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|
Title |
Description |
Performances |
Look, Listen, Read |
|
Bracing and Tonic (2007) |
Simplified Violin [~15']
Written for Eric km Clark's Simplified Violin, this two-part piece uses
a four-string unison scordatura (all four E-strings tuned to E) in four-part indeterminate
canon. Each string plays the same material, with much of the hocketing and counterpoint at
the performer's discretion.
|
-October 2007, 21Grand,
Oakland (Eric km Clark) |
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Link Study 5 (2007) |
Soprano, Harmonium, Viola, Contrabass,
Percussion [>15']
Each player is given one page of available material, which evolves throughout the piece, and
one page of intermittent material. As each set of available material is related, a slowly changing
structure emerges over the course of the piece. The intermittent material, which is in all cases
more brief and soloistic, provides a point of reference to illuminate that slow change.
|
-June 2007, Cowell Theater,
CalArtSF (Marja Liisa Kay, Tashi Wada, Cat Lamb, Adam Fong, Jason Levis) |
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Cerebellum (2006) |
For (one or more) strings
(or voices)
The cerebellum is a region of the brain that plays an important role in the integration
of sensory perception and motor output.
Learn more here.
|
-April 2007, San Francisco: 4/1 Ocean Beach,
4/8 Huntington Falls, 4/15 Richmond District, 4/22 Levi's Plaza (Adam Fong) |
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State of the Union 2006 (2006) |
for 8 or more performers [52'] With dual inspiration from Steve
Reich's Clapping Music and the President's 2006 State of the Union Address, performers
clap at given intervals, with durations and attitudes based on those of Congressional members
at the actual 2006 address.
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Premiere TBA |
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Brady Material (2006) |
For two players, each with one non-sustaining
percussive instrument, and one or more sustaining instruments [20']
Two players perform a series of metric modulations of relatively large proportions
(between one beat per 12 seconds to one per 60 seconds).
Juxtaposing the slow tempi of these percussive strikes are the potentially chaotic
timings of sustained tones, which may begin with any percussive strike, but whose durations are
determined by physical limitations (bow, breath, etc.) |
Premiere TBA |
|
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Propaganda (2006) |
Created for the
"Liberty, Art and Culture" seminar hosted by the Institute for Humane Studies, this
performance piece consisted of the distribution of 80 pieces of paper. Twenty of each of the words
"IS", "NOT", "PROPAGANDA", and "THIS"
were given to seminar participants. |
-June 2006,
Chapman University, "Liberty, Art and Culture" IHS Seminar (Adam
Fong) |
|
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Dyadic Air (2006) |
For three
contrabasses [14'] The basses are tuned
in reference to the C above middle C, creating the integer ratios 5/1, 6/1,
7/1..., 16/1. Using only natural
harmonics, the piece presents one example of every available interval between
unison and 5/4 in this tuning scheme, in ascending order. |
-September 2006
(details TBD) |
|
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Brown Noise (2006) |
Composed for
the Radio Transmission Orchestra,
this piece uses an algorithm based on its expected duration and the time and
date it is started to determine the frequency and amplitude shifts of five sine
tones. All five begin at the
same frequency and amplitude, but over the course of the piece change
independently. |
On Tour with
Radio Transmission Orchestra -November 2006, Tulane
University, ICMC -October 2006, Long Beach, CA,
Soundwalk -September 2006, Hyde Park,
London
-August 2006, Hessiches Rundfunk, Darmstadt, "Phonien" -July 2006, Universitat Tuebingen,
Museum Schloss
-June 2006, Providence, RI,
Provoflux |
|
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Invocations (2006) |
For 5 or more
vocalists Performers are cued
to sing by other performers, who call out their name. Each vocalist uses her own name as
material, selecting unique pitches for sustained tones. |
-May 2006,
CalArts, Tuesday Noon Concert: Student Composed Vocal Works (Stephanie Aston,
Sylvia Desrochers, Harmony Jiroudek, Kris Wildman, Reyna Zack) |
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|
Tongs (2006) |
For flute, Bb
clarinet, Bass Clarinet [7'30"] Players are
given available pitches for sustained tones, and densities for five 90-second
sections. In addition, a
two-note melodic figure is to be performed three times over the course of the
piece. |
-May 2006,
CalArts, New Music for Woodwinds (Katherine Hamor, William Powell, Christine
Tavolacci) |
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Link Study 3 (2006) |
For 5 to 20
players Players are
offered a set of activities, all but one of which require them to listen to
the performance as it progresses.
