Program Notes
Ruptures - The technologically mediated illusion of representation in this work is ruptured through
interjections of sounds associated with technology's failure. These interjections expose the attempt to create an
illusion and foregrounds the listener's suspension of disbelief. Much of the piece's structure is draped over an
School of Music College of Fine Arts attempt, at times unintentionally humorous, to integrate these interruptions into the existing representational
dramaturgy. However, these attempts at reconciliation point at a deep, irreconcilable conceptual rupture in
The Florida Electroacoustic Music Studio fabric of the work. The sound of technological error will inevitably and inadvertently expose the illusion no
matter how well the sound of error is integrated into this illusion. By the end of the work, this conceptual
present rupture has thwarted the musical dramaturgy. The music is obliterated at its conclusion. Thomas Royal's
music seeks to shatter false dichotomies through the exploration of the notions of sameness and difference. His
music has been heard at SEAMUS, NYCEMF, EMM, and the UNCG New Music Festival. His teachers have
UNBALCON 44 road trip included Paul Richards, Paul Koonce, James Paul Sain, Alejandro Rutty, Mark Engebretson, and Jeffrey Wood.
Shelter is a piece where a composer explores the aural aesthetic of an isolated and decaying bomb shelter and
the abstract fear of societal eradication that simmers beneath the surface of life in 21st century America.
Dr. James Paul Sain Professor and FEMS Director
Through incoherent and distorted spoken word, the desperation of contemporary society's over-reliance on
Braxton Sherouse Poster Design communicative technologies and lack of intimate human contact is formed. Decomposing signals barely
function as static and artifacts assimilate and dehumanize the faltering voice. Anemic attempts at
Yunkyung Hong, Sean Peuquet and Thomas Royal Graduate Assistants
communication yield no results other than the horror of isolation reflecting back upon the communicator. A
slow descent into madness is formed as the hollow voice becomes ever more frail and listless. The soundscape
is bathed in the hums and drones of a strange technology, a force that deadens its user, as a search for other
PROGRAM
sentient life remains fruitless. The ever-present bursts of aural flame prevent any hope to venture outside this
Friday, 13 November 2009 • 7:30pm • MUB 120 claustrophobic space. Zach Castedo is a 2nd year MFA candidate in the Digital Media program of the College of
Fine Arts. He typically works in the media of digital video, animation, and illustration. His work explores the
Ruptures Thomas Royal performance of gender in contemporary America and how the new technologies of the 21st century affect our
creation of and consumption of images. Although he has only recently begun creating electronic music, he has
Shelter Zach Castedo enjoyed experiencing it for over a decade. Zach is very grateful for the opportunity to further explore his love
of electronic music and transform his hobby into an integral part of his art making practice.
The Bone and The Flower Emily Kimball The Bone and The Flower is a work for speakers in stereo pairs. The Bone and The Flower was written in the fall
of 2008. It features excerpts from the poem “Snapshot of a 50s Housewife,” by Gwen Bindas, read by Gwen
The Big Zipper Paul Pino Bindas and Angelica Sirabella, as well as sounds recorded from the inside of a baby grand piano. The words of
the poem have been rearranged to create new meanings, as well as to heighten the expressive emotional
content. The piece strives to recreate the emotions behind the words of the poem, from the perspective of the
This Winter Blanket Sean Peuquet writer, the reader and the subject of the poem. Emily Kimball, born and raised in Maine, grew up involved in
the performing arts. Interested in writing music from a young age, Emily studied piano, bass, guitar, and voice,
• Brief Interval • completing her first songs at 15. While attending Northeastern University in Boston, where she received a BS in
Music Technology, Emily studied electroacoustic music as well as traditional composition. Previously trained
Electroacoustic Improvisation Sean Peuquet & Travis Garrison as a ballerina, Emily hopes to continue to collaborate with dancers and choreographers to combine her love of
Sean Peuquet & Travis Garrison, computers music with her love of dance. Currently, she is interested in exploring the different ways that human narratives
can be expressed through combinations of acoustic and electroacoustic composition.
