brent fariss

east pyne archway (princeton)

Premiering at Princeton University - 3/28-29/08.

mp3: east pyne archway (princeton)

Notes:

Archways have always fascinated me. They often seem like a portal to another place. Even with the shortest distance to walk, you feel like you are entering another environment. Archways, depending on the weather, wind, surroundings etc...can create a wonderful sound, often just a type of hum that changes with the direction of the wind or the temperature. Being from Texas, I particularly like the snowy image of the archway. The idea of so much snow is foreign to me, except when visiting other geographical areas. It seems buried...under a haze, and brings to mind many sonic qualities. The people taking shelter in the photo of the archway seem like they could move to entirely different environment with just a few simple steps.

This particular installation re-imagines resonant qualities of the archway, enhancing certain frequencies to allow the listener to “get lost” in the proposed portal the archway offers.

Bio:

Brent Fariss is a composer / performer living in Austin, Texas. He has collaborated in several modern music ensembles including Gates, SIRSIT, and the Imbroglio String Quartet. As a performer, he has worked alongside Arnold Dreyblatt, Phill Niblock, and Pauline Oliveros. Currently, he is composing a series of minimal percussion/choir works (for which he received a Meet the Composer grant) and completing a trilogy of music theater pieces (der Idiotprinz, The Magic Show, and the forthcoming Larry Lewis). Fariss holds a Master's degree in Composition from Texas State University, where he also studied the contrabass. For more information: www.spectralhouse.com