SPLICE Festival VI 2025 Concert 1 Program
Thursday January 23, 2025
7:00pm EDT
Dalton Recital Hall, Western Michigan University
Sarai Juarez Osorio : Techno Cumbia
Sarai Juarez Osorio, voice
Sivan Cohen Elias : RESET
Will Yager, bass
Yao Hsiao : Consort Yu
Yao Hsiao, voice and live electronics
Philippe Macnab-Séguin : GENERIC MUSIC 1: Trad
Jeanne Côté, violin
Mickie Wadsworth : Mirror, Mirror,
Mickie Wadsworth, voice
Ed Martin : Aria
Drew Whiting, baritone saxophone
Michael Beil : Key Jack
Ancel Neeley, percussion
Notes
Sarai Juarez Osorio : Techno Cumbia
This collection of songs builds on the foundation of techno cumbia while incorporating innovative sounds through technology. The lyrics delve into themes of courage, hope, and the exploration of the unknown, all in Spanish, my native language. As the daughter of hardworking Mexican immigrants, I have always felt a sense of foreignness. Writing these songs allowed me to confront unresolved personal dilemmas and reflect on my experiences.
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Sivan Cohen Elias : RESET
RESET for prepared double bass and live electronics is designed as a pattern that keeps restarting itself in a way that preserves its core elements while ever morphing into new shapes, through its presence in space and time. It works akin to a body that is reflected through a looking glass, which then warps and shreds, so the reflection keeps changing while the original content remains intact. The core sound imagery combines representations of nostalgic harmonic sound with a seemingly “paper tearing” sound, and a quasi-bird sound.
The electronics part consists of a sequential automated presets, mainly utilizing real time signal processing, recording and processing the double bass performance in real-time, and fixed media containing pre-made processed pre-recorded materials of the double bass, while also living some room for electronics improvisation.
RESET was written for and is dedicated to Will Yager.
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Yao Hsiao : Consort Yu
In the piece Consort Yu, I was inspired by the traditional Chinese Peking Opera “The Hegemon-King Bids His Lady Farewell,” which is about the fight between two kings, Xiang Yu and Liu Bang. In the opera, Xiang Yu is surrounded by Liu Bang's forces and on the verge of total defeat. Realizing the dire situation that has befallen them, Xiang Yu’s wife, Consort Yu, begs to die alongside her husband, but he strongly refuses her wish. Afterwards, as he is distracted, Yu commits suicide with Xiang Yu's own sword.
I tried to create connections between traditional Peking opera and contemporary electronic music. First, I used timbres and rhythms similar to those used by“The Hegemon-King Bids His Lady Farewell.” Also, the musical use of unstable pulses, such as tempo rubato and voice glissando in Peking opera, can relate to the color of contemporary music. Second, I used traditional Peking opera singing style throughout the vocal part. I also used some similar lines from the Peking opera but changed some notes to add different harmonic colors. In the electronics, I sometimes imitated the rhythms the Peking opera, and at other times made different granulated layers of various singing styles in Peking opera. Moreover, I used Leap Motion to better control the gestures of Peking opera in a live performance setting.
Text:
My lord is now sleeping quietly. I can go out of the tent for a walk to let go of my sorrow.
看⼤王和衣睡穩，我出帳外且散愁情。
Oh, hold on! Why is there the singing of the state of Chu in the enemy's village? What is the reason for this? Oh, my lord, my lord! I'm afraid that my lord is on the verge of total defeat!
哎呀且住！
怎麼敵⼈寨內竟有楚國歌聲，這是甚麼緣故？ 哎呀⼤王啊⼤王！ 只恐⼤勢去矣！
Oh, my lord, my lord! So be it! I would like to use the sword of my lord to kill myself, so as not to become your burden!
⼤王啊！⼤王啊！也罷！願以⼤王腰間寶劍，⾃刎君前，免得掛念妾⾝哪！
Han soldiers have captured my territory, Besieged on all sides singing. The king's spirit is exhausted, How can I survive!
漢兵已略地，四⾯楚歌聲。
君王意⽓盡，妾妃何聊⽣
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Philippe Macnab-Séguin : GENERIC MUSIC 1: Trad
Trad is first of a series of pieces called GENERIC MUSIC. The term ‘generic’ here refers to two things: firstly, that each piece in the series takes as its point of departure the examination of genre and their re-contextualization; and secondly, the use of generated materials, often using various AI tools.
In this case, the genre taken as a point of departure is Traditional/folk Québecois music (usually referred to as ‘Trad’), and the set of associations it has for me personally. The basic material taken as a point of departure was transcriptions of the incredible Trad fiddle player “Ti” Jean Carignan playing “Bagpipes on Violin” and “Reel Kébec.”
