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Me
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My Socials - Updated There More Often Than Here!
Performances and Events -- Take This Link to this performance list below
About Me
I am a composer, author, editor, teacher, and technologist. My work engages the advancement of arts and technology from both humanist and experimental perspectives. I am available for commissions, master classes, writing & editing, teaching & presentations, seminars & performances, and music digital engraving.
My music has been commissioned more than 300 times and performed by my own ensembles and over 100 orchestras, chamber ensembles, choruses, and soloists around the world,
as well as innumerable student groups and those who have anonymously downloaded and realized scores and performance artworks. My installations have appeared in
numerous galleries and museums, and I have performed or been performed at venues in the U.S. and Europe. My musical scores are part of the historical Notations21 project and exhibit.
I have composed for or been performed by
orchestras & bands,
chamber ensembles & choruses, and
duos & individuals.
Please contact me for composition sessions (in person or online).
Please visit my résumé for more detail about my life and work.
Please visit my YouTube channel for performances and related videos.
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I am limiting my engraving services for most score work. I will continue to take a small number of scores, preferably unusual notation and without hard deadlines. I am accepting additional students for mentoring/challenging in composition.
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"Whaaaaaaaaat!?" Series #2 -- Music Tech!
I Don't Get Music Technology: A Self-Help Desperation Guide is now available! Individuals, students, teachers, professors, performers, and anyone who might not "get" the technology used in music: Here is the book! I was looking for a good, short introduction to music technology for my undergraduate students. I couldn't find one. So, as with my classical music book, I wrote it. If you have friends faced with music technology or if you're teaching students areas who need some quick background, then this is your book. Really and truly, 150 revealing pages!
You can get it from Lulu.com or directly from me for autographed copies!
"Whaaaaaaaaat!?" Series #1 -- Classical Music!
Whaaaaaaaaat!? I Don't Get Classical Music: A Self-Help Desperation Guide is now available! Individuals, students, teachers, professors, theater or jazz enthusiasts, and anyone who might not "get" classical music: Here is the book! I was looking for a good, short introduction to Western classical music for students outside the classical realm. I couldn't find one. So I wrote it. If you have friends new to Western classical music or if you're teaching students in other areas of music who need some quick background or if you have audiences for classical music who could use some background and encouragement, then this is your book. I'm not kidding. 100 pages and 30 hours of listening!
You can get it from Amazon.com or directly from me for autographed copies! And here is the listening list to get you excited about it!
Sheet Music Plus
You can find selections of my music and arrangements on Sheet Music Plus. I couldn't post arrangements on my website because of licensing issues, but working with Sheet Music Plus makes that possible.
Composition Sessions, In Person or Online
You can study composition with me. Composers (or those just beginning the path) find working with me refreshing and exciting. Please look at my scores and listen to my music, and then contact me and we'll talk about your interests and challenges and dreams as a composer.
Looking for the NEW edition of my "Country Stores of Vermont"?
Find it at CountryStoresOfVermont.org
Music of My Youth
As a child, Hungarian records were found in the house. When we actually got a record player, I could explore them. And here they are for your listening. By the way, there is a bucketload of other news to be reported on this page, but it's been a little busy. For now, do a quick peek at various events past & present.
Erzsébet Opera Recordings!
My Erzsébet Opera Project was a long time coming and a big deal for me. You can also get the CD or DVD premiere recordings here!
Beautiful Print Publications You Will Love!
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O: Eleven Songs for Chorus SATB with text by Gary Barwin from Lulu.com. These vivid settings of eleven poems by Gary Barwin are mysterious, funny, tender, inventive, rich in association, and eminently singable. From the skittering conversation of "The Birds," to the alternate Medieval world of "Sparrows' Song" and the rhythmic footsy of "Small Apes and White Feet," these songs strike a balance between thoughtful reflection and quirky off-kilter humor.
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Erzsébet: A Monodrama is the opera's score from Lulu.com. This large volume is the full orchestration in a beautiful presentation with Lisa Jablow as Erzsébet on the cover. The opera is complete and premiered; a DVD will be offered here shortly! Complete background on the opera and information on downloading information, purchasing T-shirts, programs, etc., as well as future performances can be found on The Bathory Opera Website.
