Turbulence Spotlight: Piano Etudes by Jason Freeman, with Akito Van Troyer and Jenny Lin [Needs Adobe Flash Player plugin; Internet Explorer 6+, Firefox 2+, Safari 2+, or any recent web browser] — Inspired by the tradition of open-form musical scores, Piano Etudes is a set of four short works, each of which is notated as a collection of short musical fragments with links to connect them. In performance, the pianist must use those links to jump from fragment to fragment, creating her own unique version of the composition.

The pianist, though, should not have all the fun. So an accompanying web site enables anyone to create their own version of each etude, download it as an audio file or a printable score, and share it with others. In concert, pianists may make up their own version of each etude, or they may select a version created by a web visitor.

Piano Etudes was supported, in part, with a Special Award from the Yvar Mikhashoff Pianist/Composer Commissioning Project. The American Composers Forum’s Encore Program provided additional support for several live performances of the piece. Additional thanks to New Radio and Performing Arts, Inc. and its Turbulence web site for hosting the project online.

BIOGRAPHIES

JASON FREEMAN’S works break down conventional barriers between composers, performers, and listeners, using cutting-edge technology and unconventional notation to turn audiences and musicians into compositional collaborators. His music has been performed by the American Composers Orchestra, Speculum Musicae, the So Percussion Group, the Rova Saxophone Quartet, the Nieuw Ensemble, Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, and Evan Ziporyn; and his works have been featured at the Lincoln Center Festival, the Boston CyberArt Festival, 01SJ, and the Transmediale Festival and featured in the New York Times and on National Public Radio. N.A.G. (Network Auralization for Gnutella) (2003), a commission from Turbulence, was described by Billboard as “…an example of the web’s mind-expanding possibilities.” Freeman received his B.A. in music from Yale University and his M.A. and D.M.A. in composition from Columbia University. He is currently an assistant professor in the music department at Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

AKITO VAN TROYER is a masters student in music technology at Georgia Tech, where his research interests include interactive music systems, music information retrieval, cybernetics, ethnomusicology, error structures in digital systems, and computer programmed music. He is currently developing GrainBox, an intuitive, web-based granular synthesis application to be launched this spring.

JENNY LIN is one of the most respected young pianists today, admired for her adventurous programming and charismatic stage presence. Her ability to combine classical and contemporary literature has brought her to the attention of international critics and audiences. She has been acclaimed for her “remarkable technical command” and “a gift for melodic flow” by The New York Times. Her concerts have taken her to Carnegie Recital Hall, Miller Theatre, Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum, and Morgan Library, among others. Jenny’s extensive discography includes critically acclaimed recordings on Koch International Classics, Hänssler Classic, BIS Records, Sunrise Records, and Poem Culture Records. Born in Taiwan and raised in Austria, Jenny studied with Noel Flores at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna, with Julian Martin at the Peabody Conservatory (Artist Diploma) in Baltimore, and with Dominique Weber in Geneva. She holds a bachelor’s degree in German Literature from The Johns Hopkins University and currently resides in New York City, where she also serves on the faculty of the 92nd Street Y.