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Christopher Burns is a contemporary classical music composer who was born in 1964 in the United States. He grew up in a family of musicians, with his father being a jazz pianist and his mother a classical pianist. Burns began playing the piano at a young age and later learned to play the guitar and bass. He attended the University of California, San Diego, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Composition in 1986. He then went on to earn a Master of Music in Composition from the University of Michigan in 1988. Burns' early works were heavily influenced by the minimalist movement of the 1960s and 1970s, particularly the music of Steve Reich and Philip Glass. His compositions often featured repetitive patterns and simple harmonic structures. However, as he continued to develop as a composer, Burns began to incorporate more complex rhythms and harmonies into his music. One of Burns' early works, "The Garden of Forking Paths," was written for chamber ensemble and premiered in 1990. The piece features a series of interlocking rhythmic patterns that gradually shift and evolve over time. Another notable early work is "The Sky is Falling," a piece for solo guitar that was inspired by the music of Jimi Hendrix. In the late 1990s, Burns began to experiment with electronic music and computer-generated sounds. He created a series of works that combined acoustic instruments with electronic sounds, such as "The Machine Stops" for chamber ensemble and electronics, which premiered in 2001. This piece was inspired by the science fiction novel of the same name by E.M. Forster and explores themes of technology and isolation. Burns' later works continued to explore the intersection of acoustic and electronic sounds. In 2010, he composed "The Harmonic Canon," a piece for string quartet and electronics that features a computer-generated canon that gradually shifts and transforms over time. Another notable work from this period is "The Archipelago," a piece for chamber ensemble and electronics that was inspired by the natural landscapes of the Pacific Northwest. In addition to his work as a composer, Burns is also a professor of music at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has received numerous awards and honors for his work, including a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2008 and a Fromm Foundation Commission in 2011. His music has been performed by ensembles and orchestras around the world, including the New York Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the London Sinfonietta. Overall, Christopher Burns is a composer who has made significant contributions to the contemporary classical music scene. His works combine elements of minimalism, electronic music, and traditional classical music to create a unique and innovative sound. With his continued exploration of new sounds and techniques, Burns is sure to remain a prominent figure in the world of classical music for years to come.

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