_impulse->response(&space); Braxton Sherouse The Big Zipper - Zippers are inherently about connections-relating two planes by means of physical
attachment. They create continuous bridges, joining multiple areas at their borders. The specific shape and
Simple Obsessional Discharge Yunkyung Hong design of interlocking teeth unique to zippers are also important in giving them their characteristic,
onomatopoeic 'ziiiip' sound. The Big Zipper, or representative spirit and essence of zipperitude is depicted
Dorian RPS Travis Garrison aurally, leaving the mind to guess as to the scale of this powerful yet mundane relational tool. Paul Pino is a
3rd year undergraduate student studying Sculpture at the College of Fine Arts. His work consists mostly of
large paintings and sculptures. He appreciates and is intrigued by electronic music's ability to "sculpt" found
An Event of the 2009/2010 Season
sounds. He recognizes music as a time-based medium and considers shaping sound to be easily compared to
working in any three-dimensional media. Like acquired images or scavenged sculpting materials, he finds that
field recordings are masses to be cut away from, added to, stretched around, and reformed as desired.
This Winter Blanket - My homes are themselves characters, eliciting feelings of comfort in unique and
distinctive ways. The house may creak and the pipes may be heard through the walls, but the space also
reverberates with individual histories and the feeling of memory. This Winter Blanket is nostalgic music, UNBALANCED CONNECTION 44
reminiscent of those meaningful spaces. Sean Peuquet is a composer and sound artist. His works have been
performed at Electronic Music Midwest, The International Computer Music Conference, Chosen Vale
International Trumpet Seminar, The Boston CyberArts Festival, and the New York City Electroacoustic Music
Festival, among other spots. Sean received his B.A. from the University of Virginia in 2005, where he studied
music, psychology and astronomy. In 2007, Sean earned his Masters degree in Electroacoustic music from
road trip
Dartmouth College. He is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Composition at UF. Sean has had the privilege of
studying composition with Jon Appleton, Newton Armstrong, Matthew Burtner, Charles Dodge, Paul Koonce,
Larry Polansky, James Paul Sain, Judith Shatin, and most recently, Paul Richards. His music is available
through Ludic Sound, Redline Park, and SCI.
_impulse->response(&space); presents a micro-sized ecology of impulses and their potential consequences as
materials, stimuli, and responses. Braxton Sherouse is equal parts composer and freelance code junky. His
music has been recognized by the Bourges International Competition and New York Art Ensemble, and has
been heard at June in Buffalo, NYCEMF, FEMF, and the UNCG New Music Festival. He is currently
completing the masters program at UF under the guidance of Paul Koonce and James Paul Sain. Previous
mentors include composer Mark Engebretson and musicologist Elizabeth Keathley. Braxton serves as Co-
Director and Web Developer for the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival.
Simple Obsessional Discharge was written for EEF (Ears Eyes and Feet.) It was originally performed with 3
dancers and video track. The idea for the project comes from a stalker narrative. In the music, the composer
describes the stalker who keeps following someone/something in the frame of music (and there is another
story inside of the frame). The audience is encouraged to imagine their own stories. Yunkyung Hong was born
in South Korea, and moved to the United States in 2005. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University
of Texas at Austin and studied composition with Russell Pinkston, Yevgeniy Sharlat and Donald Grantham.
Though she has primarily composed acoustic music thus far, she has a growing interest in electroacoustic
music. Her life philosophy is based on Buddhism and she enjoys exploring these ideas in her music. She is
currently studying music composition with James Paul Sain at the University of Florida.
Dorian RPS is an electronically mediated sonic journey through environments real and imagined. Unaltered
sounds from the real world meld with their digitally manipulated counterparts, creating a dialogue between
the real and the hyper-real. Travis Garrison is a composer, audio engineer, and electronic musician. His
compositions include both purely electronic works for fixed media and interactive works that treat acoustic
and electronic instruments and performers as equals. Current research interests include data sonification and
computer-based improvisational systems. He holds a BA in Computer Music and Composition from the
University of California, San Diego, and an MA in Electroacoustic Music from Dartmouth College. Travis is
currently pursuing a PhD in Composition at The University of Florida.
The Florida Electroacoustic Music Studio (FEMS) is designed to support electroacoustic music composition and research. The primary
focus of the facility is in the furtherance of contemporary art music. Courses are offered at both the graduate and undergraduate level in
topics such as the history and literature of electroacoustic music as well as the composition of electroacoustic music utilizing MIDI, hard
disc recording and editing, direct-digital software synthesis systems, and real-time interactive applications. 13 November 2009
UnBalanced Connection (UnBalCon) is a series aimed at presenting the most recent work of both established and emerging composers in School of Music, College of Fine Arts
the electroacoustic music community. It is hoped that by presenting these works on a state-of-the-art sound system in a comfortable venue
Room 120 Music Building
that the compositions become more attractive and interesting to the audience.
7:30pm
For further information contact Dr. James Paul Sain at: (352) 273-3176 • jsain@ufl.edu • http://emu.music.ufl.edu/