Role

:

Composer Conductor  

Country

:

United States of America

Birth

:

September 9, 1947 in Fairfield, IA

Genre

:

Avant-Garde

 

 

Electronic/Computer

 

David Rosenboom is a renowned American composer, performer, and educator who has made significant contributions to the field of contemporary classical music. Born on September 9, 1947, in Fairfield, Iowa, Rosenboom grew up in a musical family and began playing the piano at a young age. He showed an early interest in experimental music and electronic instruments, which would become a defining feature of his career. Rosenboom received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Illinois in 1969, where he studied composition with Salvatore Martirano and Lejaren Hiller. He then went on to earn his Master of Fine Arts degree from Mills College in 1971, where he studied with Terry Riley and Robert Ashley. During this time, Rosenboom began experimenting with electronic music and developed a unique approach to composition that combined traditional acoustic instruments with electronic sounds and computer technology. In 1972, Rosenboom joined the faculty of the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), where he would spend the next four decades teaching and mentoring generations of young musicians. He served as the Dean of the School of Music from 1990 to 2013 and was instrumental in shaping the institution's reputation as a leading center for experimental music and interdisciplinary arts. Throughout his career, Rosenboom has been a prolific composer and performer, with a body of work that spans a wide range of styles and genres. He has written numerous chamber and orchestral works, as well as electronic and computer music pieces. He has also collaborated with dancers, visual artists, and poets, creating multimedia performances that push the boundaries of traditional concert music. One of Rosenboom's most significant contributions to the field of contemporary classical music is his development of the "brainwave music" technique. In the 1970s, he began experimenting with using brainwave signals to control electronic instruments, creating a new form of interactive music that responds to the performer's mental state. This technique has been used in many of his compositions, including "Portable Gold and Philosophers' Stones" (1973), "On Being Invisible" (1975), and "Future Travel" (1981). Rosenboom has also been recognized for his contributions to the field of computer music. In 1984, he co-founded the Center for Experiments in Art, Information, and Technology (CEAIT) at CalArts, which became a leading research center for computer music and multimedia performance. He has also written several influential articles and books on the subject, including "Extended Musical Interface with the Human Nervous System" (1975) and "Biofeedback and the Arts: Results of Early Experiments" (1976). Over the course of his career, Rosenboom has received numerous awards and honors for his work. In 1988, he was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for music composition, and in 1998, he received the John Cage Award from the Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts. He has also been recognized by the American Academy of Arts and Letters, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Rockefeller Foundation. In addition to his work as a composer and performer, Rosenboom has been an active advocate for music education and community outreach. He has served on the boards of several music organizations, including the American Music Center and the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS).

More....