Sound and silence are allies in the minimal yet intricate music of Lou Bunk. In both his acoustic and electro-acoustic music, timbre unfolds alongside harmony, while extended instrumental techniques, microtones, and a rejection of the virtuosic paints an alien and sometimes barren soundscape.
A native of the Connecticut suburbs, Lou’s earliest compositions were noise improvisations, and four-track collage experiments. Educated at Washington University (MA Composition) and Brandeis University (completing a PhD in Composition and Theory), he has studied music composition with such diverse composers as Eric Chasalow, Michael Tenzer, David Rakowski, Ladislav Kubik, Marty Boykan, and Yehudi Wyner. At Brandeis, he was Assistant Director of the Brandeis Electro-Acoustic Music Studio (2001-2003), and Director of the New Music Brandeis concert series for the 2002-2003 concert season. This year Lou is teaching electronic music and running the studio at Franklin Pierce College in New Hampshire. He is also teaching ear training at Boston Conservatory.
Lou’s music is the recipient of several awards (SEAMUS Student Commission Competition, finalist, Irving Fine Fellowship for Music Composition, ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composers Award, finalist), and has been performed in dozens of venues, in the US and Europe; CCRMA, SEAMUS, June in Buffalo, The Computer Arts Festival in Padova, Italy, an American Composers series in Trossingen, Germany, and the Zeitgeist Gallery. This fall, “Being and Becoming”, for bass clarinet, will be performed in New York and Boston. Some current projects include a new piece for solo piano, Sound design for the American Repertory Theatre, a dissertation on the music of Morton Feldman, teaching electronic music, and a rock and roll band called Shana's Mango!.
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Wednesday, March 01, 2006
From the Ashes
Over the weekend I went to the Spark festival in Minneapolis and met many people. Among them was Anthony Cornicello who I never met before, but corresponded to in the bloggo-world. I also had my piece Luna played by Brian Sacawa who is also a bloggo person. What a weird world… Anyway, Brian let me know that my name was taken off the blogg list on Sequenza 21 and I told him that life is too precious to spend time writing a regular blog. It has been at least 6 months since my last post. I am a very poor blogger, and still question the usefulness of it in out world already saturated with information and tasks. But, I though I would try again and perhaps my name will once again be up in lights on Sequenza21 next to Anthony’s and Brian’s. And, if you think I am going to review Spark. HA! It is just not possible for a composer to be a faithful and honest critic without being anonymous. There are just too many complications and competing interests. I will say though, Spark was well organized and curated in a progressive and interesting way. It was a good mix of medias; music, video, improve, dance, installation, beer.
posted by Lou Bunk
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