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Abstract
This dissertation consists of a portfolio containing nine representative examples of my work as a composer. While the instrumentation and media of my individual pieces are varied, the entire body of work is focused on the exploration of sound, which I have approached from three perspectives: the relationship of sound to silence, the movement of sound in space, and the expansion of the sonic palette of traditional instruments, through both extended playing techniques and electronic manipulation. Throughout my work at Harvard, I have sought to make music that places the listener inside of a sonic environment, one that moves and changes around the listener like the beads of a turning kaleidoscope. The pieces focus on the experiential aspect of listening closely to sound, and the quality of suspended time that this experience can produce. Each piece in my portfolio reflects a distinct approach to this fascination with sound and its ability to transfix.
The culmination of my portfolio is drank the fire, in which I unite the threads that I have drawn through my portfolio thus far: sound and silence, sound in space, and the expansion of the sonic palette. The use of video allows a new type of silence, one filled with images. I use the 8-channel configuration to move the sounds in physical space and to enhance the cinematic and theatrical aspects of the work. Finally, the sonic material consists of recordings of instruments and real-world sounds that are digitally processed, furthering the exploration of sound that has been my fascination over the last seven years, and that will continue beyond the completion of my doctoral studies.
