Writing
Papers
“The Sonic Border of the Flashback in Contemporary Cinema” (2009)
An examination of the semantics of flashback sound in contemporary cinema through a review of sound theory and an analysis of two films: 21 Grams (Iñárritu, 2003) and The Butterfly Effect (Gruber & Bress, 2004). Written and presented for Prof. Berthold Hoeckner’s seminar “Film, Music and Memory” at the University of Chicago.
“Nancarrow’s Rhythmic Structures in Thomas Adès’ Asyla” (2009)
An interpretation of the rhythmic language of Adès’ orchestral work Asyla through a brief analysis of Conlon Nancarrow’s Studies Nos. 36 and 27 for player piano. Submitted as a Master’s thesis in partial fulfillment of the Master of Arts degree requirements at the Eastman School of Music.
“What Death of Art Music? The Contemporary Composer in the Age of Music Technology and Experimental Rock” (2006)
An examination of the contemporary composer’s place in relation to experimental music in the popular rock tradition. Just how “experimental” can a “serious” music composer be when compared to the likes of Frank Zappa, the Velvet Underground, Faust, Glenn Branca and Cecil Taylor? Futhermore, how does the technology employed by these rock artists influence what they create, and what does this mean for “serious” music composers? Written for Michael Veal’s major seminar “Popular Music: The Experimental Tradition” at Yale University.
Presentations
Presentation on the music of Conlon Nancarrow. Given in April 2009 for Robert Morris’ Compositional Practice class at the Eastman School of Music.