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Mickie Wadsworth : Mirror, Mirror,
When you look in the mirror, what stares back at you?
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Ed Martin : Aria
Aria (2021) presents a lyrical melody that gradually unfolds over the course of the piece, beginning in quiet solitude and building to an impassioned plea. The melody is played exclusively with multiphonics, which both provide its unique tonality and form a physical barrier that the saxophonist must sing through and transcend. Aria was commissioned by saxophonist Drew Whiting, who provided many of the sounds heard in the electronics and offered invaluable feedback throughout the composition process.
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Michael Beil : Key Jack
It has become a trademark of Michael Beil (°1963) to thoroughly dismantle the traditional image of the musician and his instrument. In Key Jack, the grand piano has even disappeared from the stage altogether. Deprived of his beloved instrument, the pianist has exchanged his black suit for a more casual outfit. Once a solist, he is now assisted by 2 questionable Doppelgänger. Yet, Key Jack is still a highly virtuosic solo piano piece. In front of the camera the pianist faces a mind-bending playback-challenge. Beil thereby skillfully recombines movement, image and sound, thus confusing even the most alert spectators. The result is a fascinating performance, that almost makes you forget the piano isn’t actually there.
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Bios
Michael Beil studied piano and music theory at the Hochschule für Musik Stuttgart and afterwards composition with Manuel Hidalgo. In 1996 he taught music theory and composition at the music conservatories in Kreuzberg and Neukölln in Berlin as director of the precollege department and the department of contemporary music. At this time Michael Beil also directed the Klangwerkstatt – a contemporary music festival in Berlin and founded in 2000 together with Stephan Winkler the team Skart to present concerts based on interdisciplinary concepts. In 2007 he became the professor for electronic music at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne and director of the studio for electronic music.
As composer Michael Beil has colaborated with numerous ensembles and soloists. His music has been commissioned by festivals for contemporary music including Ultraschall in Berlin, ECLAT in Stuttgart or Wien Modern and has been featured in portrait or concert broadcasts on radio stations such as Deutschlandradio, RBB, SDR and many others. Furthermore he has received scholarships for Künstlerhaus Wiepersdorf, cité des arts in Paris and the Heinrich-Gartentor-Scholarship for video art in Thun, Switzerland. In addition he participated in the Nachwuchsforum für junge Komponisten of the Gesellschaft für Neue Musik (GNM) in collaboration with the Ensemble Modern.
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Originally from Sherbrooke, violinist Jeanne Côté stands out for the sensitivity of her playing. She holds a master’s degree from McGill University and a bachelor’s from the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal.
Jeanne is a member of the Quatuor Andara, active since 2014 and in residence at Université de Montréal from 2021 to 2023. The quartet participated in the Ottawa International Chamber Music Festival's Career Development Program and Banff Centre’s Concerts in the 21st Century in 2019. That same year, they won First Prize at the Festival Concours de Sherbrooke, and Jeanne received second prize for her violin recital.
In addition to her chamber music career, Jeanne teaches at the Coopérative des professeurs de musique de Montréal and Joseph-François-Perrault high school. She has also been collaborating on the ACTOR (Analysis, Creation, Teaching or Orchestration) project since 2019 and worked on the MAP project in 2021, presenting research at the IRCAM forum at New York University and at the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS) conference at the DiMenna Center in New York.
Jeanne is currently based in Montreal. She plays for several chamber music and creation projects and plays in many orchestras in the province of Québec. She plays on a Carlo Antonio Testore violin (1710) and a Marcel Lapierre bow (1950), courtesy of Canimex Inc. of Drummondville (QC), Canada.
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Performer, composer, and producer Scott Deal explores new pathways of musical computer interactivity, networked systems, and media. Hailed as “a riveting performer” who “exhibits phenomenal virtuosity”, Deal has performed and recorded throughout the world, and can be heard on the Albany, Centaur, Cold Blue, SCI, and Neuma record labels. His recordings have been described as “soaring, shimmering explorations of resplendent mood and incredible scale”….”sublimely performed”. Deal has built his work at the nexus of music performance and emerging artistic technologies. His work has received funding from organizations that include Meet the Composer, New Frontiers, Indiana Arts Council, Clowes Foundation, Indiana University Arts and Humanities Institute, and the University of Alaska. Deal is a Professor and Director of the Donald Tavel Arts and Technology Research Center at Indiana University Indianapolis, and is an Indiana University Presidential Arts and Humanities Fellow.
