David Crowell

4/26/24 - The Guardian Review of Point / Cloud

Fantastic review today from The Guardian, which chose Point / Cloud as its Contemporary Album of the Month! A few highlights:

“Crowell’s minimalism is wonderfully rich and harmonically complex: busy arpeggios sketch out dense, extended chords that constantly mutate and move in unexpected directions.”

“Throughout, Crowell constructs geometric structures that have a rare sense of kinetic energy: this is music that glistens, sparkles and dances with joy.”

Read the full review here!

Point / Cloud is out on all streaming platforms May 3rd! Pre-save and stream the single, Point / Cloud (II)

4/3/24

Point / Cloud (II), the single for my new album Point / Cloud, is out today!

Full album is out May 3rd on Better Company Records. Pre-order the album HERE!

3/16/24

Point / Cloud to be released May 3rd on Better Company Records! Featuring Sandbox Quartet, Dan Lippel, Mak Grgic, and eco|tonal (Iva Casian Lakos & David Crowell)

The works of Point / Cloud, from the New York City-based composer and instrumentalist David Crowell, are transmissions from in between. Four compositions for percussion, guitar, and singing cellist offer pause amidst periods of transit—highway drives, detours to underwater pipe organs, or contrapuntal developments. Crowell’s intricate notions take flight, then build us a home in midair. 

Verses for a Liminal Space is the most recent composition to have emerged from Crowell’s decade-long relationship with the quartet Sandbox Percussion. Commissioned by a university consortium and completed during Crowell’s fellowship at Dumbarton Oaks, the work occurs in three “verses”: short, spaced circumnavigations, flowing into one another. A statement featuring vibraphone first winds up and down; vibraphones and marimbas then seem to freeze the music in place. The last verse is a bright, rotating canopy, grounded by repeated drum strikes.  

Crowell considers the eponymous Point / Cloud a response to Steve Reich’s Electric Counterpoint (1987), a defining three-movement work for guitar in which the soloist plays with pre-recorded tracks. (Lippel, who recorded Point / Cloud, also consulted with Reich on his own recording of Electric Counterpoint.) The title here evokes the work’s pointillistic texture and thick counterpoint, amassing over time into “clouds” of sound. Crowell follows a contemplative first movement with an introverted second, where wandering phrases hurdle gently over one another. Short sections in the last movement glow, settle, then bid adieu, if all too soon. 

Pacific Coast Highway, which follows, began life as an electric guitar and electric bass composition for one of Crowell’s previous bands, a virtuosic burst to be deployed in the middle of sets. Since then, the work has assumed what Crowell describes as “multiple personalities,” including the classical guitar duo version here performed by guitarists Dan Lippel and Mak Grgic. Crowell, who grew up partially in California, named the work in honor of one particular drive along the titular highway, imbued with an open-ended, exalted sensibility. Via dancelike passages that bend and wind after their namesake, Pacific Coast Highway routes us towards a novel destination. 

For Crowell, the concluding work 2 Hours in Zadar—performed by eco|tonal (Iva Casián-Lakoš and David Crowell), with text by Casián-Lakoš’s mother Nela Lakoš—is something of a surprise, an episode of spaciousness after three explorations of pulse and rhythm. The work, Crowell said, stands at the intersection of Crowell’s own compositional sensibilities and Casián-Lakoš’s musical strengths, as well as her Croatian ancestry. At the start of 2 Hours in Zadar, snatches of Casián-Lakoš speaking Croatian are embraced by organ-like electronics, derived from manipulations of Casián-Lakoš’s voice. Soon begins Gregorian-style chanting, accompanied by Casián-Lakoš’ fluid lines on cello and, later, samples of the peculiar hollow trumpeting of the Sea Organ: a marble stair in the Croatian coastal city of Zadar that conceals within its steps a group of pipes, “played” by the passing waves. Casián-Lakoš goes on to sing her mother’s text, describing a speaker who ponders the endlessness of the sea, surrendering to and yet—with plainspoken sweetness—refusing the water’s power.

—Jennifer Gersten

3/1/24

Tomorrow is the premiere of my big new piece for Unheard-of//Ensemble, Memories of the Imagined, at the Tribeca New Music Festival. The concert will be at the DiMenna Center at 7:30, and for those not in New York an official webcast will be aired about a week later. In the meantime, enjoy this trailer and interview!

9/4/23 The Latest

It’s been awhile since the last update but plenty of things to be excited about these days!

This July, Ensemble Illyrica performed Where the Winds Meet in Slovenia (at the gorgeous Brežice Castle) and at festivals on Lastovo and Mljet islands in Croatia. Next summer I’ll be traveling to Vienna to work with this wonderful ensemble on a recording of the piece. In the meantime, see below for a few short video excerpts from their performance this summer in Slovenia.

Speaking of recording, I’m so thrilled that my latest album Point / Cloud is finished! The record features Sandbox Percussion, Dan Lippel, Mak Grgić, and eco|tonal (my duo with Iva Casián Lakoš). I have poured an untold number of hours into composing, producing and mixing this, and am immensely proud of the collaborations with all the wonderful musicians involved. The cover features gorgeous art by Rebecca Crowell (with cover design by Kate Gentile), and Jennifer Gersten has contributed beautifully written liner notes. Charles Van Kirk mastered the audio. More info on release of this music in the near future.

If you’d like to catch some of the music from this new album live, Verses for a Liminal Space is being performed twice by Sandbox Percussion at the Park Avenue Armory on Oct 1st and 3rd. It will be nice to return to this amazing venue, having played Music in 12 Parts there previously with the Philip Glass Ensemble. And eco|tonal will be performing 2 Hours in Zadar at Vassar College on 9/10.

In May, my composer led band Empyrean Atlas performed at the DiMenna Center for the Tribeca New Music Festival. Although it was not my intention at the time, the performance and audio fidelity came out so well that I will be releasing this as a new Empyrean Atlas record! Here’s a little teaser for now, with much more to come…

A little from the New York Times on Echolocation:

"Depending on the tune, the interwoven triple-guitar gamesmanship of Empyrean Atlas can run in a few different directions: toward the mathy post-punk of Horse Lords or Battles, toward warmly anesthetic ambience (say, Pink Floyd meets Bradford Cox), or toward West African high life. On “Echolocation,” the clangy, lapping repetitions feel most in line with that last influence. The quintet’s movements are coiled and contained, but pulsing with small, ecstatic fibrillations." Giovanni Russonello, New York Times

Finally, my residency this summer at the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation in Maine was very productive. While there, I started my 25-30 minute piece for Unheard-of//Ensemble (violin, bass clarinet, cello, piano + electronics) which will preview December 16th, followed by a full premiere in Spring 2024.

