Sergej Maingardt
In this lecture I will talk about pop culture in the context of my own compositions.
Biography
Sergej Maingardt graduated from the Univeristy of Music and Dance Cologne with a M.Mus. in electronical composition, he got a B.Eng. from the University of Applied Sciences in Düsseldorf in Media Technology and has a M.A. in Media and Cultural Analysis from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf. In 2014/2015 he participates at International Ensemble Modern Academy.
The tension between his activities as a composer and as a scientist is an important aspect in his music. His interests are influenced by modern technologies as well as the way they change human perception. In his works he explores the limits of aesthetic principles of the contemporary music as well as those of aural cognition. Musical pieces for audio tapes belong to his work as the pieces for acoustic instruments, live electronics, electronics with sensors, sound installations. In addition to his solo projects, he collaborates with choregraphers, video artists and pop artists.
His works have been played at: Darmstädter Ferienkurse 2014/2016, IRCAM Manifeste, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Gaudeamus Music Week, Europe meets Vietnam in Contemporary dance 2013 (Hanoi, Vietnam), Gdansk Dance Festival 2013 (Poland), Bundeskunsthalle (Bonn, Germany), Acht Brücken Festival 2012/2011/2010 (Cologne, Germany), Kunstmuseum (Bonn, Germany), Center for Art und Media (Karlsruhe, Germany) Art & Arcade (Haus für elektronische Künste, Basel, Swiss), Who Inspires Us? Tadeusz Kantor! (Cracow, Poland), Next_generation_4.0/5.0 (Center for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, Germany), In Front (Aachen, Germany), Audio Art Festival (Krakau, Poland), Now & Next (tanzhaus NRW, Düsseldorf, Germany), Platina Festival (Cologne, Germany), Globolize:Cologne 2013 (Germany).
Annesley Black
Using examples from previous pieces (tolerance stacks, 2016, ROOMS, 2015), I will reveal compositional techniques, which also play a role in my new piece “not thinking about the elephants” for QUASAR Saxophone Quartet. While aiming to create a succinct musical language, I derive rhythmical, harmonic, instrumental material and linear/ contrapuntal techniques from acoustic phenomena linked to analogue and digital electronic technology. The result is an aesthetic exploration of tensions inherent in the specific live concert situation/ environment and technical setup.
Biography
Annesley Black was born in Ottawa in 1979. She began her studies in electronic music and jazz guitar at Concordia University, and continued her musical education in composition with Brian Cherney at Mcgill University in Montreal, followed by composition studies with York Höller and Hans-Ulrich Humpert (electronic music) in Cologne and mathias spahlinger, Orm Finnendahl (electronic music) and Cornelius Schwehr (film music) in Freiburg.
Her pieces have been performed internationally by ensembles such as the Hessian Radio Orchestra, ensemble mosaik, Ensemble Modern, ensemble ascolta, Ensemble contemporain de Montréal and Nouvel Ensemble Modern de Montréal. She has received many distinctions for her work, including the Busoni-Foerderpreis der Akademie der Kuenste, Berlin (2008), the Kompositionspreis der Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart (2009) and a portrait CD from Deutsche Musikrat in their series Edition Zeitgenössische Musik (production Oct. 2013).
Her works have been performed in Canada, Germany, Poland, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Ukraine and Japan in festivals such as the Warsaw Autumn Festival, Donaueschinger Musiktage, Wittener Tage für Neue Musik, Festival ULTIMA, Festival Éclat, Festival Ultraschall and the International Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt.
As a sound engineer she has worked with institutions such as EXPERIMENTALSTUDIO des SWR and ensemble recherche. She has collaborated with choreographers, artists, film /media artists and theatre directors. From 1999-2004 she was active in numerous rock bands, including “The New International Standards” (with members of Arcade Fire) and The Special Interest Group.