Faculty: Composition

Amnon Wolman
Professor, Brooklyn College
Director of the Center for Computer Music at Brooklyn College

Conservatory of Music, Brooklyn College
2100 Bedford Avenue
Brooklyn, NY  11210
AWolman@brooklyn.cuny.edu

 Amnon Wolman composes for diversified forces of musicians grounded in an essential interest in experimentation and a belief that music as an art form expresses many dissimilar ideas of beauty. His interest in technology and in issues of time guided him, in recent years, towards electro-acoustic pieces that are based on their own original audio materials and towards gallery sound installations that places an evolving sound with complementary visuals, in a small space where the listener decides on the length of the interaction. In his performance pieces he emphasizes the interaction between live performers, the technology, and the composer as collaboration with equal partners.

His catalogue of compositions includes sound installations, works involving computer generated and processed sounds, symphonic works, vocal and chamber pieces, and music for film, theater and dance.  Last two seasons saw the premieres of "Picnic Site" for a choreography by Trisha Brown and Steve Paxton at the Lyon Biennale, "End Divided Road" for Flute and electronics for Mario Carolli at the TRAIETTORIE Festival in Parma Italy, "Cruising Prohibited when Lights Flashing" for the Gay Gotham Chorus at the Greenwich House, NY, Low Ground Clearance a sound installation at the Diapason Gallery in NY, 55 MPH for accordion and electric bass for Interzone perceptible in Duisburg, Germany, the GASP Gallery in Boston presented his sound installation "End of Deviation," Wesleyan University presented the "Deviation" sound installation, "Next 3 Miles" commissioned by the Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago was presented at the Lincoln Park Conservatory as part of the Outer Ear Festival, the Laptopia event in Tel Aviv presented his live laptop piece "Loose Gravel", and Temuna Theater in Tel Aviv the laptop piece "50 KMH," " "Watch Down Hill Speed" a sound installation was presented by the Issue/Project Room in NY as part of the EMF Hip Chips global festival, and he was a featured guest composer at the Northwestern University's New Music Marathon where several of his pieces were performed and "New (NU) Piece" was premiered. The CONTACT Contemporary Music Ensemble in Toronto, Subtropics Experimental Music & Sound Arts Festival in Miami, the Musrara Mix 5 festival in Jerusalem, the Apartment House Ensemble in Stuttgart Germany, and the Anthology Film Archives in New York performed older pieces and installations during this period, and a portrait concert was presented at the Issue/Project Room, in NY. This season will see the presentation of a sound installation for the Avoda Ivrit exhibit in Tel Aviv, a new piece for violin and piano in memory of Bill Karlins, a new piece for piano duo and electronics, a new sound installation for baritone sax and electronics, several sound installations and collaborations with Jon Fisher, and Jeff Kowlakoski.

Amnon Wolman is the Director of the Center for Computer Music at Brooklyn College. He is a professor of composition at the Conservatory of Music and at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. Previously he taught at Northwestern University, Tel Aviv University, Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley. He lives with his partner Eyal Levinson in Brooklyn and Jerusalem (Israel). He is the recipient of major commissions to create pieces for Ursula Oppens, Mario Carolli, Ensemble Modern, Charles Neidich and many others. His music was awarded prizes at the Prix Ars Electronica, Musica Nova Prague, and other international competitions, and he is the recipient of many fellowships including Villa Bellagio, Yaddo, McDowell, Illinois Arts Council and others.