From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Judy Dunaway
Judy Dunaway
Judy Dunaway (born 1964 Mississippi) is an avant-garde rently a Visiting Lecturer in the Art History Department
composer, free improvisor, conceptual sound artist and at Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
creator of sound installations who is primarily known for Dunaway has also created other works, often to do
her sound works for latex balloons. Since 1990 she has with social activism or cultural critique. In late 2006 Du-
created over thirty works for balloons as sound conduits naway founded "S.W.I.R.L." a not-for-profit educational
and has also made this her main instrument for improvi- website for audio art and activism concerning the rights
sation. of sex workers. Other works by Ms. Dunaway include Af-
Judy Dunaway has presented her compositions, im- firmative Action, a political multi-media piece utilizing
provisations and installations for balloons throughout sensor-activated projections as visual music, commis-
North America and Europe at many venues including Lin- sioned by percussionist Russell Greenberg; Sensation, a
coln Center Out-of-Doors, REDCAT, the SoHo Arts Festi- composition for audience presented at the Mixed Mes-
val, the Alternative Museum, the Knitting Factory, Per- sages Festival where it was conducted by Jackie 60
formance Space 122, Roulette, Experimental Intermedia, Award-winner Baby Dee; Duo for Radio Stations, simul-
Soundlab, the New Museum of Contemporary Art, the cast on WFMU (New Jersey) and WKCR (New York); and
Bang on a Can Festival, the Guelph Jazz Festival, Podewil, the score for Diane Torr’s performance art piece Crossing
Diapason, Galerie Rachel Haferkamp and ZKM. She has the River Styx, the "high decibel music"[2] that instigated
performed as a balloon player in compositions by John the closing of the Franklin Furnace performance space in
Zorn and Roscoe Mitchell, and in improvisations and/or 1990.
collaborations with the FLUX Quartet, performance artist
Annie Sprinkle, Fluxus artist Yasunao Tone, video artist
Zev Robinson, visual artists Nancy Davidson and Ken But-
Notes
ler, percussionists John Hollenbeck and Matt Moran, the [1] Moeller, Torsten; Kunsu Shim, Gerhard Staebler
Illuminati big band, DJ Singe (Beth Coleman), and nu- (2005). SoundVisions (1st ed.). PFAU. ISBN
merous others. Her works for balloons include electron- 3-89727-272-5.
ic and multi-media works, sound installations, and works [2] Carr, C. (1993). On Edge: Performance at the End of the
that incorporate more traditional instrumentation such Twentieth Century (1st ed.). Wesleyan University
as string quartet, chorus and Japanese koto.[1] Press. ISBN 0-8195-6269-6.
Awards include a recording grant from the Aaron Co-
pland Fund of the American Music Center, a commission
from the American Composers Forum’s Composers Com-
Discography
missioning Fund, an artist/researcher-in-residency at • Mother of Balloon Music (Innova Recordings 2006) -
Zentrum für Kunst und Medientechnologie, a recording Compositions and improvisations for balloons by
residency at Harvestworks/Studio Pass, and grants from Judy Dunaway. Featuring performances by the FLUX
the National Endowment for the Arts, Meet the Composer Quartet, Ryuko Mizutani, Damian Catera and Judy
and the Kalliste Foundation. Ms. Dunaway has published Dunaway.
two articles in Musicworks magazine about her work • Shar: Pop Music (Outer Realm Records 2001). Avant-
with balloons: A History of the Balloon as a Sound Pro- noise-rock with balloons (Judy Dunaway), bass (Ilja
ducer in Experimental Music (Fall 2001), and, Orchestra- Komarov) and drums (Trixa Arnold).
tion and Playing Techniques for Balloons as Sound Pro- • Judy Dunaway: Balloon Music (Composers
ducers (Spring 2002). Recordings, Inc./CRI (now part of New World
Dunaway has a Ph.D. in Music Composition from State Records) 1998) - Compositions and improvisations
University of New York at Stony Brook, where she stud- for balloons, including collaborations with Yasunao
ied with analog electronic music composer Daria Se- Tone and Dan Evans Farkas.
megen and multi-media artist Christa Erickson, and a • “The Alt.coffee Tapes” (Katahdin Recordings) -
M.A. in Experimental Music from Wesleyan University Balloon improvisation with Matt Moran and John
(Connecticut) where she studied with composer Alvin Hollenbeck.
Lucier. She also holds a B.S. in Music Education from • “New York Guitars” compilation (Composers
Hunter College (New York City). In academic year Recordings, Inc./CRI,1995)- “Fifty 210” (for electric
2004-2005 she was full-time Visiting Faculty in Sound at guitar and Yamaha Fifty 210 amplifier) - Electric
the School of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston. She is cur- guitar composition.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Judy Dunaway
• John Zorn’s “Cobra” (Knitting Factory Works 1994) -
Balloon improvisations in the context of the John
External links
Zorn composition “Cobra.” • Official Website of Judy Dunaway
• “Judy Dunaway and the Evan Gallagher Little Band” • UbuWeb Sound page about Judy Dunaway
(AMF 1993/Lilly Myrtle Music 2002) - Art-rock • Avant-Garde Music for Toys, ’Playing’ in New York
compositions. By Adam Phillips, Voice of America, April 1 2009
• “Judy Dunaway” (Lost 1991) - Avant-garde folk songs • Downtown Music and its Misrepresentations By Kyle
and free-improvisations. Gann, Arts Journal, March 8 2005
• My Favorite Women Composers of All Time Kyle
Gann, official website.
Further reading • Interview with Judy Dunaway by Dennis Bathory-
• Musicworks Magazine, Winter, 2002, “My Beautiful Kitsz (audio).
Balloon, Part II: Orchestration and Playing • Installation at Diapason Gallery, New York City.
Techniques for Balloons as Sound Producers,” by • Etudes No. 1 and 2 for Balloon and Violin, Art of the
Judy Dunaway, pp. 40-46. States, WGBH Boston.
• Musicworks Magazine, Fall, 2001, “My Beautiful Persondata
Balloon, Part I: A History of the Balloon as a Sound
Name Dunaway, Judy
Producer in Experimental Music,” by Judy Dunaway,
pp. 14-21. Alternative names
• "Getting Physical (New York Guitars: Loren Short description
Mazzacane Connors, Didkovsky, Phil Kline, John Date of birth 1964
King, Judy Dunaway; Emergency Broadcast
Place of birth
Network)" by Kyle Gann, Village Voice, October 10,
1995 (Vol. XL No. 41, p. 66). Date of death
• "Pop! Goes the Music," by Kyle Gann, Village Voice, Place of death
August 8, 1995 (Vol. XL No. 32, p. 67).
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Judy_Dunaway&oldid=426100911"
Categories:
• 1964 births
• Living people
• 20th-century classical composers
• 21st-century classical composers
• American composers
• Women composers
• State University of New York alumni
• Wesleyan University alumni
• American experimental musicians
• Sound artists
• Massachusetts College of Art and Design faculty
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