12/28/22 Year End Wrap-up and Upcoming in 2023

2022 was an exciting year, with premieres of new work performed by A Far Cry, Sandbox Percussion, Argus Quartet, icarus Quartet, Dan Lippel, Ensemble Illyrica, & Eco|Tonal, at Dumbarton Oaks, Kennedy Center REACH, Tribeca New Music Festival, Vienna Summer Music Festival, Kultursommer Wien (Vienna), Alte Schmiede (Vienna), Zagreb Archaeological Museum (Croatia) & Stony Brook University. I performed (alto, tenor & soprano saxophones) at Bang on a Can’s Long Play Festival for a concert honoring Ornette Coleman’s seminal album, The Shape of Jazz to Come. Denardo Coleman led a band of legends (including James Blood Ulmer, Jason Moran, and others) and Awadagin Pratt conducted the Bang on a Can Orchestra. In June, I was a composer in residence at I-Park in Connecticut, a beautiful place to work and meet other artists.

I’m equally excited about what’s coming up in 2023! Here are some highlights:

1) A new 25-30 minute multimedia work for Unheard-of//Ensemble, generously supported by an Individual Artist Grant from the New York State Council on the Arts. I look forward to working on this during my July residency at the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation!

2) Recording my percussion quartet Verses for a Liminal Space with Sandbox Percussion. This will appear on a new record I’ve been working on, also featuring performances of my music by Dan Lippel, Fret X (Dan Lippel and Grammy nominated guitarist Mak Grgic), and Eco|Tonal (Iva Casian-Lakos & myself). More details on the release of this music soon!

3) The premiere of a new band with Andrew Smiley on guitar, Kate Gentile on drums, and myself on tenor saxophone (and occasional guitar). The music I’m composing is a combination of complex, dissonant polyrhythmic counterpoint with healthy doses of improvisation. I can’t wait to develop this further as the year progresses.

4) The re-emergence of my longtime band Empyrean Atlas after a pandemic slumber, performing with the guitar quartet Dither at the Tribeca New Music Festival. I’ll be writing some new music for what will be a fantastic show! More exciting developments with Empyrean Atlas will be announced later in the year.

5/18/22 icarus Quartet premieres Precipice at the Kennedy Center REACH, Ensemble Illyrica premieres new work in Vienna

Some exciting new events announced:

icarus Quartet will be premiering my piece for them, Precipice, at the Kennedy Center REACH in Washington, D.C. June 28th! And on July 7th the piece will get its European premiere at the Vienna Summer Music Festival.

Also coming up in Vienna - the premiere of my new work for Ensemble Illyrica, 8/12 at Kultursommer Wien! They will also be playing it 9/30 in Vienna at Alte Schmiede, and an additional performance or two will likely be added in Croatia.

And coming up this Sunday (5/22), Dan Lippel will be performing my work for microtonal guitar and electronics, Low Light, at the Soapbox Gallery in Brooklyn as part of Counter)Induction Presents. You definitely don’t want to miss this full solo recital from one of the leading contemporary classical guitarists in New York City.

4/20/22 Upcoming Performance at Long Play Festival and I- Park Foundation Residency

All of the world premieres last week, with A Far Cry, Argus Quartet, and Sandbox Percussion, went very well! I will have some live performance excerpts up soon for Woven in Earth and Sky and Cloud Forest, but if you can’t wait until then Tribeca New Music Festival is webcasting the entire Argus Quartet performance, including Cloud Forest, tomorrow at 6pm. Tickets are here.

Coming up May 1st - I’m performing on saxophones with Bang on a Can Orchestra, conducted by Awadagin Pratt, for a special concert reimagining Ornette Coleman’s landmark album The Shape of Jazz to Come. Composers Pamela Z, Nicole Mitchell, Nick Dunston, Craig Harris, Carman Moore & David Sanford have arranged the album’s pieces for Denardo Coleman’s Ornette Expressions Band (feat. James Blood Ulmer, Jason Moran and others) and the orchestra. It will be at BAM’s gorgeous Gilman Opera House as part of Bang on a Can’s inaugural Long Play festival - the last time I performed here was with the Philip Glass Ensemble and Steve Reich in 2014! Read a NY Times feature on the concert here.

In June I’ll be in residence at the I-Park Foundation and plan to work on expanding Low Light, my piece for Dan Lippel (microtonal guitar and electronics). I can’t wait to be on the beautiful grounds of I-Park - it will be an inspiring place to work!

Picture below of Sandbox Percussion sound checking in the Dumbarton Oaks music room:

2/7/22 World Premieres with A Far Cry, Argus Quartet and Sandbox Percussion + New Projects!

A flurry of events - many in the span of one week - are almost here! Hope to see you at one of these concerts.

World Premieres:

On April 2nd-3rd, Grammy nominated ensemble A Far Cry is previewing (in Boston) and then officially premiering my new piece for string orchestra, Woven in Earth and Sky, at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C. This work was commissioned by Dumbarton Oaks.

On April 10th, Argus Quartet will premiere my new string quartet Cloud Forest in NYC, commissioned by the Tribeca New Music Festival and supported by an Individual Artist Grant from New York State Council on the Arts.

The SAME night, my longtime collaborators and current Grammy nominees Sandbox Percussion will be premiering Verses for a Liminal Space at Dumbarton Oaks, followed by a repeat performance the next night (2nd performance for an invite only crowd).

Another premiere coming up even sooner - guitarist extraordinaire Dan Lippel will perform a new work for microtonal guitar (in 19edo, for those who are interested) and live electronics called Low Light, March 1st at Stony Brook University.

Finally, no specific news to report yet on the premiere of Precipice, commissioned in 2020 by icarus Quartet, but signs are pointing to some very exciting possibilities for this summer. More on that soon.

Upcoming composition projects:

I’m starting work on a piece for Loadbang, followed by a new commission for the Croatia based Ensemble Illyrica to premiere in Vienna this summer. More upcoming projects to be announced soon.

5/7/21

Lots of exciting news to report!

Dumbarton Oaks has commissioned me to write a new work for the Boston-based string orchestra A Far Cry, to be premiered on their 75th Anniversary concert April 3rd, 2022. A Far Cry has collaborated with Yo-Yo Ma, Roomful of Teeth, the Silk Road Ensemble, Vijay Iyer and David Krakauer. They have many beautiful recordings to listen to, including Philip Glass’ Piano Concerto No. 3 (which they commissioned and performed with Simone Dinnerstein) paired with Bach’s Keyboard Concerto No. 7.

The week after this concert, on 4/10-11/2022, Sandbox Percussion will be premiering a new percussion quartet at Dumbarton Oaks. Come for the strings and stay the week for the percussion!

In the more immediate future, eco|tonal will be making their debut at the Rites of Spring Festival June 12th, performing my piece for cello, guitar, voices and electronics, Eklutna. Guitarist Dan Lippel will also perform my piece Point Cloud.

And stay tuned for dates soon on the premiere of my new work for the Argus Quartet, Cloud Forest, Fall 2021 at the Tribeca New Music Festival.

3/2/21

Very excited to receive news that I have been awarded a generous Individual Artist grant from the New York State Council on the Arts, in support of the new work for Argus Quartet! This piece will premiere sometime in Fall 2021 or Spring 2022 at the Tribeca New Music Festival, depending on where we are with the pandemic. I’ll be working on this music during my current fellowship at Dumbarton Oaks this Spring. More to come as this project rounds into shape.

11/16/20

Concordia Chamber Players presented a wonderful concert of Sandbox Percussion last night performing my work Music for Percussion Quartet, along with music by Victor Caccese, Natalie Dietterich, Andy Akiho, and Bach. Listen here if you missed it!