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Three Performance Pieces is available from Lulu.com. Three beautiful performance scores from the 2007 "We Are All Mozart" project. One is a set of 99 performance pieces, the second a set of seven sections for French horn, and the third a set of 13 graphical scores for tenor guitar. Several of the latter are part of the "Notations21" gallery series.
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Erzsébet: A Monodrama is the opera's libretto available from either Amazon.com or Lulu.com. The opera is complete and premiered, and a DVD will be offered here shortly! The libretto includes the full text along with images in a beautiful commemorative volume. More info at The Bathory Opera Website
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Country Stores of Vermont: A History and Guide is available from The History Press. It's a really good book, with fantastic pictures and great stories as well as ten fantastic tours of Vermont. You can get it cheaper at Amazon.com -- but please try to get your copy from our local Vermont bookstores and country & general stores. Autographed copies also available..
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Read All About Me, Me, Me!
Kyle Gann wrote a complimentary profile about me (I'm "a shadowy figure" -- yeah!) in Chamber Music Magazine in November 2011. It was a very nice piece which you can read here (PDF).
Opera Lyrics Font
I've created a TrueType font based on 19th century opera scores. It has all the typical characters and a few more, but is missing still a few of the special characters. I'll improve it over the next few months, but if you're interested, here it is: Opera-Lyrics-Smooth. If you distribute it, please keep in mind that this version (1.65) will occasionally be updated. Click image for full-sized chart.
People Have Asked...
...why I give away my music. Here is the answer.
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2024 Performances and Events
- November 17, Cambridge, Massachusetts: The Lower Tide Effect. Gregory K. Williams. The Lilypad 1353 Cambridge Street, 4:00pm
- November 9, Long Island City, New York: The Lower Tide Effect. Gregory K. Williams. Multimodal Roasting, 39-26 34th St, 3:00pm
- October 31, Cedar Falls, Iowa: The Lower Tide Effect. Gregory K. Williams. Davis Hall, 8:00pm
- October 16, New York: The Lower Tide Effect. Gregory K. Williams. Queens College Copland School of Music, 12:15pm
- October 13, Rutland, Vermont: Autumn Dig. Champlain Philharmonic. Grace Congregational Church, 4:00pm
- October 12, Middlebury, Vermont: Autumn Dig. Champlain Philharmonic. Town Hall Theater, 7:30pm
- October 2, New York: iota. Studio recording by Gregory K. Williams.
- August 30, Berlin, Vermont: The Death-Devil Dances Under the Sugar Moon; The Death-Devil Becalmed by the Sweet Moon; Moonlight in Vermont, arr., CompCord Ensemble. Capital City Grange, 6612 Vermont 12, 7:00pm
- August 4, Au Sable Forks, New York: Celsius. Plattsburgh Clarinet Choir. St. James Episcopal Church, 14216 Route 9N, 3:00pm
- August 3, Au Sable Forks, New York: Lecture on Celsius. St. James Episcopal Church, 14216 Route 9N, 12:00 noon
- May 18, New York: Scintillational Ethics. CompCord Ensemble. Composers Concordance, St. John's, 211 W 11th, 5:00pm
- February 18, Barre, Vermont: Fanfare for Peace. Vermont Philharmonic, Lou Kosma, conductor. Barre Opera House, 2:00pm
- February 17, Colchester, Vermont: Fanfare for Peace. Vermont Philharmonic, Lou Kosma, conductor. Chandler Music Hall, 7:30pm
- January 14, New York: The Sloth-Toed Waltz. Composers Concordance Trio. Composers Concordance, Westbeth, 55 Bethune, 7:00pm
- January 13, New York: The Sloth-Toed Waltz. Steps Trio. Composers Concordance, Gallery MC, 549 W 52nd, 7:00pm
2023 Performances and Events
- November 29, New York: Binsey Poplars. CompCord Ensemble. Composers Concordance, DROM, 85 Ave A, 7:00pm
- October 29, Reykjavík: DEX II 3d. Duo Harpverk. Mengi, 3:00pm EDT
- October 8, Elizabethtown, New York: DBKat75 Centerpiece Concert, Day 3 -- full concert. Rose Chancler, director. Historic Hand House, 3:00pm
- October 7, Elizabethtown, New York: DBKat75 Centerpiece Concert, Day 2 -- full concert. Rose Chancler, director. Historic Hand House, 7:00pm
- October 6, New York City: Lullaby for Justin at 21. Aaron Larget-Caplan, guitar. Bargemusic, TBA
- October 6, Elizabethtown, New York: DBKat75 Centerpiece Concert, Day 1 -- Composition & Conversation. Rose Chancler, director. Historic Hand House, 7:00pm
- October 6, Plattsburgh, New York: Colors Abound; Crisp; Upon Meeting a Stranger Abbegael Greene, Nomin Samdan, Rose Chancler; popup concert, Champlain Centre Mall, 3:30pm
- October 5, Willsboro, New York: "DBK Day", lectures & performances. Jennifer Moore, music teacher. Willsboro Central School, all day.
