Miguel Frasconi
I am a composer, performer, and sound artist. I have been playing piano since the age of 8, composing music since I was 14, using electronics to create sound since 16, playing glass since 17. I still do all of these things at 50. My musical lineage is that of the “20th century experimental tradition,” starting from Charles Seeger (Pete’s father), through Henry Cowell & Charles Ives, through John Cage and his peers, to James Tenney, my teacher and mentor. This is a tradition of inclusiveness, hopefully not of appropriation. It takes in the musics of the world as well as the vibrations inches from our eardrums. (Uh-oh, I’ve started blogging.)
Solo for Mbira 1976 (photo 2006)
By way of manifesting my personal devotion to composing & creating new music, I play many instruments. I am essentially a pianist (I even had a brief career as a concert pianist, performing the world premiere of a number of pieces by James Tenney and others.) I was also a serious flautist during high school and early college (I no longer play western flute). Early on, I was very influence by the work of Harry Partch, and loved the way he created an entire world of his own musical instruments. This way of working has obviously informed my work with glass, although I do tend to use found instruments and tunings rather than build them from scratch. Here is a list of the instruments I play:
glass (bowed, struck, blown, cracked),
mbira (aka kalimba, thumb piano),
piano,
toy piano,
synthesizers/samplers,
laptop computer,
crackle box,
Buchla Lightning,
Buchla Thunder,
hand drums,
ping-pong balls,
bamboo flutes,
bird whistles,
zithers,
gamelan.
I also create hybrid instruments. Here is a glass harp and toy piano played as one instrument.
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Miguel Frasconi uses glass objects, electronics, keyboards, and “de-evolved” instruments to create music that sounds from a uniquely imagined tradition. His glass instruments have been called “a beautiful menagerie of pealing contraptions” (TimeOutNY), while his music has been called “lyrical and stormy” (NYTimes).
Frasconi has created over three dozen dance scores including a work with Alonzo King for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He has performed with modern dance pioneer Anna Halprin at Centre Pompidou in Paris and with the Tibetan songwriter Techung in concerts throughout India.
Frasconi’s early work includes nine years as a founding member of THE GLASS ORCHESTRA, the internationally acclaimed new music ensemble featuring all glass instruments. His recent activities include a new score for Mr. King, performances with electronic music pioneer Morton Subotnick, a newly commissioned work for Gamelan Son of Lion, concerts with the composers collective Ne(x)tworks, and a residency at Harvestworks electronic media studios. A recording of his solo glass and ensemble music, SONG + DISTANCE is available from Amazon & iTunes.
more info:
http://www.myspace.com/miguelfrasconi