10/30/20

Listen TONIGHT on YouTube Live, 8pm, for the Made at Avaloch series! My work for New Morse Code, Catharsis, will be featured (interview starts at 38:10, full piece at 47:37), along with a discussion about rehearsing and recording the piece at Avaloch Farm and Guilford Sound. It will be a pleasure to reconnect with Hannah and Mike again!

In case you miss it, the show will be available on Avaloch Farm’s YouTube page after the event.

8/21/20

I’m excited and honored to be joining an incredible collection of scholars in Spring 2021 as a fellow at Dumbarton Oaks, a research institute of Harvard University. As part of my residency I’ll be working on a new piece for the Argus Quartet. Argus won 1st prize at both the M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition and Concert Artists Guild Competition, and has performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill and Zankel Halls, Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, and for Washington Performing Arts at the Kennedy Center. More information on our project and the other Dumbarton fellows here.

8/3/20

Luna video out today! Notes and embed below.

Film, music, and production: David Crowell
Cello, voice, and dance: Iva Casian-Lakoš

NOTES:

Luna exerts gravitational pull over the lapping polyrhythmic waves hitting its shore. Luna finds a meeting place for Baroque contrapuntal language and the hypnotic groove of Minimalism. Above all, Luna searches for beauty in the richest of all string instruments, the lyricism of the human voice projecting metaphorically, and at the end of the piece, literally.

In this new video, filmed on the North Fork of Long Island from May-July 2020, overlaid images of forests and water create an immersive and unique visual hallucination. The contemplative first movement connects to the richness of Casian-Lakoš’ low register, exploring the link between the resonant wood of the cello and the forest surrounding her. Early in the second movement, an abrupt shift transitions from solid Earth to a beautiful but unstable water world, the waves a visual metaphor for the polyrhythmic motion of the music. This section climaxes both visually and musically as the complexity of the polyrhythms peak and the music courses through Casian-Lakoš' body and fingers simultaneously. The piece ends with a haunting melody for voice and cello, the ethereal environment rotating and breathing around Casian-Lakoš as she sings and plays.

7/29/20

I’m very excited to post the trailer for a new video I made for my piece Luna, featuring Iva Casian-Lakos. The full video will be released on August 3rd. Look forward to sharing with everyone!

5/22/20

Since the end of February I’ve released 46 minutes of new music, 30 of which has been recorded and mixed (and partially composed) in that time frame alone! It’s been a busy but rewarding several months. See below for a full recounting.

Luna (2020)

Much has been said in previous posts about Luna (scroll down if you like), but I’m very proud of the work Iva Casian-Lakos and I did in producing and recording this new piece while in quarantine. Look out for a video project in the next months!

Composed by David Crowell
Performed by Iva Casian-Lakos (cello + voice)

Produced, recorded and mixed by David Crowell
Mastered by Charles Van Kirk

Music for Percussion Quartet (2015)

Sandbox Percussion is one of the greatest percussion groups working today - I’m lucky to count them as close collaborators. This piece was composed in 2015, recorded in 2018, and released this year on their album And That One Too (Coviello Contemporary).

Composed by David Crowell
Performed by Sandbox Percussion

Engineered by Lawson White at Good Child Studios
Mixed by David Crowell
Additional mixing and mastering by Aaron Holloway-Nahum

Plumage IV & V (2020)

Part of my ongoing series. Plumage IV was premiered at National Sawdust several months ago, and Plumage V was just finished yesterday. IV explores moody electronic textures with overlaid saxophones and electric guitars, and Plumage V finds inspiration from recent study of Anthony Braxton’s Ghost Trance system.

Composed and performed by David Crowell

Produced, recorded and mixed by David Crowell
Mastered by Charles Van Kirk

5/15/20

New music alert! Luna is finished and up on Soundcloud. See below for notes and recording:

Luna exerts gravitational pull over the lapping polyrhythmic waves hitting its shore. Luna finds a meeting place for Baroque contrapuntal language and the hypnotic groove of Minimalism. Above all, Luna searches for beauty in the richest of all string instruments, the lyricism of the human voice projecting metaphorically, and at the end of the piece, literally.

Luna was originally composed for violin trio, but the premiere and subsequent recording sessions were cancelled as a result of coronavirus. Holed up with my quarantine partner, cellist Iva Casian-Lakos, I substantially revised, adapted and added to the existing piece. It was recorded, mixed, and mastered over a month-long period, with early morning recording sessions followed by homemade breakfast sandwiches.

Luna is dedicated to Iva for her artful interpretation and beautifully rich, dark sound.

Composed by David Crowell
Performed by Iva Casian-Lakos (cello + voice)

Produced, recorded and mixed by David Crowell
Mastered by Charles Van Kirk

5/3/20

New music alert!

For their CD release party at National Sawdust a few months ago, Sandbox Percussion asked me to play a short set of solo music. The result was a new composition, the 4th in my Plumage series of solo pieces for alto saxophone, electric guitar & electronics.

Produced, engineered & mixed by David Crowell
All parts performed by David Crowell
Mastered by Charles Van Kirk

4/19/20

I’m in the midst of recording and mixing a new piece for cello trio, Luna, featuring the wonderful Iva Casian-Lakos (we are quarantined together). I feel grateful for this inspiring musical interaction during a time of social distancing (with no ability to collaborate in person with members of our community), and when so many people are suffering greatly as a result of this worldwide pandemic.

More soon on when this music will be released.

3/20/20

Some very nice words from Atlanta based Earrelevant about Sandbox Percussion and my piece Music for Percussion Quartet:

“The shining star of the album are tracks 2 through 5; David Crowell’s Music for Percussion Quartet…The piece is as joyful as it is evocative.

Movement one, “Fluctuation,” puts one in a trance with its gorgeous melodies on metal instruments and moments of unison rhythms between drums and metals. “Sky,” the second movement, brings the listener to a place outside of clock-time…

Movement three, “Oscillation,” sounds very much like the mbira music of Zimbabwe, but instead of hosho (gourd shakers), we get toms and a bass drum. The drums mark the pulse in the multiple sections in this movement. The mallet instruments phase in an out of time with each other, but always land back with the drums. The last movement, “Landscape”. brings us back to the land of bowed mallets and guitar, but this time with a more bleak and lonely feeling.

Crowell’s use of form is masterful, and every moment of the music captivates the listener. It is a well-balanced, overwhelmingly lovely piece of music.”

Check out Sandbox’s new album And That One Too!

3/1/20

See below for a few pictures from Sandbox Percussion’s sold out release show at National Sawdust. It was very fun to perform on the 2nd and 4th movements of my piece Music for Percussion Quartet with them (which also appears on their album), and to premiere some new music for saxophone, electric guitar & electronics called Plumage IV. Listen to And That One Too on Spotify or my piece specifically on the Soundcloud embed below! Next up they are performing Music for Percussion Quartet Sunday and Monday at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., check it out if you’re in the area.

2/28/20

Sandbox Percussion album is out today, it’s called And That One Too and it sounds wonderful. Listen on Spotify! And see below for a nice video detailing our work together over the years. The CD release party is tonight at National Sawdust. I’ll be performing with Sandbox Percussion and also presenting some new solo music for saxophone, electric guitar & electronics called Plumage IV.

