A few weeks ago, we had the JACK Quartet, one of the most amazing string quartets around, present two hours of incredibly ‘modern' music - and their only electronics around were our mics and cameras for recording."Īnd he separates the technology used in "modern" music production from the age-old skills of music composition. "There are legions of young composers writing for orchestras and string quartets just like Beethoven did. "Not all modern music needs electronics," he said. So is technology a key element in modern music? In most cases, I don't think it is a substitute for human performers - but as a tool for doing work, it is priceless." And you can do it at home on your hammock in your pajamas. You can change notes, colors, and sounds all with a click - and if you don't like it, instantly change it back. "As soon as you've written the notes, or applied the complex heady computer process stuff, you can hit play and hear it right away. "I think the biggest revolutions in music composition resulting from technology are independence and immediacy," he said. Given that technology is such a key element in the DNA of EMPAC, how does Ascani view the relationship of technology and music? (The dance and theater curator position is currently open.) Ascani takes over for founding EMPAC music curator Micah Silver. →Īscani joins a diverse EMPAC curatorial team, which includes director Johannes Goebel, time-based arts curator Kathleen Forde and assistant curator Emily Zimmerman. "I don't know if that will influence my selection of content, but it definitely is something floating in my ether." "My interest in education - helping people with open ears understand what they've heard, and encouraging them to embrace their opinions, positive or negative - is very important to me," he said. maybe it's a tool in my belt to be used when appropriate, and put away when not. If less so, perhaps simply an amalgamation of all the events in my life - no more, no less. ![]() If I was feeling optimistic, I'd say that I try to be more than the sum of my parts. "But I'm not sure that it has any more influence on my work at EMPAC than any other experiences I've had. "My time at MSM, as both a student and teacher, is a huge part of who I am, and most certainly helped me form many of my opinions and ideas about aesthetics, art, and presentation/perception," he said. His lineage from Manhattan School of Music (MSM) certainly has influenced his musical world view, Ascani said, but it is not the "only tool" in his musical tool belt. He holds a master's degree in music from the Manhattan School of Music. In 2006, Ascani joined the Music History department at the Manhattan School of Music and in 2008 joined the school's Contemporary Performance Program. Prior to joining EMPAC, he performed internationally as both a soloist and chamber musician, and lectured at conservatories and universities on topics such as experimental compositional techniques and new music performance practice. He is also an educator and an "active" music creator and curator focused on "exploring the sonic unknown," according to supplied material. Is a musician - baritone saxophone, mostly - but is also known for his electronic music talents. ![]() ![]() Those who know EMPAC's short musical history know that Ascani, and his music tastes, will fit in perfectly, in "an ambient kind of way."Īscani joins EMPAC from the Manhattan School of Music. Then he realized he was simply being asked what music he listens to, so Ascani said "Currently in the forefront of my ears" are Ben Frost and Daníel Bjarnason's "Solaris," Charlotte Hug's "Slipways to Galaxies" and Fausto Romitelli's "An Index of Metals." The album is made through manipulation - scratching, drawing with felt pens - on pre-existing CD's which are then played and ‘glitch out.' That might sound painfully horrible, but the results are surprisingly listenable in an ambient kind of way." It's an interesting commentary on the CD medium, right at the height of its popularity. ![]() It would be Oval's 1995 album "94 Diskont.' I somehow missed out on this album, and am playing a little catch up. "But in the case you're looking for music, "Technically, the last addition was a Freakonomics Radio podcast called ‘Weird Recycling' - the first seven minutes will provide me with years of strange factoid contest fodder," Ascani said in an email interview.
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