This was recorded in Stuttgart on a surrounding hill where you could hear the entire city in the valley celebrate after Germany won the World Cup on July 13, 2014.

Sounds of cheering after Germany won the World Cup/2014

“Ebony and ivory, live together in perfect harmony.”

A study in black and white clusters on the piano.

"Together in Perfect Harmony" was premiered by the Bugallo-Williams Piano Duo, for whom the work was written, on February 26th, 2014 at GEDOK, Stuttgart, Germany.


Together in Perfect Harmony for piano 4 hands (excerpt)/2014/Bugallo-Williams Duo

This work began with no extra-musical concept. After a fair amount of it had been written, the thought sprung to mind of an automated assembly line and a product being passed down, each machine adding or altering parts.

Nearly all of the sounds in the playback are pieced together from a recording session with one of the saxophonists for whom the piece was written. The rest of the sounds come from a few sinus tones here and there and a computer beep I found online.

The work was written for Nikola Lutz and Mark Lorenz Kysela, who premiered it on May 16, 2014 at the GEDOK Galerie in Stuttgart, Germany as part of the American Days Festival. The commission was partially made possible through funding by the Robert Bosch Foundation.

Assembly Line for 2 sop sax and playback (excerpt)/2014/Nikola Lutz and Mark Kysela

Oases was written for a film by Paul Kramer and Joseph Michaels.
To see the film, go here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-inuCOYfU7o

The film and music of Oases focus on the commercial world. The images were taken from advertisements (packaging, billboards, etc.), particularly ones which feature nature, and subsequently contrasted with  footage of the countryside in southern German and in Stuttgart. The scenes loosely represent the progression of the seasons from spring to winter.
Like the film, the music is a combination of the conventional and the unconventional. The harmony is based on tonal chords, but the tuning is microtonal (based on the overtone series) and there are a number of extended techniques mixed with more conventional gestures (e.g., a trill).
The title of Oases reflects the focus on nature in the film. It is also a metaphor for the intended effect of advertisements, which is to draw one's attention through their over-idealized and fantasy-like scenes.


Oases for mezzo sop, sextet and film/2012/Truike van der Poel, Thürmchen Ensemble, Erik Oña (cond.)

A loop of my favorite moment from Tallis's "Spem in alium." Different recordings of the same moment enter in their individual tunings and keys (D quarter flat, D eighth flat, C, B-flat), which together create a massive, dense cloud. 

"Spem in alium" is Latin for "hope in any other." "Spem in alios" translates to "hope in others."

Here are the recordings:

1)	Peter Phillips & the Tallis Scholars (2004)
2)   Jeremy Summerly & the Oxford Camerata (2005)
3)	Harry Christophers & the Sixteen (2003)
4)	Magnificat & Philip Cave (2014)
5)	Kronos Quartet (1990)
6)	Vår kyrka brann, Katarina Chamber Choir (1995)
7)	The King’s Singers (2006)


Spem in alios for playback/2015

31 Touch Tones is played via laptop and MIDI connection to the Fokker organ. The number 31 refers to the tuning system of the Fokker organ (31 equal temperament) and the international country code for the Netherlands while “touch tones” refers to the pitches produced by pressing the individual buttons of a telephone. The piece is based on these pitches, though it was necessary in some cases to make small adjustments in order to match the 31 equal-tempered tuning of the Fokker organ (these adjustments were very small, ranging from 3 cents to 16 cents). Using this schemata, six numbers are then “dialed,” including the Huygens-Fokker Foundation, two numbers from the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ, the composer’s home phone, the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und darstellende Kunst, Stuttgart, and Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music.

Recorded September 12, 2010 at the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ
in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.


31 Touch Tones for Fokker organ/2010

Shell Shock was written for a project conceived by the cellist Céline Papion and Anna Drescher, which takes inspiration from soldiers in World War One who managed to make musical instruments from what they found lying around. 

The premier of the complete theater piece took place on November 1, 2018 at Theater Rampe in Stuttgart. 

The premier of this version of Shell Shock was performed by Céline Papion with Oliver Frick on electronics on September 26, 2015 at the AK2 Galerie in Stuttgart, Germany.

More information about the project can be found here:
https://celinepapion.net/otto-musical-theatre-for-cello-otto-and-live-electronics/

Shell Shock for Otto and playback/2015/Céline Papion

While on hold with Navient (a student loan servicer). The recording was not altered. The warped parts, microtones, and distortion added a bizarre New Music quality to the muzak.

On Hold Muzak (2017)

Listen More (2019)

For the video version with subtitles, go here:
https://youtu.be/mArqRY42VKk

Eight professional composers/musicians and six blind/visually impaired people discuss whether their sense of hearing is different than the general public and how they experience life through sound. 