Their observations affect various parameters of what they will
play. The ambiguous
specification of the given activities combines with the choices and efforts
of the players to create a performance situation that relies upon careful
attention. |
-May 2006,
CalArts, New Century Players Graduate Composers Concert |
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|
Link Study 1 (2006) |
For the
California EAR Unit [5'] Players are
connected through a conditional system of interdependency. In some cases,
playing after or during a certain sequence of events is imperative; in
others, it is optional. Each player's part, and the resulting piece,
therefore, is determined by the rules set forth in the score, the process of
realization, and the choices of individuals. |
-February 2006,
CalArts, EAR Unit Concert |
|
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2005 Address of State the Union (2006) |
The words of
the address (as published) are ordered alphabetically, and read aloud. |
-February 2006,
CalArts, Sounding Out (Adam Fong) |
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Of ~ Of (2006) |
A word piece,
using as text the examples given for usage of "of" in Webster's
Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, 1993. |
-January 2006,
CalArts, "Adam Fong" (Adam Fong) |
|
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Formula The, or; Bartleby (2006) |
The last
paragraph of the essay, "Bartleby; or, The Formula," is read in
reverse word order. |
-January 2006,
CalArts, "Adam Fong" (Adam Fong) |
|
|
Chimes for Two (2006) |
Players lean on
each other, back to back, create a continuous hum through alternation, and
pass objects to each other, playing them as percussion instruments. |
-June 2007, Akademie der
Kunste, Tiergarten (Kerstin Fuchs, James Orsher) |
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Cincinnati (2006) |
For percussion
quartet The score of
this piece, which features the chau gong, three suspended cymbals and
crotales, uses relative notation, structuring each phrase through the relationships
between constituent elements. |
-January 2006,
CalArts, "Adam Fong" (Frankie Bernstein, Laura Bilodeau, Damion
Corideo, Rob Elston) |
|
|
Haiku Kit for Johnny Chang (2006) |
A photo album
is filled with musical ideas.
Johnny chooses three or four for a performance. |
-March 2006,
University of Auckland, "The Microscore Project" -January 2006,
CalArts, "Adam Fong" (two realizations performed) |
|
|
In God We Trust (2006) |
For 9 or more
players Players follow
a game structure, involving dropping pennies, speaking phonemes from the
phrase "Free Market," and positioning themselves in a grid. |
-June 2006,
Chapman University, "Liberty, Art and Culture" IHS Seminar -January 2006,
CalArts, "Adam Fong" (Eric km Clark, Miguel Garcia, April Guthrie,
Stina Hanson, Eric Lindley, Bita Sharif, Luke Thomas Taylor, Douglas Wadle,
Harris Wulfson) |
|
|
Documentary Poem (2005) |
For Manfred
Werder and James Orsher |
Documentation
of a thought, during performance of Werder's "fŸr eine(n) oder einige
ausfŸhrende(n)" |
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Pastiche (2005) |
For clarinet,
trombone, contrabass For each
movement, each player proceeds through a set of given material based on what
they've just played, and what the other two have played. A different set of material is used
for each movement, and new sets of material will be added over time, making
this referential piece a continuous work-in-progress. |
Premiere TBA |
|
|
Auto Chimes (2005) |
For five Players, freely
distributed in a designated parking lot, honk their carhorns according to a
system of elapsed times, where each player independently measures from the
last honk they heard. |
-October 2005,
CalArts Lot 5, "Wednesday Hour" (Aaron Drake, Joyce Hwang, James
Orsher, Michael Pisaro, Mark So) |
|
|
Double-Stops (2005) |
For two string
players Each player
uses natural harmonics on adjacent strings to perform a series of
double-stops. Their mistakes in
this process trigger a cueing system, which is also dependent on the lighting
configuration, which players control through wireless switches. |
-October 2005,
CalArts, "Guthrie and Streb: Night Three" (April Guthrie, Cassia
Streb) |
|
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Conversations (2005) |
For low
instruments In Conversations, players behave like guests at a dinner
party. Each performer begins their participation in the piece with
"solo" material, announcing their presence in the group. Every subset pair of the group has
been given notated but flexible material; these are the "topics" of
conversation in which they may engage.
