Program Note:

OSCILLATIONS, for large ensemble and electronics, plays with color and collage, juxtaposing different textures and materials on a constantly shifting sonic canvas. As the title suggests, this piece explores fluctuations between states, expanding the concept of a waveform - a core electronic sound source for the piece - into a greater formal and temporal argument. Defined as periodic movement between two points, waveforms are the building blocks of sound synthesis. In essence, sound synthesis could be described as series of interconnected oscillations, where complex sounds are produced from the combination and modulation of simple sounds. This core concept was my guiding influence throughout the composition of this piece, where fluctuations in parameters like texture and tempo are simultaneous with those in the electronics, creating another kind of sound synthesis between acoustic and electronic components in the piece. 

OSCILLATIONS feature a range of electronic sounds, from sine tone clusters and frequency modulation, to prerecorded processed sounds that act as a halo around the acoustic ensemble. The piece also embeds electronic sound sources within the ensemble, such as the ground hums produced via bass amps in the percussion set ups, and the use of electronic mechanisms like Ebows and electric fans in the harp and piano parts, furthering the shapeshifting role of the electronics.  On a macro scale, this piece oscillates between different textures, tempos, and colors, with varied electronics functioning as a glue, or collaging agent between parts. The instrumentalists weave their parts together to form composite lines, creating a jagged and episodic counterpoint that is frequently interrupted. Taken together, this combination of contrapuntal line, polyphonic noise, and ticking rhythmic vignettes, weave a vivid and varied tapestry, full of fluctuations.

This piece was commissioned by the Grossman Ensemble for premier on March 7th, 2025 under Conductor David Fulmer at the University of Chicago.

OSCILLATIONS for large ensemble, modular synthesizer, and electronics

composer, performer and sound artist based in Chicago, IL.

Internationally acclaimed cellist and recording artist.

My work is my autobiography.  My work plays and questions abstraction and permanence.  The pieces reflect my education in Bauhaus architecture, my explorations of line and content, and my reaction to life in locations discovered through my continued quest for knowledge.

Studying architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, created the basis for the paintings and drawings.  Architecture and structure form the logic behind the way a painting is built and a drawing is constructed.  How do the tools used affect the making of a line or series of lines?  Each work is an answer to a question exploring how marks and gestures can be created to form a complete composition.

Understanding my place in foreign cultures plays a huge part in the development and choices made for the work created there.  Finding the balance of act and consequence within the parameters of an unknown land add the next facet of information and visual expansion.

Abstraction is not a style, but a state of mind…a balance of subtlety and boldness, confidence and risk, the known and that what needs to be found.


OSCILLATIONS for large ensemble, modular synthesizer, and electronics

Kari Watson