Discipline: Music Composition

Andrew May

Discipline: Music Composition
Region: Denton, TX
MacDowell Fellowships: 2018

Composer, violinist, and computer musician Andrew May is primarily known for his chamber music, some of which involves computer-based agents interacting with human performers. His works have been performed in 32 of the 50 United States and in 15 other countries. May has performed internationally as a violinist and conductor, specializing in avant-garde music and improvisation. He teaches composition at the University of North Texas, where he directed the Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia from 2005-2016. He is assistant director of the Sounds Modern performance series, which connects modern art audiences with contemporary music. His music can be heard on CDCM, SEAMUS, EMF Media, and Ravello Records (including a CD of his works for instruments and electronics, Imaginary Friends). At MacDowell he completed the score to rien ne coule plus, ni larmes ni sang ni sons for solo piano, premiered on February 17, 2018. He wrote the libretto for his chamber opera Refuge and set much of it to music. He also spent time studying Kirtan (devotional songs), especially settings of Ramprasad Sen's poems devoted to Goddess Kali, which are an important influence on the opera.

Studios

Delta Omicron

Andrew May worked in the Delta Omicron studio.

Delta Omicron Studio was funded by members of the international musical fraternity in 1927. The building design is somewhat medieval in character, with an unusual cedar shingle pattern, a steeply pitched slate roof, intersecting gables, and small windows. After a 2016 deep-energy renovation, Delta Omicron is now one of the most energy efficient studio on the property…

Learn more