Composer and instrument builder to host discussion at Cal Poly
Mark Applebaum.
– Composer and instrument builder Mark Applebaum will present a lecture titled “Composing the Unexpected” on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 7:30 p.m. in Room 218 of the Davidson Music Center.
Applebaum will discuss recent work that includes graphic scores, invented instruments, and experimental compositions that examine the relationship between sound, visual art, and theater.
Applebaum is the Edith and Leland Smith Professor of Composition at Stanford University. His work includes solo, chamber, choral, orchestral, operatic, and electroacoustic compositions that have been performed throughout North and South America, Europe, Australia, Africa, and Asia. His commissions include work for the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, the Fromm Foundation, the Spoleto Festival, the Kronos Quartet, Chamber Music America, Ensemble Talea, and the Vienna Modern Festival.
Many of Applebaum’s works explore unconventional approaches to musical form and presentation. These include compositions written for three conductors and no players, a concerto for florist and orchestra, pieces for instruments constructed from found materials, notational systems displayed on custom wristwatches, works for an invented sign language choreographed to sound, silent compositions designed to prompt listeners to infer sound, a chamber work structured around repeated page turns and a 72-foot graphic score displayed in a museum without instructions for interpretation.
Applebaum’s TED talk has received more than five million views. He is also a jazz pianist and creates electroacoustic sound sculptures using found objects. His honors include recognition from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
At Stanford University, Applebaum is the founding director of the Stanford Improvisation Collective. He serves on the board of trustees at Carleton College and has also served on the board of Other Minds.
Admission to the lecture is free. A parking permit is required: https://afd.calpoly.edu/parking/