- September 27, Haarlem: "Against the Grains" 59 minutes of electroacoustic music on Concertzender with Roland Kuit. 5:00pm EDT.
- September 27, Princeton: Evil Pony recording on Classical Discoveries with Marvin Rosen. 8:00am.
- September 9, Morris, Minnesota: Moving to Lullaby. Wes Flinn, trombone. University of Minnesota, 5:00pm CDT
- August 26, Burlington, Vermont: These Green Mountains (arr.). Fairfax Community Band. First Congregational Church, 4:00pm
- August 19, Fairfax, Vermont: These Green Mountains (arr.). Fairfax Community Band. Community Center, 6:30pm
- July 23, YouTube: The Nine Rabbits of Valladolid. Peter Zay and Volkan Orhon, cello/double bass. Video
- July 22, Johnson, Vermont: Unhigh Fives. Jared Oaks, piano. Burklyn Ballet, 8:00pm
- June 11, Saratoga, New York: Compound Refractions. Natalie Smith, flute. Mostly Modern Festival, Zankel Hall, 2:00pm
- June 4, Montpelier, Vermont: Bring Me A Dream - Short Suite. Montpelier Chamber Orchestra, Lisa Jablow, conductor. Bethany Church, 2:00pm
- June 4, Berlin: Lunar Cascade in Serial Time: June. Markus Wenninger, flute. Video
- May 18, Ghent: Crosscut. Logos Robot Orchestra. Logos Foundation, 3:00pm (ET)
- May 14, Montréal: Invention. Alexandra Fol, organ. St. James Church, 10:30am
- May 7, Montréal: Two Pieces After Stravinsky. Alexandra Fol, organ. St. James Church, 10:30am
- May 5, Berlin: Lunar Cascade in Serial Time: May. Markus Wenninger, flute. Video
- April 28, Athens, Ohio: Binky Plays Marbles, first movement. Adeline Collins. Livestream, 8:00pm
- April 4, Berlin: Lunar Cascade in Serial Time: April. Markus Wenninger, flute. Video
- March 15, Ghent: Crosscut. Logos Robot Orchestra. Logos Foundation, 3:00pm (ET)
- March 11, Burlington, Vermont: Sourian Slide. Burlington Civic Symphony, Daniel Bruce, conductor. Lyman Hunt Middle School, 7:00pm.
- March 5, Berlin: Lunar Cascade in Serial Time: March. Markus Wenninger, flute. Video
- February 3, Berlin: Lunar Cascade in Serial Time: February. Markus Wenninger, flute. Video
- February 1, Princeton: Vexation Blues recordings on Classical Discoveries with Marvin Rosen. 9:00am.
- January 18, Northfield, Vermont: Interview at Fall General Store about Vermont's independent country stores with Mount Mansfield Media.
- January 6, Berlin: Lunar Cascade in Serial Time: January. Markus Wenninger, flute. Video
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Essays, Papers, Presentations, Polemics, and Stuff
- Composer Productivity Study (2006), Nearly 100 composers answer questions and discuss their productivity
- The Cheap $31 Folding Jig (2005), build a jig for folding scores and booklets -- only $2 if you've already got a paper cutter!
