So I’ve been making the electronic portions more and more dense and heterogenous over the past few months, mostly by adding variant after variant of the sounds I began the project with. I’ve mostly done this to paper over similarities between sounds, or to obscure the source material and/or methods behind them. (And not simplyContinue reading “wistful, harrowing optimism”
Author Archives: Andrew McManus
R2D2 or BB8?
I recently updated my New Music USA Project page with the latest on Neurosonics 2: You know that thing where people tell you what they really think of contemporary music? A few weeks ago, someone close to me asked if I was “going for R2D2 or BB8” in the excerpts I previously posted. Star Wars robots inContinue reading “R2D2 or BB8?”
neuron grains, spatial vibrations, inharmonic sine tones – and also a string quartet!
The following is a project update I published on my NewMusicUSA project page: There is so much wonderful instrument(s)+electronics repertoire in which acoustic and electronic sounds are continuously interwoven, each part of one set of musical ideas. I wanted to take a different approach in this piece, however, for the sake of representing both commentaryContinue reading “neuron grains, spatial vibrations, inharmonic sine tones – and also a string quartet!”
“…seeming to clutch a secret.”
I’m very excited for Access Contemporary Music‘s performance of the has-been to beachey at the Ear Taxi Festival this Saturday! A good portion of Carl Sandburg’s work is characterized by deep reflection on rough, visceral urban images. He’s almost always an observer – even a passer by – standing in either awe of or disbelief at whatContinue reading ““…seeming to clutch a secret.””
Chaos, Fire and Nostalgia
Originally posted on Andrew McManus: composer | educator:
At the end of Die Walküre, Wagner represents the fire surrounding a sleeping Brünnhilde with a beautiful flurry of orchestral activity: a sea of sweeping, impossibly fast violins under pointed woodwind and harp gestures. It’s called the “Feuerzauber” or “Magic Fire Music”, and here’s a small part of…
“Apocalypse done right”: thoughts on “Snowpiercer”
In the 2013 post-apocalyptic film Snowpiercer – based on Le Transperceneige, a French graphic novel from 1982 – a train barrels nonstop around the world, carrying the remnants of humanity through a world rendered uninhabitable by a human-caused ice age. These last people maintain order with a brutal totalitarian social structure, and both film andContinue reading ““Apocalypse done right”: thoughts on “Snowpiercer””
“Strobe” release!
Strobe is now available on Google Play! It’s featured on an album of performances from the NY Phil’s Biennial last year, and I’m so thrilled to be included on it. Also included are my Earshot colleagues Max Grafe and Julia Adolphe, as well as Matthias Pintscher, Michael Hersch, Oscar Bettison and others. Press release with moreContinue reading ““Strobe” release!”
Chaos, Fire and Nostalgia
At the end of Die Walküre, Wagner represents the fire surrounding a sleeping Brünnhilde with a beautiful flurry of orchestral activity: a sea of sweeping, impossibly fast violins under pointed woodwind and harp gestures. It’s called the “Feuerzauber” or “Magic Fire Music”, and here’s a small part of it: My new piece for the MizzouContinue reading “Chaos, Fire and Nostalgia”
Sonifying the electrical patterns of rat brains
Neurosonics I is the first outgrowth of a collaboration I did with neuroscience graduate student Tahra Eissa, supported by the Arts|Science Initiative at the Logan Center for the Arts. Tahra’s lab runs experiments that study the electrical behavior of cultured rat neurons, and uses these data in the study of epilepsy. All of the soundsContinue reading “Sonifying the electrical patterns of rat brains”
Press for “Strobe”, opera, and more…
Hi! Thanks so much for visiting my site. I’m in the process of re-vamping it, so in the meantime, please find some recordings and other information about me at the addresses below. Thank you! Soundcloud: http://www.soundcloud.com/andrewemcmanus LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pub/andrew-mcmanus/9/1b6/b12 Academia.edu: https://chicago.academia.edu/AndrewMcManus And here is more information about the premiere of Strobe by the New York Philharmonic back in June: NewContinue reading “Press for “Strobe”, opera, and more…”
Andrew McManus: composer | educator 