Frances White (1960- )
Frances
White composes instrumental, vocal, and electronic music
and studied composition at the University of Maryland, Brooklyn
College, and Princeton University. A 2004 Guggenheim recipient,
she has been given awards, honors, grants, commissions, and fellowships
from many organizations such as The New Jersey State Council on the
Arts, the Alice M. Ditson Fund, the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust,
the Aaron Copland Fund, Prix Ars Electronica, the Institut
International de Musique Electroacoustique de Bourges, the
International Computer Music Association, Hungarian Radio, ASCAP, the
Bang On A Can Festival, the Other Minds Festival, the New Jersey
Symphony Orchestra, the Dale Warland Singers, the American Music
Center, the MacDowell Colony, and the Djerassi Resident Artists
Program. Recent commissions include one from the Third Practice
Festival at the University of Richmond to write The ocean inside for the acclaimed ensemble eighth blackbird; from the Fromm Foundation for A flower on the farther side, written for the viol consort Parthenia; from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for the chamber opera, Maurice Remembered, written for pianist and baritone Thomas Otten; and from the MAP Fund to write Tracing for trombonist Monique Buzzartté. Most recently, White completed far, still,
a work for chamber choir, cello and electronic sound, commissioned by
the Solaris Vocal Ensemble of Seattle. Frances White's music can
be heard on the Wergo, Centaur, Nonsequitur, Harmonia Mundi, and
Bridge Records labels. A CD devoted to her electroacoustic chamber
works, Centre Bridge, was released in August of 2007 on Mode Records. And a new CD of her work, In the library of dreams,
was released on Pogus Productions in April of
2012. White's music was also featured as part of the soundtrack of
three of Gus Van Sant's award-winning films: Elephant, Paranoid Park, and Milk. White
studies the shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute), and finds that the
traditional music of this instrument informs and influences her work as
a composer. Much of Frances White's music is inspired by her love
of nature, and her electronic works frequently include natural sound
recorded near her home in central New Jersey.COMPOSITIONS Frances White Links ~ ~ ~ Works by Genre ~ ~ ~ White on White
Ogni pensiero vola, electroacoustic piece (1985) [inspired by the Orsini sculpture garden in Bomarzo, Italy]
Design for an Invisible City, electroacoustic piece (1987) [inspired by Italo Calvino's book "Invisible Cities"]
Valdrada, electroacoustic piece (1988) [based on an excerpt of Italo Calvino's book "Invisible Cities"]
Still Life with piano, piano and tape (1989)
Resonant Landscape, interactive computer music installation [NeXT wrkstation, 2 DAT playbks & MIDI-controlled mixer](1990)
- Walks through "Resonant Landscape" 1-5 (1992) [recordings of interactive installation piece "Resonant Landscape", 1990]
Nocturne, electroacoustic piece (1992)
Trees, 2 violins, viola and tape (1992)
Winter Aconites, clarinet, electric guitar, piano, vibraphone, cello, bass and tape (1993) [in memory of John Cage]
- Winter Aconites, alto flute, bass clarinet, vibraphone, piano, cello and tape (1995)
Lesser Celandines, string quartet, piano and tape (1995)
Birdwing, shakuhachi and tape (1996)
While Listening to the Waves, dizi, erhu, pipa and zheng (1998)
Centre Bridge, 2 shakuhachis and tape (1999)
Like the Lily, viola, bass and tape (2000)
Centre Bridge (dark river), string quintet and tape (2001) [also for string orchestra and electronic sound]
- Centre Bridge (dark river), string orchestra and electronic sound (2001) [from work for str quintet and tape]
- Singing Bridge, string orchestra (2002) [an instrumental-only version of "Centre bridge (dark river)"]
A Veil Barely Seen, viola and tape (2001)
Three Small Pieces, baroque flute duet and electronic sound (2002) [can also be played on modern flutes]
The Seasons and the Constellations, chorus and electronic sound (2003)
The Old Rose Reader, violin, electronic sound and video (2004)
She Lost Her Voice That's How We Knew, chamber opera in multiple voices, soprano and electronic sound (2004)
Monde extérieur, short film score (2004)
The Root of the Wind, shakuhachi, taiko and electronic sound (2006)
The Ocean Inside, alto flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion, piano and electronic sound (2007)
The Book of Roses and Memory, viola, narrator and electronic sound (2008)
In the Library of Dreams, viola d'amore and electronic sound (2008)
A Flower on the Farther Fide, viol consort and electronic sound (2009-10)
Maurice Remembered, opera in 3 acts, pianist/baritone and electonic sound (2010, Act I only) [based in part on E. M. Forster]
Tracing, trombone and electronic sound (2011)
"far, still", chorus, cello and electronic sound (2012) [commissioned by Solaris Vocal Ensemble]
WORKS BY GENRE Frances White Links ~ ~ ~ White on White ~ top of page ~
Dramatic/Theater
She Lost Her Voice That's How We Knew, chamber opera in multiple voices, soprano and electronic sound (2004)
Maurice Remembered, opera in 3 acts, pianist/baritone and electonic sound (2010, Act I only) [based in part on E. M. Forster]
Orchestra
Centre Bridge (dark river), string orchestra and electronic sound (2001) [from work for str quintet and tape]
Singing Bridge, string orchestra (2002) [an instrumental-only version of "Centre bridge (dark river)"]
Choral
The Seasons and the Constellations, chorus and electronic sound (2003)
