Ulrikke for cello and percussion (2008)—Matthew Welch
Big Hands (2009)—Daniel Wohl
The Secret Labyrinth of Ts’ui Pen (2008)—Matthew Welch
Suite Primaire (2008)–Daniel Wohl
Symphony of Drones #2 (2002)–Matthew Welch
Plus ou Moins (2007) for Bass Clarinet, Cello, Piano, percussion and electronics — Daniel Wohl
The music of Matthew Welch (b.1976) stems from a remarkably multi-faceted foundation. Matthew holds two university degrees in Experimental Music Composition, a BFA from Simon Fraser University (1999), and an MA form Wesleyan University (2001), studying with noted composers such as Barry Truax, Rodney Sharman, Alvin Lucier and Anthony Braxton. His compositions range from traditional-like bagpipe tunes to electronic pieces, improvisation strategies and fully notated works for solo instruments, chamber ensembles and orchestra. He has also taken part in a number of compositional collaborations with Indonesian Gamelan composer-performers in Bali and Java, performed in free improvisation contexts with numerable New York City improvisors, and played with art rockers in the Brooklyn underground.
As a virtuoso of the Highland Bagpipe, he studied traditional music with Gold Medalist masters such as Colin MacLellan, Jack Lee, Angus MacLellan and Andrew Wright. Matthew also was a member of the four – time World Champion Simon Fraser University Pipe Band, winning with them in 1999 and 2001. As an ambassador for the instrument, Matthew has premiered a number of new compositions written for bagpipes by contemporary composers. This involvement with a more diverse musical context has led him into an expansion of his instrumental array to include alternative bagpipe configurations, accordion and various saxophones. Indonesian Gamelan percussion music, both Javanese and more recently, Balinese, have been another focus of Matthew’s, which he has pursued throughout his academic career, with the New York Indonesian Consulate gamelans, and in Bali. Matthew appears on Anthony Braxton’s 10 [Solo Bagpipe] Compositions, 2000, and two compact discs of his own music, Ceol Nua (Leo 336, 2002) highlighting orchestral and chamber works and Hag at the Churn (Newsonic 33, 2003), a collection of electronic concoctions. The eclectic breadth of his interests in Celtic music, gamelan, minimalism, improvisation and rock also converge in compositional amalgams for his New York based ensemble, Blarvuster. A recording of his most recent compositions, Dream Tigers, was released on John Zorn’s Tzadik Records’ Composer Series in March of 2005.
Transit is the fresh face of new music. The New York-based collective is systematically dismantling the status quo in new music. For too long, composers and performers have been isolated from each other geographically and stylistically into categories that have less and less relevance in our quickly globalizing world. Taking their cues from the slapdash diversity of New York City, the artists of Transit seek to create bridges between and among the various schools and styles of music being written and performed today. Their goal is not to achieve an “international style” or to promote homogeneity in the music world. Rather, they rejoice in the mixed up results and new perspectives that undeniably occur when musicians are exposed to new influences. Similarly, they reject the rigid boundary that frequently separates the worlds of composition and performance. Their core members include both exciting young composers and explosive performers, as well as those who excel in both worlds. In a world stricken with conflict, Transit seeks to reinvigorate the vital discussion between music and humanity by shaking up the way that music flows into the social consciousness.
www.transitnewmusic.com
Daniel Wohl (1980) is a Paris-born composer based in Brooklyn who writes for a variety of instruments that range from computers and slide whistles to orchestras, chamber ensembles and string quartets. He works with groups such as the California E.A.R Unit, the Calder Quartet, Cygnus, New York Youth Symphony, the St Luke’s Chamber Ensemble, as well as the American Symphony Orchestra, to create weird music from the heart. His pieces have been performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Symphony Space, the Dia: Beacon, MASS MoCA, Chelsea Art Museum and Disney Hall’s Redcat, amongst others.
www.danielwohlmusic.com