This version of Electroacoustic Thingamajig No. 1 was recorded on 03/21/25 in the hotel room CAPJAWS stayed in for the Mox Sonic Festival because CAPJAWS is forgetful and did not press record during their performance which became an ephemeral experience as a result.

Electroacoustic Thingamajig No. 1 is a collaborative instrument designed for complex interactive improvisations between an electronic sound and voice. Its design emphasizes flexibility and responsive sound driven by real-time data analysis. The vocal performer has immediate control over the sounds of the instrument, choosing details of the live electronic processing through their timbral and gestural choices. Meanwhile, the electronics performer has more large-scale control, influencing both the gestalt sound world and the progression of sonic events over the course of the improvisation. These paradigms are malleable, changing dynamically depending on the nature of the performance. Electroacoustic Thingamajig No. 1 is a musical sandbox for exploration, discovery, and collaboration. 

CAPJAWS is an electroacoustic music duo consisting of Christopher Alex Poovey (electronics and keyboards) and Jonathan Andrew Wright Smith (voice and electronics) focused on interactive collaborative instruments and dynamic improvisations.
We explore eclectic electronic sounds, juxtaposing their timbral differences through responsive live processing.

Photo Credit Michael Bersin

Electroacoustic Thingamajig No. 1 (Hotel Mix)

smear'd was written for the ensemble "wild Up" as part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's 2015 National Composer's Intensive.

this thing also won the 2016 ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award,, woo!

this is where:
i'm supposed to define smeared, and reveal why there's no "e";
and tell you things to listen for...

but for me::
this piece was a recurrent dream,, and i couldn't make sense of it;;
even when i woke up.....

smear'd (2015)

Wet Ink ensemble 
Marina Kifferstein, violin solo
Eric Wubbels, conductor

www.wetink.org

k̶. tracing (2015) Wet Ink, Marina Kifferstein, violin

composed by Dai Fujikura
performed by Sunwook Kim 
(kind permission from Sunwook Kim)

JOULE for piano

This piece operates as a depiction of my struggles with depression and the various issues that I have had to deal with as a result. The title refers to the phrase “the inner machinations of my mind are an enigma,” which is a quote stated by one of the characters in a popular, light-hearted children’s cartoon. Omitting the key words from this quote creates a vague, unintelligible phrase that represents my inability to complete thoughts while suffering from a depressive episode, as well as my confusion about why I am experiencing such adversity. 

I’ve crafted the sound world of this piece by working with the following programmatic concepts in mind: the static presence of apathy, the fear of mental instability, self-deprecation, an aversion to public interaction, and a slowly developing search for some way to move past these tendencies. The four voices of the quartet shift between working in tandem and working against one another in order to portray these concepts, at times implementing exceedingly abnormal sounds which emphasize the strangeness of my episodes. 

A comprehension of the title’s missing words – revealing the complete phrase to which I have been referring – characterizes my coming to terms with the nature of what I have been experiencing, and my realization that hardship does not prevent progress or growth.

Performed by Kenari Quartet:
Bob Eason - soprano saxophone
Kyle Baldwin - alto saxophone
Corey Dundee - tenor saxophone
Steven Banks - baritone saxophone

the... of my... are an...; for saxophone quartet

Miniature for Guitar Trio

Guitar 1: Jonathan Stuchberry
Guitar 2: Asa Bryce
Guitar 3: Josephina Sukyoung Lee

Collections I - Guitar Trio

"This rig is called a crawfish and is wrought from iron and goes hin and yon. It conducts itself upon four speeding wheels. It shears front and behind, if one kindles munitions then it shoots before it steel buckshot as a hail, wherewith one smites low the foes. One may make this rig either big or small, as one will deem" --Hans Talhoffer

Talhoffer's Crawfish imagines one such rig; a motley, kinetic rig of instruments, electronics, water, cardboard, and more.

Conductor: Edo Frenkel

Flute, Toriana Rose
Clarinet, Aaron Lee 
Tuba, Brett Copeland
Keyboard, Sean Calhoun
Piano, Corey Silberstein 
Percussion I, Gordon Fry 
Percussion II, David Yun 
Violin I, Raina Arnett 
Violin II, Shannon Steigerwald

Talhoffer's Crawfish (performance recording)

Live performance of Chris Poovey's "Two Strands" for oboe, bass clarinet, and electronics. Recorded on April 23, 2018 at Voertman Hall, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas. Featuring Jonathan Thompson, oboe, and Chris Poovey, electronics.

Chris Poovey: Two Strands (with Jonathan Thompson, oboe)

Henry Breneman Stewart, composer
Performed by Alarm Will Sound

Live at the Mizzou International Composers Festival, July 29, 2017

Momma!
I can't sing.
In the church of my heart, the choir's in flames.

Wreck

Discords (2018) for 3D audio, guitar amp, and small computer speakers.

*This is a binaural rendering and should be listened to with headphones*

Written in the Ambisonic spatial audio format, Discords is intended for playback over a multi-channel speaker array (ideally 16 channels). In performance, the opening 0-1:06 is played through a guitar amp (stage right) and the ending 9:00-39 is played through small computer speakers (stage left). Sound is briefly sent to the guitar amp again from 4:25 to 5:15.

Discords (2018) for 3D audio - binaural mix

Christopher Poovey is a composer, media artist, and creative coder who creates music and software which produce rich and colorful sound and encourages interactive structures. Christopher’s compositions have been performed by Ensemble Dal Niente, Ensemble Mise-en, University of North Texas’s Nova Ensemble, Indiana University’s New Music Ensemble, and Indiana University’s Brass Choir.  Chris was a finalist for the 2021 International Confederation of Electroacoustic Grand Prix and has received a special mention from the 2021 Ars Electronica Forum Wallis. His work has also been selected for performance at conferences such as the International Computer Music Conference, Seoul International Computer Music Festival, International Confederation of Electroacoustic Music General Assembly, New York Electronic Music Festival, Society for Electroacoustic Music in the United States National Conference, Inner SoundScapes, National Student Electronic Music Event, Electronic Music Midwest, and MoxSonic.
Chris currently teaches at Oberlin Conservatory in TIMARA. He holds a PhD and MA in composition from the University or North Texas and a BM in composition from Indiana University.  To supplement his formal studies, Christopher has taken courses at the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique, at Princeton University for the Só Percussion Summer Institute, and has attended a residency at the Atlantic Center for the Arts.

Electroacoustic Thingamajig No. 1 (Hotel Mix)

Christopher Poovey

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