January 12-13, 2024 Rob Brown @ International Saxophone Symposium
Rob Brown will perform intercept (soprano sax + electronics) as part of The United States Navy Band's International Saxophone Symposium, at George Mason University Center for the Arts, Fairfax, VA.
January 12, 2024 line upon line percussion
line upon line percussion will perform sillica (percussion trio + video) as part of their 2024 Winter Composer Festival, in Austin, TX.
You can also learn more about my recent projects on the Works page
***Listener experience will be enhanced by the use of quality headphones/speakers
SOLO INSTRUMENTAL
switchboard(2022) 10' Alto Saxophone Written with and premiered by Thomas Giles, on Constellation Chicago's "Frequency Series," October 2022
2020(2020) 20" Solo Clavietta A winner of the "Twenty Seconds of 2020" composition competition Premiered virtually by David Bohn on his "Twenty Seconds of 2020" YouTube series
Spark(2020) 10' Solo Violin Written in collaboration with Lane Champa Premiered virtually on Northwestern's Fall Composition Showcase, December 2020
There's a bug (2020) 3' Solo trumpet with pre-recorded trumpet and video Created in collaboration with Kate Amrine (trumpet) and Kevin Joest (video) Commissioned by Kate Amrine for her "New Music in the Time of COVID-19" series Premiered virtually (audio only) August 2020 Premiered virtually with video December 2020
Translucent Threads(2019) 8' Baroque organ and live electronics Written in collaboration with Zhen Piano An American Guild of Organists student commission Premiered in Christ Church (Rochester, NY) May 2019
Color Study III: Organics(2018) 7'30" Baroque organ and pre-recorded electronics Written in collaboration with Zhen Piao, with additional assistance from Martin Herchenröder Premiered in Christ Church (Rochester, NY) September 2018
do // what do // do you(2023) 8' double bass, percussion, exciter transducers & electronics Written with and premiered by Waveform Collective @ SPLICE Institute, June 2023 (video begins at 1:03:24)
fidget(2023) 6' clarinet, violin, cello, piano & video Written for and premiered by Unheard-of//Ensemble @ Northwestern University, March 2023
hush(2023) 13' A clarinet & alto saxophone Written with and premiered by Garden Unit @ Constellation Chicago, February 2023 (video begins at 39:55)
Hocket/us(2021) 8' String quartet
Sounding Objects(2021) 8' SATB Saxophone quartet Techniques developed in collaboration with Joseph Connor and David Schreck
Flutter(2020) 12' SATB Saxophone quartet Developed in collaboration with Fuse quartet
Scritch(2019) 5' Two percussionists on amplified foam blocks Premiered on a Student Composers' Concert at Bienen School of Music, November 2019 + Second performance on Bienen's New Music Showcase, February 2020
Move(2018) 5' Four performers on a stage
Chr_stm_s M_s_c(2018) 4'30" Sleigh bells and five other instruments Premiered on a Composers' Concert at the Eastman School of Music, September 2018 + Second performance on OSSIA New Music's Winter Wind Down concert, December 2018
Wives of the Famous Composers(2016) 5' Flute, Bassoon, Cello, Percussion, and Spoken Voice Premiered by IOTA ensemble at I/O Fest, January 2017 + Second performance on a Composers' Concert at Eastman School of Music, September 2017
Musings(2016) 7' Flute, Clarinet, Violin, Cello, Percussion, and Piano Premiered at Atlantic Music Festival, July 2016
Spring will come(2016) 5'30" Four C Flutes (and two piccolos) Premiered at New Music on the Point, June 2016
On the beach at night(2020) 3'30" SATB Choir a cappella Text: "On the beach at night," by Walt Whitman (public domain) Presented in virtual format on Northwestern University's Winter Composition Showcase, March 2021
Tales of Corporate America(2020) 6' Six performers over Zoom Text: excerpts from Katherine Bruton's Facebook post series, "Surviving Corporate America," adapted by Claire DiVizio Original, 6-minute version developed in collaboration with Joseph Connor, Elliott Lupp, Benjamin Penwell, Ruud Roelofsen, and Hans Thomalla + Ongoing work to extend and further develop the piece is in collaboration with Claire DiVizio, Joshua Lewis Smith, Jessie Lyons[etc.]
