2012 Artists-in-Residence Yarn/Wire premiere "Chalk," a new work by composer Tristan Perich. Perich’s work is inspired by the aesthetic simplicity of math, physics, and code. His album 1-Bit Symphony (2010), a microchip packaged inside a CD jewel case and programmed to synthesize an entire composition, had “an intense, hypnotic force and a surprising emotional depth,” (Wall Street Journal). Yarn/Wire straddles the DIY/punk and classical worlds, also collaborating previously with Pete Swanson of Yellow Swans and Nathan Davis of the International Contemporary Ensemble.
Yarn/Wire is a chamber quartet specializing in the performance of 21st century music. A unique instrumental combination of two percussionists (Ian Antonio and Russell Greenberg) and two pianists (Laura Barger and Ning Yu) allows Yarn/Wire to interface with both traditional performance practice and emergent stylistic trends with ease. Founded in 2005 at Stony Brook University, the members of Yarn/Wire have extensive performance and pedagogic experience encompassing international and domestic music festivals, college and university residences, and substantive work in the avant-garde theater and DIY/punk worlds. Frequent collaborations with composers on new work form a significant portion of the ensemble’s activities. In addition to presenting multiple US premieres, Yarn/Wire has given the world premieres of over two dozen new works written specifically for the ensemble.
Tristan Perich’s work is inspired by the aesthetic simplicity of math, physics and code. The WIRE Magazine describes his compositions as “an austere meeting of electronic and organic.” 1-Bit Music, his 2004 release, was the first album ever released as a microchip, programmed to synthesize his electronic composition live. His latest circuit album, 1-Bit Symphony (Cantaloupe, 2010) has been called “sublime” by the New York Press, and The Wall Street Journal said “[its] oscillations have an intense, hypnotic force and a surprising emotional depth.” His award-winning work coupling 1-bit electronics with traditional forms in both music (Active Field, Observations) and visual art (Machine Drawings, Interval Studies) has been presented around the world, from Sonár and Ars Electronica to the Whitney Museum and bitforms gallery. Perich was an ISSUE Artist-in-Residence during 2009.
