A quick introduction to our special guests this year, in order of appearance –
Chris Meyer
Using the modular synthesizer as the core of his personal orchestra combined with other electronic and acoustic instruments, Chris Meyer, under the name Alias Zone, fuses past and future into brand-new synthetic yet organic soundscapes. His explorations within electronics began in childhood and led to his creation of the Vector Synthesis technique.
His contributions to the field are vast and can be read about further here: https://aliaszone.com/about/.
Christopher Otto
Christopher Otto is a composer and violinist living in the Bronx, New York. He studied composition at the Eastman School of Music, Rochester, New York, and mathematics at the University of Rochester.
As a founding member of the JACK Quartet, Otto has performed contemporary music throughout the world and premiered works from such composers as Chaya Czernowin, Georg Friedrich Haas, Philip Glass, Catherine Lamb, Tyshawn Sorey, and John Zorn. JACK’s recordings include the complete quartets of Helmut Lachenmann and Iannis Xenakis and albums of the music of John Luther Adams, Caleb Burhans, Zosha Di Castri, Du Yun, Jason Eckardt, Cenk Ergün, Clara Iannotta, Horatiu Radulescu, Marc Sabat, Elliott Sharp, Dan Trueman, and Amy Williams.
Otto has also performed with such groups as Alarm Will Sound, the Cellar and Point, Ensemble Signal, International Contemporary Ensemble, the Knights, Ne(x)tworks, Talea, and the Theatre of Eternal Music String Ensemble. He has premiered and recorded numerous chamber works by Zorn and performed as a soloist in Zorn’s violin concerto Contes de Fées (1999). He has also performed the violin solo in Brian Ferneyhough’s Terrain (1992) with Ensemble Signal.
The Higgs Whatever
Miller Puckette and Kerry Hagan, The Higgs Whatever, began focused collaborations on academic and musical projects in 2014. The duo has performed in North America and Europe. They have introduced novel synthesis algorithms through new performances. Their work explores timbre, spatialization, real-time computer processes, algorithms, interaction design, performance practice, and performance systems.
More information can be found here: https://thehiggswhatever.xyz/#about.
Steve McQuarry
Steve McQuarry is an avant-garde audio and visual performer-composer renowned for his groundbreaking work in experimental music, where he performs and records under his moniker
Synsor, on his independent label, Mandala Records. With a focus on electronic soundscapes and digital visuals, Steve’s creations traverse the realms of ambient, drone, noise, and beats.
A sought-after collaborator, Steve has worked alongside legends like Dizzy Gillespie, John Cage, and Laurie Anderson, leaving an indelible mark on the music scene. As the driving force behind
Synsor, his independent label Mandala Records hosts his boundary-pushing performances.
More information here: http://www.mcquarry.org/index.php.