SPLICE took place 23-29 June, 2019 at Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA. For more information on all aspects of SPLICE, visit https://splicemusic.org/. To find out more about all the past Institutes, visit: https://splicemusic.org/institute/past.

Reviewed by Seth Rozanoff
Amsterdam, The Netherlands

SPLICE is an organization that produces a diverse range of musical and educational activities. Recently the SPLICE Institute, now in its fifth year at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan, brought composers and performers together to provide an environment that encourages the creation of works for electronics and conventional instruments. The SPLICE Ensemble, SPLICE Festival, and more recently, the SPLICE Academy all contribute to the field of music technology.

The Institute’s staff this year consisted of guest artists and composer-teachers, such as the Ensemble Dal Niente, composers Kyong Mee Choi and Eli Fieldsteel, and harpist Ben Melsky. There was also a core group of performers and composers drawn from the Western Michigan University staff, the SPLICE Ensemble, and other universities as well, notably, Christopher Biggs, Elainie Lillios, and Per Boland.

This year’s participants engaged in composition, performance, and entrepreneurship workshops, along with master classes and concerts. The composition workshops covered such topics as: how to reliably set up live electronic systems for a given work, notational practices, Max and SuperCollider software, and other hardware and software issues. As such, the SPLICE Institute attempts to address practical issues that involve technology, to support one’s own sense of independence within her, or his, artistic practice. Performance workshops were offered for beginner to advanced-level musicians. The aim here was to provide a starting point for participants when solving technical or musical issues that might arise during concert and rehearsal scenarios.

Ultimately, the SPLICE staff successfully provided an environment, inclusive of all participant levels and aesthetic interests. Another interesting feature of this year’s Institute were the entrepreneurship workshops headed by Ben Melsky, wherein he addressed career development themes. These themes included: time management after graduation, beginning new projects, and developing one’s overall artistic identity. Past guests, such as composer-performer Joo Won Park from Wayne State University, Michigan, have given workshops about software and electronic music performance issues.

A core performing group at the Institute was the SPLICE Ensemble, which included Sam Wells on trumpet, Keith Kirchoff on piano, and Adam Vidiksis on percussion. The group presented a distinctive electroacoustic repertoire and has worked with student composers from various colleges in the U.S.A.

The SPLICE Ensemble contributed many concerts to the Institute, performing as a trio and also presenting solo works. For example, Vidiksis and Kirchoff produced a concert of recent instrument plus electronic works. These works included the following: Sublimation (2004) for marimba and electronics by Kyong Mee Choi, and her To Unformed (2009) for piano and fixed media; things that follow (2018) for percussion and electronics by Heather Stebbins; Piano Hero I (2011/2012) for sampler and video by Stefan Prins; and Monstress (2019) for piano and computer, by Christopher Biggs. The SPLICE Ensemble also produced concerts with Institute guests, such as past artists such as violinist Mari Kimura, and Paula Matthusen and Joo Won Park on electronics.

Another event worth mentioning that focuses on live musical performances involving technology, is the SPLICE Festival. Now preparing for its third year, SPLICE Festival 3 will take place at Miami University in Ohio, February 20–22, 2020. Previous Festivals have taken place at Western Michigan University and Bowling Green State University in Ohio.

This Festival can be viewed as a ‘new music gathering’, which supports the development of artistic relationships between the audience, performers, as well as students, all engaging with one another while attending various presentations and concerts. Regarding programming, the SPLICE staff, select from a range of submissions drawn from their Call for Proposals. This results in performances by participants, new works for the SPLICE Ensemble, workshops, and lectures.

An interesting theme inherent in some of the works programmed in past concerts was the role of the composer-performer. For example, in Concert I of the second SPLICE festival, Howie Kenty performed on vocals and electronics in his work, Everybody Loves Me. In Ted Moore’s feedback viii, the composer performs using a no-input mixer with a Eurorack synthesizer. Kyle Johnson performed live electronics in his I’m not really much of a talker. And Mark Zanter performed electric guitar in his work Racket.

