Jeffrey S. Roberts

Biography

Jeff Roberts is a composer-improviser and sound artist working in interdisciplinary acoustic and electroacoustic contexts. His music explores relationships between different music styles and cultures. Focusing on the acoustic properties of sound, he also writes software-hardware systems designed to integrate gestural and resonance characteristics of instrumental sound during live performance through the use of sensor control. Rooted in his studies on guqin as a 2006 China Fulbright Fellow, studying with guqin master Li Xiangting, Jeff’s work also involves integrating East Asian and Western instruments in the context of composition and improvisation. His compositions have been recognized by a number of prizes and competitions. His compositions have been performed by numerous ensembles in festivals in the US, Europe and China and has received commissions from ensembles in the US and Europe. He has held several artist residencies including VCCA, ACA, Brush Creek and STEIM Foundation. His sound art collaborations include projects with performance art group Apollo 2000 in Bogota, Colombia and Seattle-based installation artist Roger Feldman. As a performer, he has presented solo guqin improvisation recitals in the US, Europe and China. He recently co-founded the ‘East Asian Improvisation Ensemble’ with Korean Piri master Gamin. His research has investigated relationships between timbre and music structures in different cultures, comparative aesthetics in music in China and the US, and modern guqin improvisation. He teaches at the University of Alberta and will be a Visiting Assistant Professor of Composition at Williams College in 2015.  www.jeff-roberts.org