Kyle Gann '77, Noted Author, Music Critic and Composer, Returns to Oberlin For Four-Day Residency, November 8-12
			"Kyle Gann is a major force in American music." says John Luther Adams, associate professor of composition. "The range of his musical knowledge and experience is nothing less than astonishing. "As a composer, he's extending the tradition of Henry Cowell, Harry Partch and LaMonte Young, creating exciting new music in acoustically-perfect tunings and complex tempo relationships. As an author and scholar, he's written 'the book' on the music of Conlon Nancarrow, and the definitive history of American Music in the 20th Century. As a critic, he's an eloquent and passionate advocate for the composers and performers he believes are the heart and soul of the music of our time. I can think of very few individuals whose contributions to new music are as diverse and influential as Kyle Gann." It's only fitting then, that Gann's return to Oberlin as a guest artist of the Contemporary Music Division should showcase his work in many areas: music criticism, composition, musicology and performance. Local audiences will have four opportunities to meet him and his work. The Offerings: Monday, November 8 12:10 Noon Bibbins 223 Kyle Gann on "Music Critics and Criticism" Gann will offer his perspective as professional critic, and offer practical advice to musicians on such topics as writing press releases and interacting with critics.   Tuesday, November 9 4:30PM Bibbins 326 Composition Seminar: "Non-Tempered and Acoustically-Perfect Tunings" An overview of alternative tunings in the music of Harry Partch, LaMonte Young, Kyle Gann and others.   Thursday, November 11 4:30 Bibbins 223 Richard Murphy Musicology Symposium: "The Rhythmic Legacy of Henry Cowell" The relationships between harmony and rhythm presented in Cowell's 1921 book New Musical Resources constitute a sort of musical Theory of Relativity. Cowell's thought profoundly influenced the music of composer from John Cage to Conlon Nancarrow and continues to reverberate in the music of many composers working today.   Friday, November 12 8PM Kulas Recital Hall Concert: "Music of Kyle Gann" Assisted by Oberlin student performers, the composer will perform selections from his recent CD Custer's Ghost. So Many Little Dyings Arcana 16 How Miraculous Things Happen and his one-man opera Custer and Sitting Bull ABOUT KYLE GANN Born in 1955 in Dallas, Texas, Gann has been new music critic for the Village Voice since 1986. He is the author of The Music of Conlon Nancarrow (Cambridge University Press, 1995) and American Music in the 20th Century (Schirmer Books, 1997). Gann studied composition with Ben Johnston, Morton Feldman and Peter Gena. His music is often microtonal, using up to 37 pitches per octave. His rhythmic language, based on differing successive and simultaneous tempos, was developed from his study of Hopi, Zuni and Pueblo Indian musics. His music has been performed on the New Music America, Bang on a Can, and Spoleto festivals, and across Europe. He received a 1994 commission from Music in Motion for his Astrological Studies, and in 1996-97 a National Endowment for the Arts Individual Artists' Fellowship. Gann teaches music history and theory at Bard College, and has taught at Columbia University, Brooklyn College, and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His writings include more than 1500 articles for over 30 publications, including scholarly articles on La Monte Young (in Perspectives of New Music), Henry Cowell, Mikel Rouse, and other American composers. For more information about Kyle Gann and his work (including many of his writings) visit his website: http://home.earthlink.net/~kgann/
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