READINGS IN NEW MUSIC

Course Description

This course will highlight composer/performer collaborations and specific projects written for UCSB students. The first half of the course will highlight the role of the performer-composer. It is an immensely valuable skill to produce works with one-on-one collaborations (with or without electronics). The collaborators will be other students in the class. The focus here is for students to develop resilience and empower composers to utilize creative practices that may be 'outside the box', instead of relying on large, preexisting instrumental forces. We will aim to foster greater professional agency and uncover new modalities for artistic productivity. In doing so we will also analyze and examine a number of works from innovative and influential modern composer-performers.
The second half of the course will consist of composition projects for pre-formed ensembles within the university. We will have introduction sessions with a chosen ensemble, workshops, and a YouTube Premiere of student pieces written this quarter as their final project.