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Sivan Cohen Elias, a 2024 ACF McKnight Composer Fellow, is an electroacoustic composer and improviser. Her work spans the United States, Europe, and Asia, where she has received various prestigious international awards, including Fromm Foundation, and Akademie Schloss Solitude. Her pieces have been performed by ensembles such as Klangforum Wien, Jack Quartet, Talea, Distractfold, soundinitiative, among many others in festivals including Wien Modern, Impuls, Bang on a Can, TimeSpan, Klangspuren, to name a few. She received PhD from Harvard University. Main former composition instructors include Chaya Czernowin, and Steven K. Takasugi. She was a visiting professor at the University of Iowa between 2018-2021, taught electronic music performance at NYU in 2021-2022, and since Fall 2022 she has been the Assistant Professor of Composition and Music Technology at the University of Minnesota, School of Music.
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Yao Hsiao is a performer-composer, singer, voice artist, pianist, violinist, poet, and actor from Taiwan. They received their Master of Music degree in Composition from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where they studied with David Dzubay, Aaron Travers, Chi Wang, and John Gibson. Hsiao is currently pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy in Data-driven Music Performance and Composition at the University of Oregon, where they study with Jeffrey Stolet.
They have been inspired by literature ranging from Western poems to ancient Chinese poetry and Japanese haikus. Additionally, they were drawn to traditional Chinese culture. Chant of Languor and Dreamy Chant are inspired by Chinese poems, and Consort Yu for voice and live electronics is another piece of theirs combining Peking opera gestures and singing techniques, which they performed themselves. They were invited to perform this piece at conferences such as NIME 2024, SEAMUS 2024, EMM 2024, MOXsonic 2024, NYCEMF 2024, ICMC 2024, and SPLICE Festival VI. The piece was also selected as one of the finalists in the 2024 Sweetwater/SEAMUS Student Commission Competition. They also participated in Click Fest 2024, performing their piece Daiyu for voice, iPad, and live electronics.
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Described as a “virtuosic tour de force” whose playing is “energetic, precise, (and) sensitive,” pianist and composer Keith Kirchoff has performed throughout North America, Europe, and the Pacific Southwest. A strong advocate for living composers, Kirchoff is committed to fostering new audiences for contemporary music and giving a voice to emerging composers, and to that end has commissioned several dozen compositions and premiered hundreds of new works. He is the co-founder and President of SPLICE Music: one of the United States’ largest programs dedicated to the performance, creation, and development of music for performers and electronics. Kirchoff is active as both a soloist and chamber musician, and is a member of both Hinge Quartet and SPLICE Ensemble. Kirchoff has won awards from the Steinway Society, MetLife Meet the Composer, the Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Chamber Music America, and was named the 2011 Distinguished Scholar by the Seabee Memorial Scholarship Association. He has recorded on the New World, Kairos, New Focus, Tantara, Ravello, Thinking outLOUD, Zerx, and SEAMUS labels.
You can follow Kirchoff on Instagram @8e8keys and learn more at his website: keithkirchoff.com
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Philippe Macnab-Séguin is a composer of instrumental, electroacoustic and mixed music whose work aims to create a new musical language at the crossroads of popular musics (especially electronic music, jazz and metal) and contemporary classical music. His music is rhythmically driven, complex, and reflects his eclectic musical background as an electric guitarist in metal and jazz, his study Nancarrow’s music, his lessons in konnakol (south Indian vocal percussion) with Ghatam Karthick, his experience in Barbershop singing and arranging, and his study of Hyperglitch music and production with the producer Woulg. He and producer Nicolas Gaumond form the prog-pop duo Greetings From The Hole. His in-depth study of Aural Sonology, the frequent presentations and workshops he gives on the subject, and his contact with Lasse Thoresen helps ground his artistic research in clear perceptual principles. He has received over 20 scholarships and awards for his work, including the Prix d’Europe, a BMI award, four SOCAN young composer awards, a JTTP award, and funding from the SSHRC and FRQSC. He received his D.Mus in composition from McGill University under the supervision of Jean Lesage, and has received mentorship from Denys Bouliane, Lasse Thoresen, Pierre Alexandre Tremblay, Matthew Shlomowitz, Philippe Leroux, Du Yun and Steve Takasugi, among others.
