy of Arts and Letters noted “at every turn, his propulsive, incisive work is beautifully and confidently made. . . Lane’s music is as inviting as it is sophisticated.” He is currently Associate Professor of Composition and Director of the Roger and Center for New Music at the University of Georgia.
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Brian Sears’s music is based on his attraction to timbre, space, and texture, and is heavily influenced by the art of electroacoustic performance practice, and its ability to shift our perception of reality through the use of technology. His compositions use memory, constructive reality, and intimate sonic expressions to invoke deep emotional connections. Brian holds a Ph.D in Music Composition and Theory from Brandeis University, where he studied with Eric Chasalow, Yu-Hui Chang, and David Rakowski. Brian is continually inspired and influenced by his interactions and collaborations with performers and sound artists, as well as past teachers and mentors like Elainie Lillios, Mikel Kuehn, Pablo Furman, and Brian Belet.
Brian is currently serving as the Assistant Director of Operations for the Writing and Music Technology Division at Berklee College of Music, where he creates new curricular programs to encourage student creation and collaboration. He is the winner of the 2018 ASCAP/SEAMUS Commission Competition, and his music has been performed nationally at festivals and conferences like ICMC, SEAMUS, NYCEMF, SCI, New Music Gathering, Electronic Music Midwest, N_SEME, SPLICE Festival, and others, as well as by members of the International Contemporary Ensemble, Collage New Music, SPLICE ensemble, the Toledo Symphony Orchestra and the San José Chamber Orchestra. He has also been a participant artist at various residencies including the Manifeste Academy at IRCAM, Atlantic Center of the Arts, the SPLICE Summer Institute, and the Summer Institute for Contemporary Performance Practice at New England Conservatory.
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Shahrzad Talebi is a composer from Tehran, Iran. Her music is inspired by a broad range of human experiences, from personal to political and poems. It is characterized by dense textures and a spontaneous rhythmic style. The microtonal structures, styles of ornamentation, and the timbral scope of Iranian traditional and folk music have been influential to her approach. Her work has been selected for Electronic Music Midwest, the Klingler ElectroAcoustic Residency Competition (Writing a piece for Unheard-of//Ensemble), the Toledo Symphony Orchestra reading session, BGSU MicroOpera, Fifteen Minutes-of-Fame (Drew Hosler), the electroacoustic music competition “Reza Korourian Awards”. Shahrzad earned her bachelor's degree from the Tehran University of Art and her master's degree at Bowling Green State University, where she studied with Dr. Mikel Kuehn, Dr. Elainie Lillios, and Dr. Christopher Dietz. She will be attending the University of North Texas to pursue her PhD in composition this fall.
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Ted Moore (he / him) is a composer, improviser, and intermedia artist whose work fuses sonic, visual, physical, and acoustic elements, often incorporating technology to create immersive, multidimensional experiences.
Ted’s music has been presented by leading cultural institutions such as MassMoCA, South by Southwest, The Walker Art Center, and National Sawdust and presented by ensembles such as Talea Ensemble, International Contemporary Ensemble, the [Switch~ Ensemble], and the JACK Quartet.
Ranging from concert stages to dirty basements, Ted is a frequent improviser on electronics and has appeared with dozens of instrumental collaborators across Europe and North America. Described as “frankly unsafe” by icareifyoulisten.com, performances on his custom, large-scale software instrument for live sound processing and synthesis, enables an improvisational voice rooted in free jazz, noise music, and musique concrète.
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Born in Guangdong, China, Zouning’s music draws inspiration from her fascination with nature and technology, blended with a constant curiosity about the playing capacity of instruments. She endeavors to incorporate unexpected and everyday sounds into her music.
Her music has been performed in the United States, France, China, and England. In 2023, her work was featured in the Musicacoustica Hangzhou Electronic Music Festival, Electronic Music Midwest, CampGround23, Turn Up 2023, SPLICE Festival, and Everyday is Spatial 2023. She was honored to also be featured in New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival (2022), SEAMUS national conference in (2021, 2022), National Student Electronic Music Event (2021), and the Society of Composers Inc. (2021). Zouning was named a finalist in the ASCAP/ SEAMUS Student Composer Commission Competition in 2021.
Zouning is currently pursuing a master’s degree with double majors in electronic music composition and music theory at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music. She also serves as an Associate Instructor of Music Theory and teaches written and aural theory at undergraduate level. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the same institution where she studies with David Dzubay, John Gibson, and Chi Wang among other notable mentors. In summer 2023, Zouning earned a certification from the CIEE Paris Contemporary Music Creation and Critique Program, ManiFeste & I’Académie at IRCAM- Centre Pompidou in Paris, France.
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Bella Rose Kelly is a student at Berklee College of Music where she is majoring in Composition and minoring in Screen Scoring. She has earned the Berklee World Tour scholarship as well as the Taco Bell Live Mas scholarship in composition. Bella has operated most notably in the Neither/Nor ensemble directed by Dr. Richard Carrick as a composer, performer, and orchestra manager. She has premiered two pieces with the group since 2021. Her goal is to make classical music more accessible through writing and imaginative concert experiences. She is inspired by the music of Jessie Montgomery and Claude Debussy.
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Ziaire Trinidad Sherman is a Black American saxophonist, composer, and visual artist based in Cincinnati and Boston. He is known for blending his musical talents with storytelling and admiration for life. Ziaire's captivating saxophone performances, combined with cutting-edge technology and a deep appreciation for the history of sound, create visually stunning experiences. He has showcased his work through audiovisual pieces, touring, and art installations, with exhibitions and performances at MIT, Harvard, Documenta, and Fabrica Research Center. Ziaire Trinidad Sherman remains committed to exploring fresh and innovative ways to express his artistry.
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