Music students present original work in surround sound and gain "cultural capital"

Brian Davidson '07 practices his original music in his home

Liberal arts students are involved in many activities and a variety of interests. Some students write and scramble to be published, some act in theatre performances, some give presentations in front of their peers, but imagine being a musical composer and performing your original work in surround sound for people that you have never met.

That’s what five music students did at the Electric LaTex 2007 festival of electroacoustic music hosted by the Center for Experimental Music & Intermedia at the University of North Texas. The festival focused on electroacoustic music, in which artists use technology to create or manipulate sounds for musical purposes. The festival also showcased intermedia works, a form of art that combines elements from different disciplines like visuals and sounds to make them inseparable.

Jeff Morris, assistant lecturer in music at Texas A&M University, took five of his music students in hopes that their projects would “become more real than homework” as they performed for a public audience.

“They participated in the community of electroacoustic composers and intermedia artists at the regional level, presented their work in a state-of-the art theater, saw performances by other students in the region, and engaged in the exchange of experiences and ideas with their peers,” Morris said.

Students took their original pieces to the Merrill Ellis Intermedia Theater which featured 16 speakers, a subwoofer, a theatrical lights system, and a 180-degree two-story projection screen. Musicians and festival participants sat in the center of the circular theater as each composer took the controls to perform and experience their work in the 16-channel surround sound system.

Brian Davidson ‘07, who graduated with a music degree from Texas A&M in December 2007, enjoyed presenting at the festival because of how his music sounded in the venue and gaining, what he calls, “culture capital.”

“I had the chance to hear music in a way that not many get to do,” said Davidson. “It is also very interesting to know that so many people are doing the same things as I am, working on such a new and esoteric style of music.”

Jeff Morris was pleased to present such an opportunity for his students because “they envision new possibilities for their own achievements, and they appreciate how well Texas A&M’s music technology facilities stack up next to peer institutions. Ultimately it enables them to create more and challenge themselves further.”

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Contact: Blair Williamson, bwilliamson@libarts.tamu.edu, 979.458.1347