Many thanks to the participants: 
Marcos Balter, Lori Castner, Mike Castner, Geoffrey Deibel, Jason Eckardt, Dave Gordon, Jennie Gottschalk, Johanna Krins, Céline Papion, Robert Phillips, Paul Ponchillia, Jesse Roneau, Esther Saladin, Thad Zaremba

Sound sources:
Wind Walk Travel Videos, “Walking tour of Times Square in Midtown Manhattan, New York City Travel Guide 4K” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u68EWmtKZw0&t=331s

wniebelski, “in the Metro ambience” 
https://freesound.org/people/wniebelski/sounds/98694/

iam angie, “END OF THE WORLD AND MY VIEWS” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJEAh4uVDLE&t=98s

soundslikewillem, “german coffee shop atmosphere” https://freesound.org/people/soundslikewillem/sounds/264347/

Gorecki, “Kleines Requiem für eine Polka” Schönberg Ensemble, Reinbert de Leeuw, Philips 1995

ASMR Bino, “ASMR Binaural Snow Walking in the Woods” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIcTEa3ui1Y&t=49s 

LG, “Air duct 06.wav” 
https://freesound.org/people/LG/sounds/73081/

Inspector J, “Ambience, Sea Side Waves, Close, A.wav” https://freesound.org/people/InspectorJ/sounds/400632/

LT Sound Effects, “Walking on Beach Sound Effect” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcHN39mk8Nw

Year 501 – Noam Chomsky, “Funny moments with Noam Chomsky” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GlTxH4CCEo&t=435s

Peter Burton, “Squeaky Squeaky Sand, Jervis Bay Australia” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV9E4x9Pfok

Vlatko Blazek, “Knuckles or bones cracking” https://freesound.org/people/VlatkoBlazek/sounds/321569/

Kaelin Munkelwitz, “WHY YOUR DOG DOESN’T COME WHEN CALLED” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxcPrw8CFeI&t=84s

Michael-DB, “Jackhammer”
https://freesound.org/people/Michael-DB/sounds/323143/

Distorted Room, “Coughing Woman Sound - Woman Cough Sound Effect”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjd4HrJbc8o

Audio Productions, “Dentist Drill Sounds SOUND EFFECT”
https://youtu.be/eWr55bxJHVE

zackcool12345, “The Worst Infomerical Acting Ever”
https://youtu.be/2jP3WSQpA_0

6polnic, “hamp rope creaks”
https://freesound.org/people/6polnic/sounds/231438/

Lang Elliott, “wood thrush”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrmxlez2cAg&t=26s

justkiddink, “seagulls… waves.”
https://freesound.org/people/juskiddink/sounds/60507/

Soundholder, “excavator MF 860 exterior engine driving on grass and pushing ground distant stereo ORTF 8040”
https://freesound.org/people/Soundholder/sounds/425619/

Straget, “Big waves hit land”
https://freesound.org/people/straget/sounds/412308/

daveincamas, “Thunderstorm July 19, 2012”
https://freesound.org/people/daveincamas/sounds/161519/

Inspector J, “Stream, Water, C”
https://freesound.org/people/InspectorJ/sounds/339324/

yasuain, “The sound of wind whispering through the trees”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqcckuvnVGM&t=282s

hoerspielgerrit, “Kinderspielen”
https://freesound.org/people/hoerspielgerrit/sounds/339529/

Distorted Room, “Collar bell sound effect”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKDwwgn0nAU

Listen More

A saxophonist (in this case Geoffrey Deibel) boards the German fast train, the Intercity Express, and begins to play. He improvises, reacting to the sounds he hears – the pitches produced by the train, coughing, an announcement over the speakers. Some passengers become annoyed by this encounter with unconventional music and interrupt the saxophonist with loud pleas for him to stop and sarcastic mimicry.  

Who is the real agitator (“Provokateur”)? Seen from the perspective of new music lovers, the passengers are rude and uncultured. Why do they not see the impromptu concert as a pleasant surprise rather than an affront? From the perspective of those who do not like new music, the passengers are within their right to voice their disapproval. They did not go to the music, the music came to them. They are paying customers, and, unlike in the concert hall, they do not have the option of leaving. At best they can move to another part of the train and wait, but that would be an inconvenience. 

Many thanks to Urs Klebe and Uwe Saile for providing the voices of the annoyed passengers on the playback.

"Der Provokateur im ICE" was written for and is dedicated to Geoffrey Deibel.

Der Provokateur im ICE for bari sax and playback/2012/Geoffrey Deibel

A realization of the actual keys/strings one sees in the famous Tom and Jerry cartoon "Cat Concerto" from 1947. 
Jürgen Kruse, piano

To see the version with video:
https://youtu.be/iGUfoCOfLCQ

Joseph Michaels

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