UA’s Sonic Frontiers Presents World-Renowned Composer

UA’s Sonic Frontiers Presents World-Renowned Composer

Gino Robair

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. –- World-renowned composer and percussionist Gino Robair will headline the final concert of The University of Alabama’s 2016-17 Sonic Frontiers concert series.

The concert takes place at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 1, at the Moody Concert Hall. Admission is free.

Dr. Andrew Raffo Dewar, an associate professor of interdisciplinary arts in New College, said Robair is one of the most multifaceted artists working today.

“He’s a composer, percussionist, electronicist, conceptual artist, interdisciplinary collaborator and writer,” Dewar said. “His body of work is unclassifiable and incredibly interesting and fun.”

In addition to Robair, the concert will feature performances by UA’s Percussion Ensemble and others.

The concert will include recent works for percussion ensemble and winds, where musical scores are generated in real time as the performance takes place. The pieces are part of a larger work called “I, Norton,” which is an opera based on the life of Joshua Norton, who lived in San Francisco during the Gold Rush era and declared himself “Emperor of the United States,” Dewar said.

“This year’s season focused on ‘California Experiments,’ and presented a fascinating view of the experimental music being made in the Golden State,” he said.

Robair is editor and chief of Electronic Musician magazine. He has written music for dance, theatre, television, radio and the Gamelan Orchestra. His works have been performed throughout America, Europe and Japan.

He holds a master’s degree in composition and electronic music from Mills College and has studied with such composing greats as Lou Harrison, Barney Childs, Anthony Braxton, William Craft and David Rosenboom.

Sonic Frontiers is a cutting-edge concert series of innovative and experimental music that enriches the cultural life of West Alabama and invites creative exchange between world-class performers of adventurous music, students and the greater community through public performances and lively post-concert discussions. All Sonic Frontiers events are free and open to the public.

The series is sponsored by UA’s New College, the School of Music’s masters series and The College of Arts and Sciences.

Contact

Jamon Smith, media relations, jamon.smith@ua.edu, 205/348-4956

Source

Dr. Andrew Raffo Dewar, 205/348-9928, adewar@ua.edu