The workshops and talks offered during the festival covered a wide range of topics, such as electronic instrument design, designing interaction, analysis of electronic music, composer-performers, and collaborative electronic music, among others. Previous artists conducting these workshops have included electronic harpist Jennifer Ellis, and sound artists Jason Charney and Steven Kemper. For other past festivals refer to https:// splicemusic.org/festival/past.

A new addition to SPLICE, in its first year, is the SPLICE Academy. These activities took place at Temple University’s Boyer College of Music and Dance in Philadelphia in July of 2019. The staff included the SPLICE Ensemble, Elainie Lillios, Christopher Biggs, and Temple University’s David Pasbrig and Sandra James. This academy is designed for high school students, introducing them to music technology topics such as studio recording, editing, live mixing, electronic music performance, and coding.

Returning to the concert activities from the 2019 SPLICE Institute, there were four concerts in which all works used conventional instruments and live electronics. In the following selection from these concerts various strategies for shaping musical relationships between instruments, performers, and electronic sound are demonstrated.

In Concert I, one approach was found in Andrew McManus’ Impulse response [Neurosonics 4] (2019) for 8-channel fixed media and tenor saxophone. In this work, McManus manages his spatial sound properties, alongside saxophonist Justin Massey’s performance. Massey’s saxophone lines are interwoven within thick layers of electronic sound, juxtaposed within an immersive electroacoustic space. This approach required Massey to adjust his performance to interact with various sonic characters as they were introduced in the electronic part.

A solution for working with electronic sound and an ensemble was heard In Brittany J. Green’s ... to experience life (2019), which also was heard in Concert I. Here, the Splice Ensemble parts were colored by Green’s electronics. As such, this work successfully orchestrates a range of delicate figurations within the electroacoustic sound world, where the role of the electronics seems to expand and enhance the ensemble’s expressive musical range. Green’s electronics never overpower her instrumental parts, due to careful coordination.

In Concert II, Tyler Adamthwaite’s Mori (2019) for bassoon and electronics, built sonic materials that were drawn not only from the bassoon’s lyrical qualities, but also from the physicality of the instrument itself. Adamthwaite created and developed various rhythmic and textural lines in the electronics. The source material sounds like they were captured beforehand from a recording of bassoonist Josh Hart. In Drew Smith’s ...pour Vincent Van Gogh (2019) for violin and live electronics, Smith combines sounds produced by violinist Jenna Michael with electronic sounds in order to create a virtual, composite instrument. Michaels live sounds are often mirrored with the electronics part, which serves as a continuous extension of the live part.

The works already mentioned above demonstrate a vital aspect of the SPLICE Institute, namely, the pairing of composer and performer. Other examples of this type of interaction could be heard in works from the third and fourth concerts, such as Vahid Jahandari’s There Was Yet No Heaven (2018) for baritone saxophone and fixed media. This work was originally intended for fixed media only. However, the composer was able to “make room” for saxophonist Wilson Poffenberger’s playing. The result is a saxophone improvisation, relying on Poffenberger’s personal approach to his instrument, influenced by the sounds heard in the fixed track.

In Rebecca Gray’s I was not who (2019) for flute and electronics, Robin Meiksins provides vocal and alto flute material, which was used for that work’s sound design. The composer and performer shaped the material in an exchange of ideas that occurred in the research stage for this piece. Ni Zheng’s Asphyxia (2019) for clarinet and electronics, is a distinctive example of an approach to transitioning between instrument-plus-electronics and accompanimental patterns. Clarinetist C. Olivia Valenza offered listeners a dynamic performance of Zheng’s work. Valenza demonstrated a high level of virtuosity, required by the work. And lastly, Ralph Lewis’ Can't Take You Anywhere (2019) for cello and fixed media, relied on cellist, Stephen Marotto’s approach to his instrument as well. This work highlights an accompanimental approach, matching Marotto’s cello playing with electronic sounds. Although the electronics are fixed, the distinct character of both instrument and electronics, results in a playful counterpoint.

The artistic quality and educational environment present at the SPLICE Institute was a resounding success, offering vital practical experience for musicians interested in developing their electronic musical practices.