Composer Anthony Cornicello (born in Brooklyn, New York, 1964) writes music that blurs distinctions between performers and electronics, timbre and harmony, composition and improvisation, and explores the boundaries of what may be considered post-classical concert music. His music is vibrant and visceral, full of rhythmic energy and harmonic sophistication, and his forays into live electronics have led to exciting combinations of instruments and processed sound. Cornicello’s background as a jazz pianist is evident not only in the rhythmic activity of his music, but also in his constant investigation of the rich sonorities available from a variety of instruments.
He has been commissioned to write music for the Scorchio Electric String Quartet, ModernWorks! (funding from Meet the Composer/ Commissioning Music USA), the Auros Group for New Music, the Prism Saxophone Quartet, the New York New Music Ensemble, David Holzman, the Group for Contemporary Music, and the InterEnsemble of Padova, Italy. His work has also been featured on the Guggenheim Museum’s “Works and Process” series. Cornicello’s works have also been performed by the Chicago Civic Symphony, Parnassus, ALEA III, Composers Concordance, Madeleine Shapiro, Robert Black, among many other outstanding groups and solo performers. His music has been presented as part of the Darmstadt International Festival of New Music as well as the June in Buffalo Festival.
Cornicello’s Second String Quartet has been recorded by the Atlantic String Quartet; the Second Sonata for Piano by David Holzman (Centaur). More recently, his Post-Modern Waltz was recorded by Eric Moe for Albany Records. A portrait CD of Cornicello’s works is scheduled for 2006 release on Albany Records.
As a performer, he has conducted or played piano in his own works on numerous occasions. While a graduate student at Rutgers, he formed and directed the Janus Ensemble, a group dedicated to contemporary music. More recently, Cornicello has begun performing on the laptop, using a variety of interfaces and the Max/MSP program. Those performances, mostly with EEE!, have had a notable impact on his music, as EEE!’s music ranges from hip-hop to experimental noise. EEE! is based at Eastern Connecticut State University, where Cornicello is an Associate Professor and Director of the Electronic Music Lab.
Cornicello received the Ph.D. from Brandeis University, where he studied with David Rakowski, Eric Chasalow, and Martin Boykan. His teachers also include Charles Wuorinen, Gérard Grisey, and Richard Beirach.
His current fields of interest include developing unusual interfaces for live computer music performances, as well as continuing to investigate resonance and spatialization. His recent and current projects (mostly for string instruments and electronics) have been exploring the latter two, and the series of experimental works ReZenant Garden, performed by EEE! have operated on all three areas of interest. Future projects will include works for instrumental groups or soloists and electronics, as well as turntablists.
Cornicello's works are published by C.F. Peters Corporation and APNM, and he is a member of BMI.
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Sunday, April 15, 2007
Electronic Music, this week in CT
Okay, here's the rundown for our concerts this week:
Monday, 4/16: EEE! (Eastern Electronic Ensemble), 8PM at Webb Hall. Music of Alvin Lucier (Nothing is Real), John Cage (Radio Music), and students.
The Lucier piece is for piano and teapot. The piano is recorded, played back through the teapot, and the lid is raised and lowered. It's got to be heard to be believed, which you can do here. It's also on CD. Like most of Alvin's music, you wonder how this succesful this effect wil be. Then you hear it, and it far exceeds your expectations.
We're doing the Cage with the members sitting in the audience, right at the start of the concert. Lights go down, antennas go up, and we hit the volume controls. It's an odd piece, and I'm predicting some audience bewilderment. I hope we'll catch a bit of the Mets game.
The concert is at 8PM in Webb Hall, Room 110 on the Eastern CT State University campus is Willimantic. Not our usual venue.
You can get more info about EEE here and here.
Wednesday 4/18: The McLean Mix Duo comes to Eastern CT for a two-day residency. On Wednesday, they are setting up and running their Rainforest installation. Rainforest will run on Wednesday from 12-5, with a special presentation at 3PM. This event takes place in Harry Hope Theatre in Shafer Hall, also at Eastern CT.
Thursday 4/19: The McLeans are back again for an evening concert, entitled MILLing in the ENIUM. This will present electronic music mixed with traditional instruments, in a live performance setting.
This is about half of the events at ECSU. The rest are in the following weeks.Labels: Cage, Connecticut, electronic music, Lucier, McLean
posted by Anthony Cornicello
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