Pytheas Center for Contemporary Music

• Home
• About
• Resources
• Composers
• Performances
• 20/21 Ensemble
• Contact Us

Search Pytheas   use Pytheas SiteSearch   need help searching?

Jon Forshee (1975-    )

Jon Forshee’s music is informed by his conception of music-making as both a public activity capable of increasing social awareness, and as a personal statement of individual liberty and choice : listening to music, performing music, theorizing about music, and composing music can be, simultaneously, an exhibitionist spectacle with the power to create social “togetherness” and a private proposition concerning the ways in which individuals interact with the world, and with each other. From within this perspective, Forshee seeks to create new, novel musical experiences that reflect not only the time we live in (by way of computer-synthesized instruments and timbres, for example), but also the way we live in time (by way of non-traditional musical forms which emphasize change and transience over structure and ‘stasis’, for example). The musical surface of much of Forshee’s music could be described as “angular”, mercurial, and sometimes hectic. Much of his music also demonstrates his affinity for traditional Chinese music aesthetics, early Western contrapuntal practices, and contemplative practices in general.

COMPOSITIONS                                                           Forshee Links     ~ ~ ~     Works by Genre
Stasis, alto saxophone (1993) [also arr. for flute]
The Stripped Bride, 12 musicians w/dancer (1993)
Sertsa, 2 trombones and 2 pianos (1993)
Hymnus, soprano saxophone and piano (1994) [also arr. for flute and piano]
Eromyas, 4 wind instruments and 2 percussion (1994)
Autumn Fanfare, wind ensemble (1995)
Three Nonsense Songs, tenor and piano (1995)
Soft at Play, 12 percussionists (1996)
Toccata for Two, flute and alto saxophone (1996)
Three Figures in a Room, flute/picc, alto saxophone and piano (1997)
Temporary Seascape, 2 channel tape (1998)
Brunnian Links for Doublebass Alone (1998)
Caprice, quarter-tone flute (1998)
Simple Faktura, chamber orchestra (1998)
September Motet, mezzo-soprano, oboe and piano (1999) [text: Caroline Giordano]
Lissajous’ Caprice, tuba (1999)
Time Together, violin (1999)
Currents, computer-generated disc (1999)
Visitations, soprano saxophone and marimba (2000)
Fissures, flute and saxophone quartet (2000)
The Gift, animation and computer-generated disc (2000) [animation by Mary Moore]
Caprice d’Ieri Sera, E-flat clarinet (2000)
l’Allegro e il Penseroso, chorus (2000) [text: John Milton]
Double Mirror, violin w/computer-generated disc (2000)
Broken Ties, 2 or 4 channel computer-generated disc (2000)
Across Divides, flute, clarinet, string quartet, 2 percussion and computer-generated disc (2001)
Blue Sky Rests Upon the Plain, 2 channel computer-generated disc (2001)
Weighted, 2 channel computer-generated disc w/ video (2001) [animation by Trinity Greer]
Songlines, high voice and any 2 string instruments (2001)
Cold Cliff Echoes, 4 spatially-distributed doublebassists (2001)
Tulsa Darsana Sutra, piano (2001, in progress)
Tocsins, computer music on compact disc (2001)
Turtle Hymns, chorus (2001)
Trans Ambulare (just passing through), marimba quintet (2001)
Cut Flowers (5 movements), 2 alto saxophones (2002)
Strung Over, tuba and computer-generated sounds (2002)
Canada Day, digital video and computer-generated sounds (2002) [video by Jack Beck]
Seizure, soprano and computer-processed sound (2002)
VHA, viola (2002)
Several Lacun&aelig, computer-generated sound in 5 channels (2002)
Tawss, viola (2002)
The Chickening, video w/computer (2003) [video by Jack Beck]
Punch, chamber orchestra (2003)
Port of the Sheltering Sky, trumpet, percussion and computer (2003)
Zia, harp (2003)
RESON, trumpet and trombone (2004)
Leaves of Lorien, 1 percussionist on metal instruments (2004)
Frontier Songs — Four settings of Wang Wei, mezzo-soprano, flute, viola and harp (2004)
New Spring Lyne, bassoon, cello, double bass, harp, harpsichord and percussion (2004)
Winter Sanjo, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone (2004)
IN-CUBE-ATE, collaborative video/dance (2004)
"…pedo mellon a minno", 1 percussionist (2004)
Verse from the Aethersphere, amplified marimba (2005)
L I M N, flute and soprano saxophone (2007)
QUAD, bassoon quartet (2007)
Arragoway, violin w/computer (2008)
La Musique Sans Cible, baritone saxophone w/computer (2008)
(…), cello (2008)
A Gig of Gists, piano (2009)
CROMA, soprano saxophone, violin and piano (2009)
Debris, 2 percussionists (2010, in progress)
Ascension Supreme, violin octet (2010, in progress)

Ligament, [computer-generated sound] (????)
Tendon, [computer-generated sound] (????)


