Morton Subotnick to present
"laptop concert" on Oct. 7

Sept. 26, 2005 -- A pioneer in the development of electronic music, Morton Subotnick will perform a “laptop concert” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7, in the Drama Theatre of Fowler Center, 201 Olympic Drive, on the campus of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.

Subotnick is an acknowledged pioneer in the field of electronic music and an innovator in works involving instruments and other media, including interactive computer music systems. Most of his music calls for a computer part, or live electronic processing, utilizing many of the important technological breakthroughs in the history of the genre.

He was the first composer to be commissioned to write an electronic composition expressly for the phonograph medium, Silver Apples of the Moon in 1967. Using the Buchla modular synthesizer, Silver Apples of the Moon brought him into celebrity status.

Many of his classic works have been choreographed by leading dance companies throughout the world and remain in permanent repertoire. Subotnick’s interest in the relationship between performers and technology resulted in the composition of a series of ghost pieces, chamber works for instruments and interactive electronics.

The ghost score which contains no audible sounds consists of a digital program which commands electronic modules to modify the instrumental sounds as they are played from a traditionally notated score.

The electronic processing includes changing the pitch, timbre, volume and directionality of the sounds. Thus, the digital program, different for each of the ghost works, produces its own set of attacks and rhythms, adding another dimension to the sound of the instrument or voice.

In addition to music in the electronic medium, Subotnick has written for symphony orchestra, chamber ensembles, theater and multi-media productions.

Among his awards are the Guggenheim Fellowship, several Rockefeller grants, two Meet the Composer awards, two Lifetime Achievement Awards and numerous others.
Subotnick’s performance is a joint presentation with the ASU Department of Music and the Student Government Association.

The Lecture~Concert Series presents diverse programs to enrich the cultural life of the campus, community, and region.

The next Lecture~Concert event will be David Corn, long-time Washington editor of The Nation, who will speak on “What’s the State of the American News Media?” Thursday, Oct. 27.
For more details, please contact Dr. Gil Fowler, associate dean of The Honors College, at 870-972-2308 or via email at gfowler@astate.edu or visit http://honors.astate.edu/.

To nominate a speaker or presenter for a future Lecture~Concert Series event, please contact one of the committee members listed on The Honors College web site, listed under the heading of Lecture~Concert.
         

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