AMERICAN MUSIC SERIES 348 a OHV
Rand Steiger
With Jack Vees
Kingston, N.Y.
April 6, 2006
July 7, 2006
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Side a pp, 1-43
Early life—his sister’s interest in folk music—cousins who were drummers—learning to play instruments—playing the drums—teaching himself piano—his bands—orchestra—High School of Music and Art—jazz band—Dan Druckman—influential teachers—playing timpani in the orchestra—influence of Cream—studying percussion at Preparatory School of Manhattan School of Music—friendship with Dan Druckman—composing for percussion instruments—his piece for Dan Druckman—encouragement of Jacob Druckman—studying percussion at Manhattan School—switching to be a composition major—his Juilliard interview—studying at Manhattan School with Elias Tannenbaum—analysis classes with Ludmila Ulehla and orchestration with Giampaolo Bracali—diverse musical life in New York: uptown and downtown composers—Tannenbaum as an open-minded teacher—his aversion to “hegemony of twelve-tone thinking”—discovering serial procedures at Cal Arts—interest in electronic music and equipment in junior high and high school—Synthy—electronic music classes at Manhattan School—John Chowning—Ellis Cooper—helping him build an early digital music system for the Manhattan School—description of the computer program—marimba concerto for Dan Druckman—his interesting writing for the marimba—orchestration classes with Bracali—marimba concerto championed by William Kraft and played by L.A. Philharmonie—friendship with the whole Druckman family—studying at Yale with Druckman—proofreading parties at Druckman’s: Lamia and Chiaroscuro—decision to go to Cal Arts rather than Yale—his experiences at Cal Arts—
Morton Subotnick—working on a theatrical production—20th century players—Lucky Mosko’s lecturing.
Side b pp. 43-88
Beginning the EAR Unit—influence on him of Stephen “Lucky” Mosko—his activities at Cal Arts, including playing percussion, composing, working on software—running the 300 studio—Quintessence—Cal Arts Festival—premiering new pieces by Subotnick with the 20th Century Players—Studying with Morton Subotnick—programming Subotnick’s work—getting together with others and forming the EAR Unit—piece by Dean Drummond: Zurrjir—residency of the EAR Unit at the Holland festival: Queekhoven—winning the Rome prize—writing his Double Concerto—cello sonata—piece for the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra—friendship with Scott Lindroth—responsibilities of his full time position at Cal Arts—friendship in Rome with Oscar Hijuelos—working with Luciano Berio planning the studio Tempo Reale—interviewing for the position at San Diego—getting the job—getting to know Brian Ferneyhough—becoming department chair—people the department hired at San Diego—Charles Wuorinen—psychological toll of being chairman—ceasing to compose during that time—difficulty of protecting time to compose—influence of people with whom he studied: Jacob Druckman—end of his term as chairman—end of his work with EAR Unit, end of his percussion playing—position with L.A. Philharmonic—commission from IRCAM—decision to focus on composing—conducting the Ensemble Sospeso—Ensemble Nouvel Contemporain—concert with La Jolla Symphony—composing vs. performing—change at IRCAM—
technology and his music—Thirteen Loops—sequencers—The Burgess Shale—
using software to compose—new possibilities with technology—interest in microtonality—real-time signal processing and spatialization of instruments, transforming the sound of instruments through technology—Thirteen Loops—Ecosphere and cross synthesis—cello concerto: Traversing—his use now of a free method of composing—Ecosphere—more on Traversing—his approach to composing.