EN
FRNew Composition for Saxophone and Implanted Electronics
Website(s) : http://www.jamesfusik.com
A collaboration between saxophonist James Fusik and composer Ravi Kittappa will explore electronics emanating from small devices implanted into the saxophone and the resulting sounds.
Biography
Saxophonist James Fusik has garnered numerous accomplishments worldwide. His performance honors include Co-1st prize at the 2011 Stockhausen Courses and Concerts-Kurten (GER), advancing to the semi-finals of the 5th Adolphe Sax competition in Dinant (BEL), and 1st prize in the 2010 Richardson competition (USA). He has also been named a winner of the Concerto Competitions of Central Michigan University, Bowling Green State University, and the staff Competition of Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. Fusik has commissioned and/or premiered composers such as Karlheinz Stockhausen, Marilyn Shrude, Walter Mays, Nathan Davis, Christopher Cerrone, Robert Honstein, Ravi Kittappa, and artist Matthew Barney. He is currently Assistant Professor of Music at Minot State University in North Dakota (USA)
More information
Through the creative process of a new piece for saxophone and electronics, saxophonist James Fusik and composer Ravi Kittappa will explore electronics emanating from small devices implanted into the saxophone and the resulting sounds. The sound universe of this work will imagine a synthesis of human, acoustic, and electronic machine. Kittappa and Fusik will explore sonic possibilities of using the saxophone as a resonant object and manipulations of the human element of saxophone performance: muscle control, breath, articulation and the shaping of vocal and oral tracts in ways that affect sonic evolution. The fruits of this labor will serve as a lens for examining various factors that shape fundamental technique and the instrument’s acoustics. Possibilities for ever-evolving combinations of electronics and saxophone can arise from such new approaches; which go beyond the use of live saxophone with static taped or recorded sounds, or the more complex use of saxophone and live computer processing. Over the course of research for this piece, Fusik and Kittappa will use these tools as well as the projection of electronics into the saxophone to examine how physical and mechanical manipulation affect the results of electronic/acoustic combination. The recordings provided are of works recently composed by Kittappa or performed by Fusik, to provide an idea of the artistry of the collaborating artists.