June 23rd Concert

PROGRAM

Todd Hasson......................... Dreamweaver

OTHER WORKS BY STUDENTS IN DR. PEACOCK'S CLASS

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Christine Ghezzo/Lea Bracher ... Songs of Mourning

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Ron Mazurek ............ Ascension, for Synth & Dancer

Mr. Mazurek - Synthesizer, Jeoung Nam Park - Dance

Carlos Delgado ...................... Night Scenes

Mr. Delgado - Synthesizer, Jeoung Nam Park - Dance

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Tom Beyer/Dinu Ghezzo/Ron Mazurek ..... 3/2/1

Tom Beyer - Percussion, Dinu Ghezzo - Piano, Percussion, Ron Mazurek - Synthesizer

* First Performance ** First NY or US Performance

Wednesday, June 23rd, 1999, on a hot summer night in New York City, eclectic sounds of a fanciful Computer Music Student Showcase drifted out of the doors of the Frederick Loewe Theatre on the NYU campus. The highly regarded Music Technology program featured works by students in the Advanced Computer Composition course led by Dr. Kenneth Peacock. The first piece on the program 'Rondo for Flute and Tape' by Lee Zakian, opened the evening with a unique combination of concrete sounds, MIDI sounds, and improvisational flute. Rhythmic computerized sounds interweave with melodic flute lines. A juxtaposition of serenity and chaos create a stimulating work. 'Water Music', created by John F. Duckett, integrated words ( ..."the music ... crept by me...sweet air, water...."), rain sounds and sections of choral music into subtle rhythms, creating a rich texture. Todd Hasson's 'Dreamweaver' conveyed an eerie, compelling quality. He skillfully combines samples of violin and piano, natural sounds, MIDI sounds, and 15th century Sephardic songs to create an interesting piece. 'Prayers for String Bass and Tape' composed by Christopher A. Benge beautifully merges the sacred world of prayer chants with a loosely woven live bass counterpoint. The piece brings Eastern and Western worlds together creating his own personal prayer. Darin J. Meyer's 'The City Crazies', is a compilation of street and outdoor sounds manipulated into a collage of unusual rhythms and textures. 'Weave' by Mina Kim creates a world of 'weaving' the overtones into new sounds. Striking textures sounding like insects and machines came to mind at moments. 'Five Short Transmissions' by Michael Rice, pans sound from left to right complete with humorous radio announcer and people talking. The use of lights changing adds a rich dimension to the piece. 'Event Horizon' by Orlando Legname, is unique transformation of sound and its harmonics into first a noisy sound; then back to its original. Enter "Jamaican Spaceship" here! This original and quirky journey is provided by Vyacheslav Vasilevskiy in his composition called 'The Universe'. He playfully takes us into space complete with baby sounds, distorted rhythms, symphonies, pop, and ethnic music. Ron Mazurek captures our attention with his work 'Ascension' for synth and dancer. His music combined with the dancer creates a majestic, graceful, rich, and flowing story. Pieces of Gregorian chants take us to yet another level. Carlos Delgado continues to captivate us with his work entitled 'Night Scenes'. Delgado creates reflective, misty, compelling landscapes. Graceful and cat-like, a dancer teams with his soundscapes, telling an abstract and enigmatic tale of the mysteries of the night. 'Songs of Mourning', created and performed by Christine Ghezzo and Lea Bracher, was a sensitive and soulful piece. Ms. Bracher, through subtle movement and expression, revealed a woman in mourning. As she mourned, Ms. Ghezzo beautifully began to sing accapella, Hungarian and Roumanian melodies. Both eventually joined together singing in poignant and heartfelt delicacy. This summer evening was a delightful; exploration in creativity - Cheers and Congratulations to all involved! (Wendy Luck)

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