Department of Music

The UVA McIntire Department of Music presents a Composition and Computer Technologies Colloquium by Jeff Herriott entitled "Simplification: From Music to Life" at 7pm on Thursday, September 22nd in the Kaleidoscope Center of Newcomb Hall. Jeff is a composer whose music focuses on aural shapes that change at the edges of perception, with sounds that gently shift and bend. His compositions often explore repetition with subtle variations in gestural pace, instrumental character, and tuning, featuring extensive use of electronics. Recent and upcoming projects include a khaen solo for Christopher Adler, a bass drum solo for Patti Cudd, and an evening-length work combining percussion ensemble, electronics, video, and Due East (Erin Lesser, flute; Greg Beyer, percussion). Jeff is currently an Associate Professor of Music at the University of Wisconsin, where he is also the coordinator of the Media Arts and Game Development Program.

Simplification: From Music to Life
Jeff Herriott writes: “I plan to discuss my ongoing quest to simplify my work - notationally, musically, and technologically. This originally resulted in music that was quite stark and intemperate, as I composed partially in response to my distaste for what I perceived to be an unnecessary societal focus on gadgetry and gimmickry. As I have gotten older and hopefully a bit mellower, my drive for simplification has become more of a personal struggle to find significance and meaning in my own life.”

Part of the Composition and Computer Technologies Colloquium Series.