- Imagination and Exploitation: Some History of Digital Technology in My Music-Making (2004), talk by the composer about computer music, then and now.
- Thoughts on the Small Form (2004), a brief commentary about very short pieces of music.
- The Cheap Under $15 Jecklin Disk (2003), build an impossible-to-find and better-than-professional Jecklin Disk for live recording in an hour or two.
- The Cheap Under $5 Microphone Shockmount (2003), save that $60-per-piece price for commercial products and build a flexible mount in an hour.
- Everybody's Gotta Trust ... But Verify? (2003), polemic about copy protection and corporate delusion.
- Preserving the Future's Past: EA Artists Must Take Care of Their Own Archives (2002), conversation and recommendations about archiving audio artworks.
- Riding the Cheap Electron (2002), paper presented at Dartmouth College about a composer's history with synthesis.
- The Pros and Woes of Being a Self-Taught Composer (2002), article on the topic for New Music Box.
- No Denial of the Bête Familiale (2001), paper presented at Dartmouth College about the role of the computer musician.
- Xenakis: The Continuing Composer -- A Personal Reflection on Iannis Xenakis (2001), article on the influence of Iannis Xenakis.
- The Curse of Love (2000), paper presented at Dartmouth College about eclecticism, copyright, and interactivity.
- How to Get Here from There (Stomach Music to Sourian Slide) or Is There a Reason You've Canceled My Premiere Yet Again? (2000), paper presented at Goddard College about my life and work.
- Road Ahead, Road Behind (2000), original article for Slashdot revealing the creation of No Money (Lullaby for Bill) from Bill Gates's voice.
- Destined for Obscurity Again -- How Partch Influenced Me (2000), article reflecting on Harry Partch.
- The Patron Saint of Mediocrities (1999), paper presented at Bregman Studios of Dartmouth College about my life and work.
- Turning Sausage Back Into The Pig: The Year 2000 Problem in Northfield, Vermont (1999), a look at Year 2000 problems and how they are affecting my local community.
- 'Our Demented Therapeutic Culture' (1998), essay written for Kalvos & Damian on the erosion of cultural daring.
- A Challenge for Richard Branson (1998), a letter suggesting Branson transform the landscape of contemporary music.
- The Churchill Society Debate: A Futile Correspondence (1998), an exchange with the Churchill Society on the state of new music.
- Your Music on the Web: Ways, Means, Rights, and the Old West: New Concepts, Paradigms and Fears (1997), article outlining techniques for presentation and protection on the Web.
- I Don't Know How -- or Why: Night Thoughts on the Process of Composition (1995), including a link to an audio version.
- A Cloak for the Lord of Cats (1995), a short-short story about vampiress Báthory Erzsébet, a true historical figure. This story forms the basis of a scene in a proposed opera.
- You Still Make Me Bleed: Letter to a Casual Critic (1994), fierce letter defining the position on the composer in mid-1990s Vermont.
- It's Time to Bury the Dead (1992), intense article calling for the end of performances of older concert music and a revision in thinking and sensibility.
- Composing a New Language (1992), proposal presented at MedArt International by Barbara S.J. Balch and me to replace lost language skills with musical language developed through interaction and virtual reality.
- Construal of Music Process Architecture (1992), paper presenting personal views and reports on musical composition in Europe.
- Why Do It?: Replies to the Vermont Composers Consortium Questionnaire (1989), answers to strange questions posed by a strange organization.
- The Clinic: A Dream Writ Down (1988), an actual, cold-sweat-inducing dream recorded the next morning as a short story.
- Variations on the Notion of Variation: Questioning the Whys of Composing (1987), internal conversations about the art of composing.
- The Image Behind the Glass (1986), talk to ID Expo in Boston on light pens and touch screens that presages modern palmtops, handwriting recognition, and artificial intelligence features.
- The Impact of the Microprocessor (1982), prophetic and political talk about microprocessor technology and philosophy, presented to the ACM at Rensselaer in Troy, New York.
- The Microprocessor as a Modern Odysseus (1982), similar talk with a personal sidelight about music and the arts, presented to the IEEE in Burlington, Vermont.
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