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Ed Martin (b. 1976) is an award-winning composer whose music has been performed world-wide by ensembles such as the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra, the Hinge Quartet, Ear Play, the Empyrean Ensemble, the Symchromy Ensemble, Musical Amoeba, and duoARtia. His album “Journeys,” featuring pianist Jeri-Mae G. Astolfi, is available from Ravello Records, and other works are recorded on the Mark, innova, Centaur, Emeritus, New Focus, and SEAMUS labels. His music has received awards from the Percussive Arts Society, the Craig and Janet Swan Prize for orchestra music, the Electro-Acoustic Miniatures International Contest, ASCAP, and SEAMUS. He is Professor of Music at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh where teaches composition and music theory. Visit www.edmartincomposer.com.
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Ancel ‘Fitz’ Neeley (b. 2000) is a composer, percussionist, educator, and videographer from the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti MI area who writes a variety of solo, chamber, electronic, and multimedia works. His music often takes inspiration from cinematography, screenwriting, and the dialogue between technology and natural elements. Fitz is a frequent collaborator as both composer and performer as has been apart of numerous projects such as Clara Warnaar's "A New Age for New Age Vol. 5", Shodekeh Talifeiro’s “Vodalitites”, John Luther Adams’ Grammy Nominated recording of "Sila", and the premiere of Michael Gordon’s work for percussion ensemble “Field of Vision”. As a percussionist, Fitz performs with his percussion and multimedia duo VIRID, percussion trio Brain Pocket, and mixed sextet FLYDLPHN, all of which are geared towards the creation of new works by composers looking to explore new techniques in writing for percussion, chamber winds, and electronics. As a part of VIRID, Fitz is also a co-producer of the concert series VIRID and Friends through Oz’s Music Store in Ann Arbor. VIRID and Friends hosts 5-7 guests bi-annually for intimate showcases of contemporary classical and electronic music.
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Sarai Juarez Osorio
Sarai is a Mexican-American singer born in CA, United States. Sarai has performed since age 5 and spent most of her childhood recording and producing music in service of her local church. She earned a degree in music ministry at Canzion Institute in 2021 graduating as the youngest student of her class. She has directed several shows and concerts in high school at Sonoma Academy and became the founder of the first-ever Spanish show in the school’s history. She has received countless recognition and numerous awards, some include becoming a recent first prize winner of American Protege’s International Vocal Competition as well as first prize winner of the We Sing Pop! competition. This led her to perform at Carnegie Hall. She became a Questbridge Scholar after matching with Oberlin College and Conservatory with a full scholarship where she is currently pursuing both a BM/BA. She currently majors in Technology in Music and Related Arts at Oberlin Conservatory and Economics (with a business concentration) at Oberlin college.
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Mickie Wadsworth is a composer and conductor based in Upstate New York. Much of their work focuses on the human experience, and the complexity of our emotions. Their discography primarily consists of vocal, electro-acoustic, fixed media, and large ensemble pieces. As a musician, they are dedicated to creating a welcoming community that celebrates new music from diverse voices. Outside of being a musician, they spend much of their time hiking in the adirondacks, working at Bitchin’ Donuts, or hanging out with their cat Norma. Mickie is happy to answer both compositional or coffee/donut related questions. They received their M.M. in Composition and their M.M. in Conducting (Wind Track) from Ohio University, and their B.M. in Music Composition from SUNY Fredonia.
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Saxophonist Drew Whiting has established himself as a champion of new and experimental music, specializing in performing works of the 20th and 21st centuries in solo, chamber, and electroacoustic settings. Drew is described as having “superb musicianship” (The Saxophonist), “remarkable versatility” (Computer Music Journal), and is a “superb advocate of the music he champions” (Fanfare Magazine).
Drew received his Bachelors and Masters of Music degrees from the Michigan State University College of Music and the Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Drew is a proud Yamaha Performing Artist and Vandoren Artist-Clinician, performing exclusively on Yamaha saxophones and Vandoren woodwind products.
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Dr. Will Yager is a double bassist committed to experimental music, improvisation, and collaborating with other artists in the creation of new solo and chamber repertoire for the double bass. He is a founding member of both LIGAMENT, a chamber duo with soprano Anika Kildegaard, and the improvising trio Wombat with Justin Comer and Carlos Cotallo Solares. Performance highlights include appearances at Bang on a Can’s Long Play 2024, Big Ears Festival, High Zero Festival, Omaha Under the Radar, University of Iowa Center for New Music, Experimental Sound Studios’ Quarantine Concerts, 2021 International Society of Bassists Convention, Nief-Norf Summer Festival, New Music on the Point, Cortona Sessions for New Music, and the Bang on a Can Loud Weekend. In addition to his varied performing activities, Yager currently teaches double bass at the University of Northern Iowa and spends his summers on faculty at the North Carolina Governor’s School West.
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