WORKS BY GENRE                                                            Forshee Links     ~ top of page ~
Dramatic/Theater
The Stripped Bride, 12 musicians w/dancer (1993)
IN-CUBE-ATE, collaborative video/dance (2004)

Orchestra
Simple Faktura, chamber orchestra (1998)
Punch, chamber orchestra (2003)

Band
Autumn Fanfare, wind ensemble (1995)

Choral
l’Allegro e il Penseroso, chorus (2000) [text: John Milton]
Turtle Hymns, chorus (2001)

Chamber
The Stripped Bride, 12 musicians w/dancer (1993)
Sertsa, 2 trombones and 2 pianos (1993)
Eromyas, 4 wind instruments and 2 percussion (1994)
Soft at Play, 12 percussionists (1996)
Toccata for Two, flute and alto saxophone (1996)
Three Figures in a Room, flute/picc, alto saxophone and piano (1997)
Visitations, soprano saxophone and marimba (2000)
Fissures, flute and saxophone quartet (2000)
Across Divides, flute, clarinet, string quartet, 2 percussion and computer-generated disc (2001)
Cold Cliff Echoes, 4 spatially-distributed doublebassists (2001)
Trans Ambulare (just passing through), marimba quintet (2001)
Cut Flowers (5 movements), 2 alto saxophones (2002)
Port of the Sheltering Sky, trumpet, percussion and computer (2003)
RESON, trumpet and trombone (2004)
New Spring Lyne, bassoon, cello, double bass, harp, harpsichord and percussion (2004)
Winter Sanjo, soprano saxophone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone (2004)
L I M N, flute and soprano saxophone (2007)
QUAD, bassoon quartet (2007)
CROMA, soprano saxophone, violin and piano (2009)
Debris, 2 percussionists (2010, in progress)
Ascension Supreme, violin octet (2010, in progress)

Percussion
Eromyas, 4 wind instruments and 2 percussion (1994)
Soft at Play, 12 percussionists (1996)
Visitations, soprano saxophone and marimba (2000)
Across Divides, flute, clarinet, string quartet, 2 percussion and computer-generated disc (2001)
Trans Ambulare (just passing through), marimba quintet (2001)
Port of the Sheltering Sky, trumpet, percussion and computer (2003)
Leaves of Lorien, 1 percussionist on metal instruments (2004)
New Spring Lyne, bassoon, cello, double bass, harp, harpsichord and percussion (2004)
"…pedo mellon a minno", 1 percussionist (2004)
Verse from the Aethersphere, amplified marimba (2005)
Debris, 2 percussionists (2010, in progress)

Solo Instrument
Stasis, alto saxophone (1993) [also arr. for flute]
Hymnus, soprano saxophone and piano (1994) [also arr. for flute and piano]
Brunnian Links for Doublebass Alone (1998)
Caprice, quarter-tone flute (1998)
Lissajous’ Caprice, tuba (1999)
Time Together, violin (1999)
Caprice d’Ieri Sera, E-flat clarinet (2000)
Double Mirror, violin w/computer-generated disc (2000)
Strung Over, tuba and computer-generated sounds (2002)
VHA, viola (2002)
Tawss, viola (2002)
Zia, harp (2003)
Verse from the Aethersphere, amplified marimba (2005)
Arragoway, violin w/computer (2008)
La Musique Sans Cible, baritone saxophone w/computer (2008)
(…), cello (2008)

Piano
Tulsa Darsana Sutra, piano (2001, in progress)
A Gig of Gists, piano (2009)

Vocal
Three Nonsense Songs, tenor and piano (1995)
September Motet, mezzo-soprano, oboe and piano (1999) [text: Caroline Giordano]
Songlines, high voice and any 2 string instruments (2001)
Seizure, soprano and computer-processed sound (2002)
Frontier Songs - Four settings of Wang Wei, mezzo-soprano, flute, viola and harp (2004)

Film/Video
The Gift, animation and computer-generated disc (2000) [animation by Mary Moore]
Weighted, 2 channel computer-generated disc w/ video (2001) [animation by Trinity Greer]
Canada Day, digital video and computer-generated sounds (2002) [video by Jack Beck]
The Chickening, video w/computer (2003) [video by Jack Beck]
IN-CUBE-ATE, collaborative video/dance (2004)

Electronic
Temporary Seascape, 2 channel tape (1998)
Currents, computer-generated disc (1999)
The Gift, animation and computer-generated disc (2000) [animation by Mary Moore]
Double Mirror, violin w/computer-generated disc (2000)
Broken Ties, 2 or 4 channel computer-generated disc (2000)
Across Divides, flute, clarinet, string quartet, 2 percussion and computer-generated disc (2001)
Blue Sky Rests Upon the Plain, 2 channel computer-generated disc (2001)
Weighted, 2 channel computer-generated disc w/ video (2001) [animation by Trinity Greer]
Tocsins, computer music on compact disc (2001)
Strung Over, tuba and computer-generated sounds (2002)
Canada Day, digital video and computer-generated sounds (2002) [video by Jack Beck]
Seizure, soprano and computer-processed sound (2002)
Several Lacun&aelig, computer-generated sound in 5 channels (2002)
The Chickening, video w/computer (2003) [video by Jack Beck]
Port of the Sheltering Sky, trumpet, percussion and computer (2003)
La Musique Sans Cible, baritone saxophone w/computer (2008)


FORSHEE  LINKS                                                            Works by Genre      ~ top of page ~
Composers’ Desktop Project version 5.0.1 (CMJ Reviews, Jon Forshee)

Composer's website        . . . contact John Forshee:  here
John Forshee - always listening (composer's blog)
Forshee @ Twitter

Forshee @ Aquiline Productions
Forshee @ Digital Music Under the Stars
Forshee @ Google Profiles
Forshee @ IMDb (Internet Movie Database)
Forshee @ LinkedIn
Forshee @ MySpaceMusic
Forshee @ WaHIarts.com

Publisher
Forshee @ Composer website

Streaming Audio
Forshee @ Composer's website
Forshee @ MySpaceMusic

Recordings
[none at the moment]

Video
[none at the moment]