1/13/20

New Morse Code is premiering my piece for them, Catharsis, tomorrow in Tuscon! This was composed, workshopped, and recorded in the Spring/Summer of 2018 and I’m really happy for the piece to be getting out there. I also look forward to future performances by the other 20 members of its commissioning consortium.

A few days later, on Jan. 18th, Duo Montagnard is performing the piece I wrote for them (meander) at my alma mater, Eastman School of Music (Hatch Hall). While I can’t be at the performance, it will be very nice to return in spirit. I’m grateful to Duo Montagnard for their many performances of meander since it was commissioned in 2015!

Coming up in February Sandbox Percussion is releasing my piece Music for Percussion Quartet on their debut record, on Coviello Classics. The release show will be at National Sawdust in Brooklyn on February 28th, and I’ll also be performing some new solo saxophone / guitar music, Plumage IV, as part of the show. Sandbox is also performing Music for Percussion Quartet at the Caramoor Festival on June 25th, and at Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C. on 3/1-2. Looking forward to all of this!

Also very excited to announce a new commissioned work for icarus Quartet! This will be premiered during the 2020-21 season. I have been following these guys for awhile and am so impressed by their incredible musicianship. Our project will also include new choreography, with more details forthcoming. Please check out their excellent performance of Steve Reich’s Quartet below!

In other composition news, I’m currently finishing up a violin trio (called Luna) to be performed at Stony Brook University in March. I’ll also be starting on a new orchestra piece in the spring, a double electric guitar concerto for two of New York City’s premiere guitar gods, Dan Lippel and Andrew Smiley.

Finally, in February I’ll be recording a new piece which premiered in November 2019, Two Kinds of Bells. This piece is for 3 sopranos, violin, cello, 2 electric guitars & electronics. More soon on this…

5/11/19

I’m excited to announce the great team of commissioning members who have made the new piece for percussion quartet possible. This project was proposed and organized by Jeff Crowell at the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire, and includes a diverse list of participants from professional ensembles (like Third Coast Percussion and longtime collaborators Sandbox Percussion) to many amazing university programs all over the country. I’m looking forward to working with all of the members in presenting performances of the new work!

The piece is coming along well and will be premiered in October at UW - Eau Claire.

Participating Members:

Jeff Crowell, University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire
Doug Perkins, Boston Conservatory
Mark Ford, University of North Texas
Ayano Kataoka, University of Massachusetts - Amherst
Kurt Gartner, Kansas State University
Victoria Sparks, University of Manitoba
Terry Longshore, Southern Oregon University
Doug Smith, Utah Valley University
Third Coast Percussion
Sandbox Percussion
Bo Hoover, Rosemount High School
David Whitman, Freelance Percussionist

3/31/19

My new piece Point Cloud, for guitar sextet or guitar soloist w/ tape, is starting to receive performances by the members of its commissioning consortium. On Friday, consortium organizer Dan Lippel (International Contemporary Ensemble, New Focus Recordings) performed the piece in Brooklyn (Spectrum) for the Brink Guitar Festival. I’m very excited for our recording, which I engineered, mixed and produced, to come out this year on Dan’s new record with New Focus. I’m also working with Dan on a project engineering and mixing Serenades (by the Dutch composer Peter Adriaansz), to be released on the same album.

Another member of the consortium, Colin Davin, is performing Point Cloud for the Cleveland International Classical Guitar Festival on June 6th, at Cleveland Institute of Music’s beautiful Mixon Hall. This will be a heavily contrapuntal program, with music by Bach (Violin Sonata no. 3 & Violin Partita no. 2) and Steve Reich (Electric Counterpoint). Since Point Cloud was conceived as a musical reaction to Electric Counterpoint, it will be exciting to hear the two paired together for the first time! I also feel very close to the Partitas and Sonatas, having practiced them myself extensively. Colin is one of the best guitarists in the country, so if you’re in the general area of Cleveland please consider attending.

I’m also happy to announce I’ll be working on a new percussion quartet with Dr. Jeff Crowell (no relation that we know of!) at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. This will be a consortium commissioning project, so any interested parties should please get in touch to learn more about this opportunity! As anyone who has followed my work over the years knows, I’ve composed A LOT of percussion music; it’s a space that allows me to experiment with new rhythmic concepts and methods of composition. I expect that this project will be no different, and I’m excited to get started.

In other news - Jeff Stern, Peabody professor and member of the fantastic ensemble Icarus Quartet, recently performed Celestial Sphere at Mount St. Mary’s University. Rochester based fivebyfive ensemble is performing Waiting in the Rain For Snow at the Rochester Academy of Medicine, and a piece by Caleb Burhans (A Moment for Jason Molina) that I engineered, mixed and produced (as well as playing a bit of guitar on) was recently released on Cantaloupe Records and featured on NPR.

10/6/18

There are lots of exciting things happening in the next month and a half!

First up, Simon Jermyn and I are appearing on George Grella’s Brooklyn Rail podcast bright and early Monday morning to discuss our debut record as Spirit Spout. We are both really proud of this music and look forward to speaking with George, whose work for the Rail is deeply knowledgeable and insightful (check out this piece to see what I mean).

Later in the week, sjDANCEco is presenting new choreography for my string quartet The Open Road, at the California Theater in San Jose (with members of the San Jose Chamber Orchestra performing). I can’t wait to see what they come up with, and hope to eventually have some video footage to share!

Then Sandbox Percussion is performing Music for Percussion Quartet at the Hunter Museum of Art in Chattanooga. Sandbox has been performing this piece consistently for several years now, and in May we made a recording with Lawson White at Good Child Studios. It sounds great and can’t wait for it to come out!

Next up, I’m traveling to Boston where percussionists John Tyree and Christopher Gunnell have organized a full program of my chamber music at the Boston Conservatory. John and Chris also commissioned a new piece for percussion and electronics to premiere at the concert, Saiga, which you can listen to below.

Then right after I get back to Brooklyn, Empyrean Atlas is performing at So Percussion’s music series Brooklyn Bound, hosted at their working studio in the Navy Yards. We are sharing the bill with two other fantastic artists, Charmaine Lee and Kaoru Watanabe. We’re honored to be performing on this series.

A few days later, guitarist extraordinaire Dan Lippel of the International Contemporary Ensemble and New Focus Recordings is presenting the first performance of my new piece for guitars, Point Cloud, at Spectrum in Brooklyn.

9/28/18

I’m very pleased to announce the release of Spirit Spout, my collaboration with Simon Jermyn, out today on Chris Speed’s label Skirl Records. We’ve been working on this record off and on for the last three years, and it features Jim Black, Iarla O’Lionaird, Linda Buckley, Gideon Crevoshay, Joe Branciforte & Jason Nazary.

I also produced and mixed this album.

8/3/18

Just got through an exciting couple weeks recording two new pieces, Point Cloud (w/ Dan Lippel) and Catharsis (w/ New Morse Code). Point Cloud will be included on Dan's new double(!) solo record on New Focus Recordings early next year, which also features a recording of Steve Reich's Electric Counterpoint. Reich has given his blessing and encouragement to this unique interpretation, which includes guitar preparations as well as ornamentations based on the original material. As a long time admirer of Steve's music, it's meaningful for my music to be included alongside his, especially since Point Cloud is a tribute of sorts to the lush textures, rhythmic richness, and layered guitars of Electric Counterpoint. I also have to say that Dan is an absolute monster guitar player and I can't wait to share what we've recorded together.

Like Point Cloud, Catharsis is the result of a consortium commission. Mike Compitello from New Morse Code wrote this nice piece about our history working together and the process of community building through consortium commissions. We had an amazing week rehearsing at Avaloch Farm and recording at the unparalleled Guilford Sound in Vermont. As you might gather from the title, Catharsis is an emotional outpouring, traversing an expansive range of soft, lyrical playing to some crazy rhythmic twists and turns. Mike and Hannah are the best of the best, and it was exciting to hear the piece come alive as we worked through it together. The recording we made will be really great. I'm not positive yet when this music will be coming out, but I do know that New Morse Code is gathering lots of new rep as we speak, so it won't be too long. Until then, feast your ears on their last record Simplicity Itself.

Next up for me - lots of mixing! I'll be working on these two pieces as well as finishing up Music For Percussion Quartet, which I recorded with Sandbox Percussion back in May, and will be coming out next year on Coviello Classics.

5/25/18

There is a new Empyrean Atlas site - check it out here! And for those who may have missed it, our newest record came out last November, receiving positive acclaim from the New York Times, WNYC's New Sounds, Textura and more. 

5/15/18

The debut album from Spirit Spout, my collaboration with bassist/guitarist Simon Jermyn, is coming out this fall on Skirl Records. This record features our compositions and playing, along with guests Jim Black, Iarla O'Lionaird, Gideon Crevoshay, Linda Buckley & Joe Branciforte. I produced and mixed this record, as well as engineering most of it. 

See below for two preview tracks.

Lyrics for Lion Voice:

cé go mbraithim thú
’s nách bhfios dom cén fáth
tá’n tú abhad uaim
‘smé ag silleadh na ndeor
gach táirseach dúnta romham
tá’n tú abhad uaim
‘smé ag cuardach do phóg
mé fágtha uaigneach’s fé bhrón

I sense your presence
But I don’t know why
You are far away
As I cry
Each doorway is closed
You are far away
I search for your kiss
I am left this way

5/6/18

About to head in for Day 2 at Good Child Studios (with the amazing Lawson White!), recording my piece Music for Percussion Quartet with Sandbox Percussion. This piece requires an incredible range of musicianship - movements 1 & 3 are full of complex polyrhythmic twists and tricky compound melodies, while 2 & 4 are slow and haunting, comprised entirely of bowed vibraphones and marimbas. Sandbox has been performing the piece consistently for the last several years and have completely mastered the technical and emotional components of the music. They are one of the best percussion groups I've heard and I'm honored to be working with them! This recording will be part of their album coming out on the German label Coviello Classics, also featuring the amazing music of L.A. based composer Thomas Kotcheff.  

Notes:

Music for Percussion Quartet draws inspiration from the radically different environments I've lived in and experienced while traveling. More specifically, the music represents my current home of Brooklyn, and my former home state of Alaska.

The 1st and 3rd movements, Fluctuation and Oscillation, both utilize polyrhythms throughout. Parts are interconnected, even as the clarity of their relationships blur and shift back into focus. The energy, drive and creative inspiration of living in New York City is imprinted on these sections.  

Sky and Landscape (2 & 4), on the other hand, come from the meditative calm of open, pure environments. The spacious nature of these movements suggests a place for contemplation, quiet spaces in the mind for reflection. In Alaska, I have experienced this kind of perspective most vividly when climbing mountains, looking up at the sky and out on to the landscape.

3/13/18

Another very cool composing project coming up - a new work for electric and classical guitar commissioned by Dan Lippel, Mak Grgic, Colin Davin, Giacomo Fiore, Ken Meyer, Nicholas Ciraldo, Devin Sherman & Patrick Sutton! Honored to be working with such an incredible group of musicians on this music.

The piece will be a musical response to one of the most iconic pieces in the modern guitar repertoire - Electric Counterpoint, by Steve Reich. While I've always loved Pat Metheny's classic recording on Elektra/Nonesuch, Dan Lippel (of International Contemporary Ensemble and New Focus Recordings) recently made a beautiful recording that casts an entirely different light on the music. Highly recommended listening.

2/16/18

Very excited to announce a new consortium commissioning project with the amazing New Morse Code! NMC is a percussion + cello duo that recently released their debut album Simplicity Itself on New Focus Recordings. I've known percussionist Mike Compitello ever since we went to the Bang on a Can summer festival together 10 years ago, and am very much looking forward to working again with him, Hannah, and all the members of this project to create a new piece for cello, percussion and electronics.

Please visit HERE for more info on the project and on how to get involved as a consortium member. 

And see below for NMC's beautiful performance of Boris Kerner by Caroline Shaw.

2/8/18

I'm starting on a new piece for percussion and electronics, commissioned by John Tyree and Christopher Gunnell. It will premiere at the Boston Conservatory in the fall, as part of a full concert of my music there. Very excited for this. Two other commissioning projects are also in progress, and will be announced soon. Excited for these as well!

1/31/18

Empyrean Atlas is performing at the 2018 Composers Now Festival February 6th at Littlefield in Brooklyn. We are helping the Knells celebrate their new record! Also with Bombay Rickey. 

Check out the Gig Alert from New Sounds!

1/6/18

The new Empyrean Atlas album has been popping up on various Spotify playlists, including the The Playlist from the New York Times, WNYC's New Sounds, and most recently Wilco Recommends! Check out Poly Rush on Spotify, and listen/buy on Bandcamp.

11/10/17

Beautiful review for Poly Rush / Empyrean Atlas in from Textura! See below or read directly at Textura.

11/4/17

Empyrean Atlas is featured this week in the New York Times Pop Music Critics Playlist of best new songs of the week, alongside music by Feist, Bruce Springsteen, Sam Smith, Brian Blade and others! Incredibly insightful description of our music. You can listen to the full playlist here, or find it on Spotify.

11/3/17

New Empyrean Atlas album out today!! Stream below from Bandcamp.

We also have a release show coming up this Sunday at Baby's All Right in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with the amazing ensemble et al. Nice words from Steve Smith of the Log Journal below:

"These two outfits have strayed a long, long way from their classical chamber-music roots, and are better and bolder for their ventures. Empyrean Atlas offers bright, peppy Afrobeat-flavored jump-up, while ensemble, et al. (recently written up on National Sawdust Log) favors lush, moody percussion-forward post-rock. Both have new albums you'll want to hear." 

10/17/17

New Empyrean Atlas album out November 3rd!

(Album Story)

Poly Rush explores the beauty and intimacy of acoustic music alongside the energy and power of electric instruments. Polyrhythms are the answer, except when simple, unison guitar lines will do. 