"far, still", chorus, cello and electronic sound (2012) [commissioned by Solaris Vocal Ensemble]
Chamber
Trees, 2 violins, viola and tape (1992)
Winter Aconites, clarinet, electric guitar, piano, vibraphone, cello, bass and tape (1993) [in memory of John Cage]
- Winter Aconites, alto flute, bass clarinet, vibraphone, piano, cello and tape (1995)
Lesser Celandines, string quartet, piano and tape (1995)
While Listening to the waves, dizi, erhu, pipa and zheng (1998)
Centre Bridge, 2 shakuhachis and tape (1999)
Like the Lily, viola, bass and tape (2000)
Centre Bridge (dark river), string quintet and tape (2001) [also for string orchestra and electronic sound]
Three Small Pieces, baroque flute duet and electronic sound (2002) [can also be played on modern flutes]
The Root of the Wind, shakuhachi, taiko and electronic sound (2006)
The Ocean Inside, alto flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion, piano and electronic sound (2007)
A Flower on the Farther Side, viol consort and electronic sound (2009-10)
Solo Instrument
Birdwing, shakuhachi and tape (1996)
A Veil Barely Seen, viola and tape (2001)
The Old Rose Reader, violin, electronic sound and video (2004)
The Book of Roses and Memory, viola, narrator and electronic sound (2008)
In the Library of Dreams, viola d'amore and electronic sound (2008)
Tracing, trombone and electronic sound (2011)
Piano
Still Life with piano, piano and tape (1989)
Vocal
She Lost Her Voice That's How We Knew, chamber opera in multiple voices, soprano and electronic sound (2004)
The Book of Roses and Memory, viola, narrator and electronic sound (2008)
Film
Monde extérieur, short film score (2004)
Electronic
Ogni pensiero vola, electroacoustic piece (1985) [inspired by the Orsini sculpture garden in Bomarzo, Italy]
Design for an Invisible City, electroacoustic piece (1987) [inspired by Italo Calvino's book "Invisible Cities"]
Valdrada, electroacoustic piece (1988) [based on an excerpt of Italo Calvino's book "Invisible Cities"]
Still Life with piano, piano and tape (1989)
Resonant Landscape, interactive computer music installation [NeXT wrkstation, 2 DAT playbks & MIDI-controlled mixer](1990)
- Walks through "Resonant Landscape" 1-5 (1992) [recordings of interactive installation piece "Resonant Landscape", 1990]
Nocturne, electroacoustic piece (1992)
Trees, 2 violins, viola and tape (1992)
Winter Aconites, clarinet, electric guitar, piano, vibraphone, cello, bass and tape (1993) [in memory of John Cage]
- Winter Aconites, alto flute, bass clarinet, vibraphone, piano, cello and tape (1995)
Lesser Celandines, string quartet, piano and tape (1995)
Birdwing, shakuhachi and tape (1996)
Centre Bridge, 2 shakuhachis and tape (1999)
Like the Lily, viola, bass and tape (2000)
Centre Bridge (dark river), string quintet and tape (2001) [also for string orchestra and electronic sound]
- Centre Bridge (dark river), string orchestra and electronic sound (2001) [from work for str quintet and tape]
A Veil Barely Seen, viola and tape (2001)
Three Small Pieces, baroque flute duet and electronic sound (2002) [can also be played on modern flutes]
The Seasons and the Constellations, chorus and electronic sound (2003)
The Old Rose Reader, violin, electronic sound and video (2004)
She Lost Her Voice That's How We Knew, chamber opera in multiple voices, soprano and electronic sound (2004)
The Root of the Wind, shakuhachi, taiko and electronic sound (2006)
The Ocean Inside, alto flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion, piano and electronic sound (2007)
The Book of Roses and Memory, viola, narrator and electronic sound (2008)
In the Library of Dreams, viola d'amore and electronic sound (2008)
A Flower on the Farther Fide, viol consort and electronic sound (2009-10)
Maurice Remembered, opera in 3 acts, pianist/baritone and electonic sound (2010, Act I only) [based in part on E. M. Forster]
Tracing, trombone and electronic sound (2011)
"far, still", chorus, cello and electronic sound (2012) [commissioned by Solaris Vocal Ensemble]
FRANCES WHITE LINKS Works by Genre ~ ~ ~ White on White ~ top of page ~
Composer and Material in musique concrète (Frances White)
15 Questions to Frances White (Tobias Fischer, Tokafi)
Growing Music with Computer-Generated Sound: An Interview with Frances White (Anthony Kozar, Csound Journal)
Composer's website . . . contact Frances White: here
Frances White @ American Composers Forum
Frances White @ American Music Center
Frances White @ Computer Music Journal
Frances White @ Deep Listening Institute
Frances White @ Electronic Music Foundation/MAP Fund
Frances White @ IMDb (Internet Movie Database)
Frances White @ LinkedIn
Frances White @ Other Minds
Frances White @ She Lost Her Voice That's How We Knew
Publisher
Frances White @ Composer's website
Streaming Audio
Frances White @ American Music Center - check under "Compositions"
Frances White @ last.fm
Recordings
Frances White @ Composer's website
Frances White @ Amazon.com
Frances White @ ArkivMusic
Frances White @ CD Universe
Frances White @ Discogs
Frances White @ Mode Records
Frances White @ Pogus Productions
Video
Frances White @ YouTube
- The Old Rose Reader (part 1)
- The Old Rose Reader (part 2)
- The root of the wind
- Traces on the Farther Side [a real-time visualization of Frances White's "A flower on the farther side"]
Frances White @ Google Video
~ top of page ~
White on White: Frances White and Monique Buzzarté On "Tracing"(VIDEO)
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