Throughout the piece, players choose when and with whom to
"converse"; each duet demands a different type of coordination or
interaction between participants.
In addition to these duets and the solo material, players may also
contribute to an existing conversation, or even lure another player away from
an ongoing conversation. While
each interaction is based on a unique system, the inevitable juxtaposition of
these materials in a given performance allows audience members to observe the
entire system of the piece at work, and to see and hear a manifestation of
its myriad and variant possible results. |
-May 2005,
REDCAT at Walt Disney Music Center, "Emerging Composers" (CalArts
New Century Players) |
|
|
l(a (2005) |
For oboe,
piano, voice, percussion Based on a poem
by e. e. cummings In six
sections, this piece pulls apart the elements of the cummings poem, considers
all of its aural implications, and reconstructs the poem. Using a different structural approach
for each section, the indeterminacy of this piece investigates the
interaction between sound and linguistic meaning. |
-May 2005,
CalArts, "Graduate Composers Chamber Concert" (Kathy Pisaro,
Stephanie Aston, Jihye Lee, Damien Corideo) |
|
|
The Angle of Fog: Why We See,
Fear, Love, Try (2005) |
Poem |
Published in
Artizen, May 2005 |
|
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Pedal Study (2005) |
For piano
[5'-10'] This piece
challenges the player to maintain consistency while utilizing different pedal
positions. The result is a
timbral exploration of one pitch, mediated by the minute inconsistencies of a
particular performance. |
-May 2005,
CalArts, "Pieces with One Note" (Joyce Hwang) -March 2005,
CalArts, "Page One" (Joyce Hwang) |
|
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Permutations (2005) |
For percussion The score offers
a method for realizing all the possible sequential orders for any subset of a
given number of players. In its
realization, the piece investigates a variety of limits: reaction time of
performers, perceptual ability to distinguish groupings of sounds, and in
larger subsets, the temporal boundary between chord and melody. |
-June 2007,
San Francisco, "Salon! You're On!" (Clint Calimlim, Doy Charnsupharindr,
Adam Fong, Alissa Fong) -March 2005,
CalArts, "Page One" (Lewis Keller, James Orsher, Steve Forman,
Elyssa Shalla, Tonatiuh Avila) |
|
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Forbidden String (2005) |
The score of
this piece instructs the performer what not to do. This creates an environment for structured improvisation
where the composer and score dictate the boundaries of the player's available
material and techniques. The
balance of freedom and limitation in the piece creates a challenging
psychological situation, where the performer must bear in mind the
increasing number of things she cannot do. |
-June 2007,
San Francisco, "Salon! You're On!" (Adam Fong) -March 2005,
CalArts, "Page One" (Cassia Streb) -March 2005,
CalArts, Cassia Streb Mid-Residence Recital |
|
|
A Moving Wall (2005) |
For string
orchestra Performers are
asked, with each change of bowing direction, to change their pitch by the
smallest perceptible increment possible. As each player's bowing speed and pitch level progresses
individually, the group as a whole creates unusual, unpredictable harmonies. |
-March 2005,
CalArts, "Page One" (Page One Orchestra) |
|
|
Departure: Three Songs (2005) |
For baritone
and piano Settings of the
Whitman poems "After the Supper and Talk", "To Old Age",
and "The Dismantled Ship" |
-January 2006, CalArts,
"Adam Fong" (Caleb Epps, Sarah Seelig) |
|
|
Elementary Studies: Waves, Fire, Rain, Sunlight (2004) |
For two pianos Each of the