(Song Story) 

Poly Rush is when the rhythm of a song makes you feel particularly alive. Polipoli chronicles an epic journey through the upcountry of Maui, 4-wheel driving on twisting one lane roads, honking through the fog at every turn. Similarly, Echolocation is in search of an interesting environmental experience - a different kind of music echoing and bouncing its way through the underwater landscape. The source of the title Ocelot shall remain mysterious, although we will say it is related to Nethermead. Murmuring is that magical thing starlings do. Human beings do a similar thing with music; it’s just not something you can see. 

(Back Story) 

Empyrean Atlas welcomes Will Chapin to the band. He’s doing really well. This is also the first Empyrean Atlas record fully produced and mixed by David Crowell. 

Empyrean Atlas has been praised by everyone from Wilco, who called Inner Circle one of their 17 favorite records of 2015, to NPR, who said “Empyrean Atlas looks like a rock band but sounds like a cross between Philip Glass and King Sunny Ade” as well as “the band is one of the most exciting parts of the New York music scene.” 

Empyrean Atlas is: 

David Crowell | guitars + synthesizers
Andrew Smiley | guitars
Will Chapin | guitars
Greg Chudzik | bass
Jason Nazary | drums

empyreanatlas.com  

credits

releases November 3, 2017

Produced by David Crowell
Mixed by David Crowell
Mastered by Charlie Van Kirk
Recorded by Sam Owens at Figure 8 Recording
Additional recording by David Crowell in Ditmas Park
All music written by David Crowell

artwork by Fay Ku | design by C J Rosenthal

9/6/17

I’m producing, mixing and composing/co-composing a new album with the great electric bassist and guitarist, Simon Jermyn.  We are using this long term studio project as a vehicle to explore new textures and sounds in connection with our diverse backgrounds in new music, improvisation, art rock and ambient music.

In addition, we’ll have some very special guests on this record, including the legendary Jim Black on drums. I’ve admired Jim’s playing for about 15 years now, and he has played and recorded with many of the most important musicians of the last 20 years. More soon on this music as it develops.

6/1/17

Very excited that my music will be performed at EMPAC for the Albany Symphony's annual American Music Festival, on June 3rd, by Sandbox Percussion. 

From the website:

"The American Music Festival is a bold, five-day festival of innovative concerts and artistic happenings across Troy, NY. Experience thrilling new works by living American composers and cross-genre artists.

Witness for yourself how the Albany Symphony and Grammy-winning Maestro David Alan Miller are reshaping the nation’s musical future!"

Please go here for more information.

4/27/17

NOW Ensemble will be performing the piece I wrote for them, Waiting in the Rain For Snow, a lot in the next month.

The first concert is this Sunday, April 30th, for the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts series at Our Saviors Atonement Lutheran Church in Washington Heights. Following that are 2 performances in California; May 2nd at University of California, Riverside, and May 9th at the San Diego Museum of Art.

Then on June 1st-3rd, NOW Ensemble is collaborating on a very exciting new project called MINOR FALL/MAJOR LIFT with the Malashock Dance Company in San Diego. John Malashock has choreographed a new piece to classic pieces from the NOW Ensemble repertoire, including Waiting in the Rain For Snow. See below for more info!

MINOR FALL/MAJOR LIFT is a bi-coastal collaboration of live music and dance, featuring all-new choreography by iconic San Diego Choreographer John Malashock and co-produced with Art of Élan. The performance is set to stirring new music by composers affiliated with New Amsterdam Records (Brooklyn, NY), played live by the world-renowned NOW Ensemble (New York) – Art of Élan’s Ensemble-in-Residence for 2017.

The program will consist of five new interconnected choreographic works that explore the theme of ‘change’ and our reactions to it, set to music by four different composers, including a commissioned score by Judd Greenstein, who is the founding Co-Director of New Amsterdam Records and is a Composer-in-Residence with NOW Ensemble. The other composers are Mark Dancigers, David Crowell, and Patrick Burke.

4/2/17

Sandbox Percussion played my piece Music For Percussion Quartet twice this week, for two great events! First was March 30th at Brooklyn Bound, a monthly series hosted by the influential and groundbreaking So Percussion. This is where you go to hear the latest in innovative percussion music (and not always percussion music) in the informal loft setting of So Percussion's Brooklyn studio.

And more formally, National Sawdust hosted the all day 2nd annual Percussion Festival on Saturday, April 1st. See the picture below of Sandbox in action!

3/15/17

Tonight on New Sounds from WNYC - two of my compositions! Empyrean Atlas performing Redwood and Ian Rosenbaum performing Celestial Sphere.

And revisit a live performance and interview...

2/24/17

OKAPIS debut EP is out now!

2/8/17

1/6/17

Ian Rosenbaum's new solo album is officially out today on VIA records.  I composed, produced, recorded and mixed Celestial Sphere. You can watch a beautiful video below by Michael McQuilken. 

ABOUT THE PIECE:

Celestial Sphere is an astronomical concept of observation which arranges objects around a vantage point regardless of distance. This concept had resonance for me as I was writing the music, with the ears as celestial observer and the stereo field representing the various pinpoints of sound in the sky. Particularly in the first section (approximately the first 6 minutes of the piece), the listener feels as if they are in the middle of the music as parts swirl around them; at first in the far Left/Right speakers, and then with additional parts entering closer to the center of the panning spectrum. Creating a full auditory sphere enveloping the ears, the music feels strongly three dimensional. Adding to this spherical effect, each part is performed at multiple tempos. Since they move at two different (although closely related) tempos, the faster eventually laps the slower, like a faster runner would a slower runner at the track.

Celestial Sphere was commissioned by a consortium of 12 percussionists, organized by Ian David Rosenbaum. He presented the initial premiere on the People Inside Electronics Series at The Monk Space in Los Angeles in November 2013.

12/15/16

There have been some exciting events recently with Sandbox Percussion performing my new percussion quartet in California (L.A. and Sacramento) and New York. I was able to attend the performance at the Sacramento Festival for New American Music and also gave a composer lecture/masterclass at Sacramento State. In New York, the performance at Dominique Levy Gallery was celebrating a new exhibition by renowned sculptor Joel Shapiro. The entire performance was filmed for later release, so stay tuned.

On November 18th, Ian Rosenbaum celebrated the release of his CD (officially out January 6th on VIA records) at National Sawdust in Brooklyn. I composed, mixed and produced Celestial Sphere, a work that was commissioned by Ian and a consortium of 11 other percussionists and appears on the new record. I also mixed Tawnie Olson's lovely piece Meadowlark.

9/25/16

I'm leaving for Central Asia in a few days to participate in Playing Together: Celebrating U.S.-Central Asian Collaboration. I’ll be there as a performer, composer and lecturer for a touring band celebrating the 25th anniversary of the creation of the independent Central Asian states. Week long workshop and concert in Almaty (Kazakhstan), followed by a tour in Ashgabat (Turkmenistan), Astana (Kazakhstan), Tashkent (Uzbekistan), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan) and Dushanbe (Tajikistan). Very excited to see this part of the world and perform with all the great musicians involved!

Also, in the past few weeks there have been some great performances of my music in South Carolina (FretX performing Pacific Coast Highway) and Philadelphia (Ian Rosenbaum performing Celestial Sphere).

