By Maxwell Wilkens
Internationally renowned avant-garde composer and professor Robert Morris premiered his latest experiment, ‘Musics Of The Sphere,’ last week at UCSB’s unique surround-sound structure, the AlloSphere. Across three performances, dozens of attendees sat on an elevated bridge at the center of this two-story, spherical venue and were enveloped in music from all conceivable directions.
The event was co-hosted by the Center for Research in Electronic Art Technology, the Media Arts and Technology graduate program, and the AlloSphere Research Group. JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, chief scientist and director at the AlloSphere, invited Morris, her former professor, to compose a work designed specifically for the space.
JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, chief scientist and director, standing in the AlloSphere, where ‘Musics Of The Sphere’ premiered.
Morris, who teaches at the Eastman School of Music, says his 57-minute composition features musical excerpts from almost every country in the world. “With all these cultures, there’s going to be something familiar to everyone there, and that starts the dialogue,” he said.
In Episode 1 of ‘HFA Speaks: The Podcast,’ you can listen to UCSB music student Maxwell Wilkens interview Robert Morris and discuss the conception of ‘Musics Of The Sphere,’ as well as the composer’s many musical influences and ideas.
Maxwell Wilkens is a third-year UC Santa Barbara student majoring in Communication and Music Studies. He is a Web and Social Media Intern for the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts.