(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)November 30, 2012

(MAHWAH, NJ)- The Ramapo Digital Music Ensemble will perform a concert of live, electronic music in the Adler Theater on Thursday, December 13 at 7:30 p.m. The concert combines composition, improvisation and experimental performance techniques using a variety of computer software and hardware. The concert is free and open to the public.

The program includes “Four6,” a piece written for four players on any instrument, by American composer John Cage. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Cage’s birth and many festivals and events have commemorated his influence on music and art. “Four6” was composed in 1992 and is one of Cage’s last works. It utilizes a flexible time bracket structure to create music that evokes spaciousness and tranquility.
 
“Devil’s Music” was composed in 1985 by electronic music pioneer Nicolas Collins, head of Sound Art at the Art Institute of Chicago. In this piece the performers use portable radios interfaced with computers for the source material, sampling snippets from the live broadcasts and then looping, layering and detuning them. “Devil’s Music” is a piece about global media, local culture and individual interference.

The concert will open with the United States premiere of “STAB,” a piece by young British composer Charlie Barnes, originally composed for the University of Huddersfield UK Laptop Ensemble in 2009. The ensemble will also present “DJ Quartet,” an improvisatory piece in which the students create music collaboratively by incorporating beats, sounds and musical fragments from their individual projects and libraries into a group performance.

As electronic music has become more popular in recent years, computer ensembles have made a prominent impact on college campuses nationwide. The Ramapo Digital Music Ensemble was founded in 2009 by Associate Professor of Music Production and Industry Ben Neill, and this year the student members are Josh Gomersall, Josh Haughey, Matt Monteiro and Mike Verba. Adjunct Professor Travis Houldcroft co-directs the group.

For more information please contact Ben Neill at bneill@ramapo.edu.

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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