8/26/16

Very interesting article up on New Music Box by Patrick Zimmerli, curator of the Intersect Series in Bryant Park. He cites my piece Music for Percussion Quartet, performed for the series by Sandbox Percussion, as way to talk about the philosophical aims of booking a series in a busy urban environment like Midtown Manhattan.

7/30/16

Just got back from an inspiring week in Hudson with Found Sound Nation, working with the kids at Kite's Nest on writing and producing new tracks!

And currently hard at work mixing the new Empyrean Atlas album. We recorded at beautiful Figure 8 studios in Brooklyn earlier this month, and I'm very excited for people to hear our new music. This time around I took on the full producing reins - record should be ready to go by October and out in the world soon after.

6/10/16

I'm excited for Sandbox Percussion to perform my new piece Music for Percussion Quartet for the Intersect series tonight at Bryant Park. Check it out!

3/13/16

In a few days, I'm heading back to South Korea with the Philip Glass Ensemble for 4 performances of La Belle et la Bete - we were also there back in October for Einstein on the Beach. This time we'll be in Seoul and the coastal city of Tongyeong.

While I'm gone, Sandbox Percussion will be performing my new piece Music for Percussion Quartet at the Phillips Collection in D.C. This is the 2nd time my music has been performed at the Phillips Collection - and while I wish I could see it, I am about to head to the Sandbox studio in Brooklyn to hear a full run through! Very excited for that.

Another notable performance coming up is Duo Montagnard at the Symphony Space in New York - they'll be performing a new commissioned piece, meander, on April 15th.

2/10/16

About to head to Switzerland (Geneva!) for the first time to perform Koyaanisqatsi with the Philip Glass Ensemble.

12/15/15

The Philip Glass Ensemble is traveling to Houston in a few days to perform at Free Press Houston, a massive two day music and art festival featuring Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, New Order, and many others!

11/1/15

Tonight, the University of Tennessee Percussion Ensemble premieres Music for Percussion Quartet, a consortium commission with 5 university programs and Brooklyn's own Sandbox Percussion. Very excited about working with all these groups on future performances! UT Percussion will also be performing the piece in a few weeks at PASIC.

Also, Simon Jermyn is traveling later this month to Europe (London, Northern Ireland & Dublin) to premiere a newly commissioned piece for multiple electric guitars and basses!

7/23/15

Big thanks to Wilco, for choosing the latest Empyrean Atlas record, Inner Circle, as one of 17 new records to buy. Check out the announcement here. And make sure to listen to their beautiful new record, Star Wars.

7/15/15

Patrick Brennan, from the magazine Arteidolia, recently wrote an extended article on the music of Empyrean Atlas, and much more. Very interesting read - check it out here.

And Empyrean Atlas has our first show since March, returning to the Silent Barn with Voice Coils and Stern. 7/24 at 8pm.

3/18/25

Empyrean Atlas is excited to play with one of our favorite bands, Buke and Gase, on 3/25, at the Gavin Brown Enterprise (291 Grand St). This performance is in conjunction with a new exhibition on Christopher Knowles, visual artist, and most widely known for his contributions to the libretto of Einstein on the Beach. 8pm.

3/2/15

Mid-March through mid-April there will be a number of performances of my music, including my Asian premiere, in Seoul, South Korea.

3/15 - Francisco Perez performs Celestial Sphere, for multiple marimbas, in Lexington.  3/25 - Sandbox Percussion performs Point Reyes at Cornell University. 3/28 - The FiveOne Experimental Orchestra premieres a newly commissioned work, Like a Machine, in Cleveland. 4/2 - Mak Grgic and Dan Lippel perform my guitar duo Pacific Coast Highway for the Outside the Box Festival, University of Southern Illinois. 4/7 - Northern Illinois University performs my percussion sextet, the Day After. 4/11-12 - Mak Grgic performs Pacific Coast Highway in Seoul, South Korea. 4/12 - Sandbox Percussion performs Point Reyes at Concerts on the Slope, Brooklyn.

2/3/15

I've just started work on a new piece for electric guitar & electric bass, commissioned by the Dublin based Improvised Music Company for Simon Jermyn, with support from the Irish Government.  There will be performances in New York, London, Dublin and Northern Ireland in November 2015.

Also very excited to announce a new commissioning consortium for percussion quartet, organized by Andy Bliss and the University of Tennessee Percussion Ensemble. This will be an extended work, 15-25 minutes, with movements that can also be performed separately.  If your university program or percussion quartet is interested in getting involved, please visit the website for more details. Audio of percussion and non-percussion works are available to stream.

In a week I'll be leaving for a tour with the Philip Glass Ensemble in France, with 4 concerts in Paris and 1 in Chalons-en-Champagne. While I'm gone, the FiveOne Experimental Orchestra will be performing Waiting in the Rain For Snow on 2/13 in Cleveland. This will be their 2nd performance of this piece, and they will also be performing a new work they commissioned from me next month, on 3/28.

12/9/14

Yesterday we recorded a live performance/interview with host John Schaefer that will air on WNYC's New Sounds, December 10th, 11pm. Check it out here!

Also yesterday, Sandbox Percussion performed an arrangement for percussion quartet of my piece Point Reyes at Bard College. And today, Furman University Percussion Ensemble gives their 2nd performance of a new arrangement of Celestial Sphere.

And last, but certainly not least, Empyrean Atlas has its CD release show at Silent Barn this Thursday, the 11th. Playing with Battle Trance and Very Feeling. Don't miss it! And stream the new record, Inner Circle, HERE.

12/2/14

The new Empyrean Atlas record is out today! Check it out here.

11/19/14

Tonight Empyrean Atlas plays at Glasslands for the Cellar and Point's CD release party. Also with the Knells - check it out!

10/22/14

Empyrean Atlas will be appearing on the BRIC B-Side series October 30th, at 7:30pm. BRIC is a leading promoter and producer of independent music in Brooklyn, including the Celebrate Brooklyn concert series in Prospect Park. You can watch live on on Time Warner 756, Verizon Fios 46, Cablevision 70, or stream live here. Full performance and selected clips will also be available on BRIC's B-Side page after the show.

In other exciting Empyrean Atlas news: our new album, Inner Circle, will be released on 12/2/14, followed by a CD release show on 12/11 at Silent Barn with Battle Trance and Very Feeling.

8/30/14

Coming up in a few days some of my music, including Celestial Sphere will be featured on the Pas de Calais show for New York Fashion Week.

Then coming up a week later (Sept. 9-11th) are the highly anticipated Philip Glass/Steve Reich concerts at BAM. We'll be performing pieces from our Retrospective Program, with Steve Reich joining us to perform Music in Similar Motion on the 10th and 11th.

Later in the month Ian Rosenbaum will be performing my work Celestial Sphere on tour in Miami, Orlando and Atlanta.

7/24/14

Check out Empyrean Atlas on WNYC's New Sounds! Also make sure to come to our next show, with Christopher Tignor and the Knells, August 16th at Subculture.