Electric(2020) 5' Soprano and Piano Text: "animal electromagnetism," by Claire DiVizio Premiered by Liza Sobel (soprano) and Lam Wong (piano) on a Student Composers' Concert at Bienen School of Music, Feburary 2020
+ Second performance as part of Chicago Fringe Opera's virtual Sounds of Pride event, September 2020
Almost Lovers(2018) 15' Mezzo/Soprano Voice(s) and Prepared Piano Text: excerpts from composer's side of online dating conversations Written in collaboration with Claire Caverly (soprano), Kyrsten Chambers (mezzo-soprano), Kathie Kane (mezzo-soprano), Alexis Peart (mezzo-soprano), and Sean William Calhoun (piano) Premiered in Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School of Music, October 2018
A Birthday(2017) 3' SATB choir a cappella Text: "A Birthday," by Christina Rossetti (public domain) Premiered on Anna Becker's MM Degree Recital at the Eastman School of Music, March 2018
And like coins(2016) 3' Tenor and piano Text: graffiti from Point CounterPoint (Leicester, VT) Premiered in Hatch Recital Hall at the Eastman School of Music, September 2018
Thought of Norea(2016) 8' SSA choir a cappella Text: "The Thought of Norea," from the Nag Hammadi Library (public domain) Premiered by IOTA Ensemble at I/O Fest, January 2016
Creation Telling(2015) 14' SATB double choir and soloists Premiered by the Williams College Concert Choir in Thompson Chapel, May 2015 (Brad Wells, conductor) + Revised and condensed for a second performance by the Williams College Baccalaureate Choir, June 2015
Chickens R Us(2018) flexible duration Live video improvisation and two loudspeakers Premiered by the Eastman Audio Research Studio at the Eastman School of Music, May 2018
Whisper Room(2016) flexible duration Sound installation for various (found) speakers and pre-recorded whisper tracks in a darkened room Created for I/O Fest 2016 Installed in the '62 Center for Theater and Dance at Williams College, January 2016
My Bonnie Lass(2015) until required to remove Visual installation for hundreds of Elizabethans CDs Installed on the academic-building-facing wall of Lehman Hall at Williams College, May 2015
Clocks(2014) flexible duration Sound installation for various (found) analog wall clocks and pre-recorded ticking sound Installed in the Bernhard Music Center at Williams College, October 2014
Play(2020) 18' Brake drum soloist and sinfonietta 1(pic).0.1(bcl).1(cbsn) - 1.1(pic).1(btbn).0 - 2p(1solo) - pno - 1.1.1.1.1 Premiered in Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School of Music, April 2019 (Andrew Lauler, percussion soloist; Garrett Wellenstein, conductor)
Tapes(2019) 12' Bass/clarinet, tenor saxophone, 2 trumpets, euphonium, 3 percussionists, and fixed media Premiered on the OSSIA New Music spring concert in Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School of Music, April 2018 (William Talley, conductor) An OSSIA New Music 2017-2018 Student Commission project
Color Study I: S(t)eep(2017) 9'30" Chamber orchestra 1(pic).1.1.1 - 1.1.1.1 - 2p - pno - 1.1.1.1.1 Premiered by the Graduate Composers Sinfonietta in Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School of Music, April 2018 (Garrett Wellenstein, conductor)
Color Study II: Pique(2017) 13' Orchestra 2(1pic).2.2.2 - 4.2.2.1 - 4p - h - pno - str
Originally from Astoria, Oregon, Jaz Thomasian (they/them) is a Cleveland-based composer, collaborator, sound artist, and educator. Their creative work includes acoustic and electroacoustic concert music and sound installation, often created through collaborative processes. Jaz cracks open sounds to examine and transform them. They set processes in motion and invite performers to contribute to their realization in real-time. Jaz's artistic output spans a range of aesthetics, with each piece forming around a core question or concept. From unusual instruments to unique topics, Jaz enjoys taking on projects that challenge them to think and create in new ways.
Collaboration is central to Jaz's artistic practice. Some of their recent collaborators include:
Rob Brown (saxophones) | intercept, for soprano saxophone & electronics (forthcoming)
Jaz has been commissioned by the American Guild of Organists, OSSIA New Music, and numerous independent musicians. Their music has been performed on Chicago Fringe Opera's "Sounds of Pride" and in David Bohn's "Twenty Seconds of 2020" series, as well as at SPLICE Institute (2023), New Music on the Point (2016), Atlantic Music Festival (2016), and I/O Fest (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017).
In addition to their work as a composer, Jaz is an arts administrator, holding the title of Board Operations Manager for Thompson Street Opera Company (TSOC), a Chicago-based organization that exclusively performs works by living composers. Their work with TSOC contributes to its mission of producing operas on socially-relevant topics, and hiring historically underrepresented performers for those productions. They also contributed to the creation of TSOC's Equity Committee, and the development of the company's restorative justice-based Conflict Resolution Plan.
When they're not composing or arts-administrating, Jaz enjoys cooking, reading, plant parenting, playing D&D, and cuddling with their Yorkie mix, Maddie.
They also enjoy teaching, and developing their pedagogy. Jaz presented on creating play-based learning activities at the 2023 TEACHx conference, and on decentering 5-line staff notation in composition courses at the 2023 Teaching Composition: A Symposium on Music Composition Pedagogy.
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