four pieces in this series involves some form of indeterminacy, all inspired
by the natural behavior of "elemental" forces. |
-October 2007, Herbst Theatre,
San Francisco, Music For Two Pianos: Sunlight (Maki Namekawa, Dennis Russell Davies)
-June 2005,
CCM, Music 05 Festival: Sunlight (Sha Weng, Yueng Yu) -March 2005,
CalArts, "Page One": all four (Petros Sakelliou, Mark So) -October 2004,
CalArts, "Sounding Out": Waves and Fire (August Friscia, Joyce
Hwang) |
|
|
Breath Studies (2004) |
For 8-voice
mixed choir This set of six
studies provides an a cappella choir with a method for exploring harmony, through
a system of call and response alterations of pitch by semitones. The simple process within each study
leads to unpredictable harmonies. |
-November 2004,
CalArts, "Sounding Out" |
|
|
Four Suits (2004) |
For cello Each card in a
standard playing-card pack features two measures of notated music for
cello. Each suit corresponds to
an interpretable marking. The
player is invited to perform the piece however he or she feels is appropriate. |
-October 2005,
CalArts, "Guthrie and Streb: Night Two" (April Guthrie) |
|
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Operandi (2004) |
For two or more
string players The lowest
instrument serves as leader, and each other instrument is instructed to find
his or her pitch in relation to the next lowest instrument. All players use linked bowing, which
in larger ensembles, helps lead to a system of chain reactions, where the
motion of the lowest voice is reflected, distorted, amplified, and at times
echoed in each of the upper voices, in succession. |
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Five Times Remembered (for Bill
Evans) (2004) |
The tape
portion consists of four superimposed tracks, each of which is a solo
recording of the performer playing through the Bill Evans chart, "Time
Remembered," five times, at a tempo of his choosing. The fifth, live performance of the
tune is structured in the same way – five times through the form. |
-March 2005,
CalArts, "Page One" (Kelly Corbin) -November 2004,
CalArts, "Sounding Out" (Kelly Corbin) |
|
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Contusion (2003) |
For soprano and
piano [3'] A setting of
the Sylvia Plath poem |
-May 2003,
Stanford, Senior Recital |
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String Quartet no. 1 (2003) |
[5' – 4'
– 7' – 3'30"] Each movement
has a different identity, yet all are intended as an expressive
through-narrative. The first
movement is intended to be estranged and contemplative, the second in a panic,
the third sweetly sad, the fourth happily confused. |
-May 2003,
Stanford, Senior Recital |
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Stumbling into Puddles (2002) |
The score of
this piece provides a melody, to be played by each player with any rhythm
they desire, from the beginning, stopping at any point and returning to the
beginning again. Once the end
has been reached, each player pedals on the final note. |
-March 2002,
Stanford, "Wet Ink" |
|
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I Felt a Funeral, in my Brain (2002) |
For contralto,
two violins, cello [5'30"] A setting of
the Emily Dickinson poem |
-May 2003,
Stanford, Senior Recital -June 2002,
Stanford, Music Dept. Awards Concert -March 2002,
Stanford, "Wet Ink" |
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Yizkor (2002) |
For clarinet,
piano, cello [9'] Originally written
as incidental music for a holocaust play of the same name, this trio depicts
the main character (Nazi general Hans Frank) in realization of his own guilt. |
-May 2003,
Stanford, Senior Recital |
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