6/11/14

June 22nd is the day of exciting events for the month.  In the morning I'll be making a video for Empyrean Atlas with director Eli Rarey and choreographer/producer Katherine Fisher.  Then I'm performing Hoketus with the Bang on a Can All Stars on the Marathon.  Louis Andriessen will be in New York for the performance.  Then we'll be joining Meredith Monk for Panda Chant II, which looks really fun.

5/13/14

Video interview with Empyrean Atlas on the I Care If You Listen blog.

4/10/14

Empyrean Atlas has a new website.

3/17/14

Huffington Post interview.

3/2/14

Hello from Berlin, where the Philip Glass Ensemble is performing the last run of Einstein on the Beach.

Coming up on 3/24 at Roulette, Empyrean Atlas is playing a show with Victoire, Build & itsnotyouitsme.  Event listing is here.  Hope to see you there!

12/29/13

The Philip Glass Ensemble is performing Einstein on the Beach at the Theatre du Chatelet, in Paris, from 1/7-12.  Then we're going to St. Etienne and Blagnac for performances of La Belle et la Bete and our 40 year Retrospective program.  And then a final stop in Gothenburg, Sweden, for a performance of Koyaanisqatsi with orchestra and chorus.

At some point during the month, I'll be finalizing the mixes of the new Empyrean Atlas record (courtesy of Ryan Ferreira).  We have a big night at Roulette on 3/24, mark your calendars.  Build, itsnotyouitsme and a special guest band will be joining us. More on that later!

11/12/13

On December 8th and 9th, Empyrean Atlas will be recording our second album, with engineer Bryce Goggin! Grey Mcmurray will be helping Ryan Ferreira and myself produce the record.  I'm really excited about the new music we've been working on and can't wait to share it.  Plans for a CD release party and some other album related projects are in the works.

10/30/13

The recording of my new multiple marimba percussion piece Celestial Sphere, performed by the supremely awesome Ian Rosenbaum, is done.  I produced, engineered and mixed this recording.  Big thanks to Lawson White at Good Child Music Studios (for use of his room) and the 12 members of the consortium who helped commission the piece, and who will be doing premieres all over the country this season! Ian kicks things off with a performance at the People Inside Electronics festival in Los Angeles, and will also perform it at the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C. on 3/23.

10/2/13

Empyrean Atlas was featured in the latest issue of I care if you listen's magazine.  Download the app and check out the video!

8/16/13

Hello from Ostrava, where the Philip Glass Ensemble is performing Music in 12 Parts tonight at the Ostrava Days Festival. In the past 3 weeks we've flown between Melbourne, New York, Edinburgh, Ostrava...and going to Helsinki tomorrow. That's a lot of planes and time zones...

In other news, I've recently been making some forays into the commercial world -- here's a vignette for GANT Rugger, in collaboration with Kings County Distillery. You can hear the full track here (coming home (2)), along with a collection of other short, improvised guitar pieces.

7/14/13

Check out the piece I wrote for Alarm Will Sound last year. This is a live performance from July 2012 in Columbia, Missouri.

6/27/13

There are a couple exciting new commissions I'll be working on in the coming months. First up is a twelve member consortium, organized by percussionist Ian Rosenbaum. I'll be writing music for multiple marimbas. Stay tuned for premiere dates by consortium members!  The other eleven are as follows:

Michael Compitello, Ayano Kataoka, Amy Garapic, Doug Perry, Omar Carmenates, Jeff Stern, Terry Sweeney, Greg Beyer, Adam Ginsburg, Victor Caccese & Sean
 Ritenauer.

I'm also composing a new piece for SPARK, a great ensemble from Germany whose last record, Folk Tunes, was released on Deutsche Grammophon. They will record and perform the new piece throughout Europe, Asia and the U.S.

Also finishing up writing music for the new Empyrean Atlas record. You can hear all that music 8/29 at 7 Dunham in Williamsburg.

5/20/13

New video for Empyrean Atlas, recorded at the Navy Yards for the Living Room Series (created by Shimmy Boyle and produced by Kate Fisher).

5/14/13

Tonight is the premiere of a new piece, wind up bird, commissioned by the Arts at the Park Festival.  Composed for Mak Grgic (electric guitar) and Paul Vasile (baroque organ).  Previewed at Sequenza21.

5/1/13

A recording of hashimoto, a new piece for 3 flutes (premiered at Weill Hall on 2/13/13), is posted here. Featuring Andrew Sterman, my colleague in the Philip Glass Ensemble, performing all the parts. Composed, recorded, mixed & produced by yours truly.

3/19/13

Empyrean Atlas is playing for the Radio Zero series at Sycamore, on 3/25. Our new record, released last month, is here.

3/4/12

Hello from Hong Kong, just got here to perform Einstein on the Beach!

2/26/13

Empyrean Atlas is doing a house show this Friday at 10 Clermont in Brooklyn, for the new Living Room Series. It will also double as a live music video shoot. 9pm start!

2/24/13

Excited to announce that I'm now on the Serious Music Media roster (along with Michael Gordon, Toby Twining, Michael Harrison, Alarm Will Sound & many other amazing composers and ensembles). Check them out!

2/19/13

Empyrean Atlas record is out! Next show on 2/22 at 7 Dunham, it's a showcase for Nonesuch Records.

2/8/13

Exciting month of music making. I'll be in L.A. on the 10th to hear the JACK Quartet and Mak Grgic premiere my new piece, as the crow flies. This was commissioned by the Da Camera Society.

Then on the 13th my new piece for 3 flutes, hashimoto, is being performed at Weill Hall (at Carnegie Hall) for the A4TY Program at Bloomingdale School of Music.

And finally, my band Empyrean Atlas is doing a show on the 22nd in Williamsburg at 7 Dunham w/ Julia Easterlin, Tony Castles and Conrad Winslow. Our new CD will be available (starting on 2/19), so it's kind of like an undercover CD release party too. Hope you can make it.

12/23/12

As a member of the Philip Glass Ensemble, I have been very excited to perform in Philip’s classic Einstein on the Beach, cited by Alex Ross of the New Yorker as “the musical event of the year.”

12/21/12

Preview a track from the forthcoming Empyrean Atlas album (Feb 2013) on I Care If You Listen's 2012 Winter Mixtape.

12/17/12

A busy couple months ahead! Working on a several commissions over the next few months, including a piece for 3 flutes that will premiere at Carnegie Hall (Weill) and new music for electric guitar and organ performed by Mak Grgic and Paul Vasile (Arts at the Park Festival).

12/5/12

Just finished the new piece for the JACK Quartet and Mak Grgic, commissioned by the Da Camera Society and premiering in L.A. on 2/10/13. Very excited to hear it!

Leading up to then, the Philip Glass Ensemble will be touring in London, Amsterdam, Groningen and Ghent to play Koyaanisqatsi, Einstein on the Beach and La Belle et la Bete.

I also just created a new multimedia page to highlight some of the collaborations I've done in the past year. It's always inspiring to work with artists in other fields, and with some potential new projects percolating I'm looking forward to doing more of it!

11/14/12

There is an exciting show coming up at the HERE Arts Center (NYC ) on November 19th.  The cast of Einstein on the Beach will be presenting their own music/dance/film, and my band Empyrean Atlas will be closing the show!  Show starts at 8:30 and we'll be on around 10.