Photo credit: Ricardo Adame
January 12
Ignorance, Denial, Conflict, and Abandonment, for piano, violin, and cello
Series: Composing the Climate
Cacie Miller, piano; Dan Galat, violin; Kelly Quesada, cello
Elastic Arts, Chicago, USA
January 15
Tangible Music
Performing with Ben Willis, Kelly Quesada, and Dan Galat
Tangible Books, Chicago, USA
January 25
If The Sky Could Dream
Irene Hsiao, direction; performed by Amanda Maraist, Darling Squire, Paige Brown, Hunter Diamond, Scott Rubin, Manghua Guan, Peter Wong, and Penny Li
Heritage Museum for Asian Art, Chicago, USA
February 15
Homeroom Presents: Physics in Motion
Music and video projections by Emily Beisel, Paul Giallorenzo, Adam Schead, Ishmael Ali, Josh Berman, Mai Sugimoto, Chris Dammann, Tselanie Townsend, and Scott Rubin
Constellation, Chicago, USA
March 22
Impro Jam House Band
Performing with Liv Mershon, Zoe Markle, Ausberto Acevedo and Bill Harris
Comfort Station, Chicago, USA
March 28
Series: Jello
Performing with Tuli Bera
Elastic Arts, Chicago, USA
April 11
Sharon Shoots the Sh*t
Performing with Chien-An Yuan, Haruhi Kobayashi, and Sharon Udoh
Bimbom Studios, Chicago, USA
April 12
Freedom From and Freedom To
Elastic Arts, Chicago, USA
April 21
Performing with Dan Galat, Kelly Quesada, Ben Willis, Sharon Udoh, and Russ Rolan
Bridgeport Music Collective, Chicago, USA
April 24
Comfort Music+ Series Curation
Music and video projections by Kate Miliker, Alexander Dupuis, Emily Beisel, and Scott Rubin
Comfort Station, Chicago, USA
April 26
Chicago Jazz String Summit
Collaboration with Olula Negre and Cristal Sabbagh
Constellation, Chicago, USA
April 27
Chicago Jazz String Summit
Improv session featuring CJSS participants
Hungry Brain, Chicago, USA
April 27
Ignorance, Denial, Conflict, and Abandonment, for piano, violin, and cello
Series: Composing the Climate
Cacie Miller, piano; Dan Galat, violin; Kelly Quesada, cello
Epiphany, Chicago, USA
May 17
Freedom From and Freedom To
Links Hall, Chicago, USA
May 22
Digital Hands, for solo masked performer and digital audio-visual environment
Improvised Music Series
Scott Rubin, computer-assisted solo performance art
Elastic Arts, Chicago, USA
May 29
Adiaphora Orchestra, directed by Adam Shead
Comfort Station, Chicago, USA
June 18
Festival of New Works: FOLK
Choreography by Amanda Marist, performed by Ali Lorenz, Chrissy Martin, Isabella Limosnero, and Tuli Bera
Music by Haruhi Kobayashi and Scott Rubin
Links Hall, Chicago, USA
June 20-21
Links Fellowship: Bangali Meye
Direction and performance by Tuli Bera
Music by Scott Rubin
Links Hall, Chicago, USA
June 29
Festival of New Works: FOLK
Choreography by Amanda Marist, performed by Ali Lorenz, Chrissy Martin, Isabella Limosnero, and Tuli Bera
Music by Haruhi Kobayashi and Scott Rubin
Links Hall, Chicago, USA
Photo credit: Ricardo Adame
February 9
CLEAT Series
Excerpts from Dances and Meditations and Fuzzy Electric Ocean
Scott Rubin, 16-channel motion-sensitive diffusion system
Elastic Arts, Chicago, USA
April 4
Look Out Series
Cristal Sabbagh, movement; Scott Rubin, viola and projections
Steppenwolf Theatre, Chicago, USA
April 6
Freedom From and Freedom To
Elastic Arts, Chicago, USA
April 13
Electro-Acoustic Cinema
Digital Hands, for solo masked performer and digital audio-visual environment
Scott Rubin, computer-assisted solo performance art
Digital Arts Demo Space, Chicago, USA
April 19
If The Sky Could Dream
Irene Hsiao, movement; Scott Rubin, viola
Heritage Museum for Asian Art, Chicago, USA
October 20
Curiosities of Wellness in Bodies of Grief
Concept by Helen Lee, with Amanda Maraist, Hannah Marcus, Tuli Bera, Charles Pierson, and Kate Laughlin
Music by Nick Turner and Scott Rubin
Ragdale Foundation, Lake Forest, IL, USA
October 23
in tensions, for cello, dance, and motion-sensitive live electronics
Yulia Migunova - cello, Alexandra Tiunova - dance
Gnesin Contemporary Music Week, Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Moscow, Russia
October 27
Chance Meetings
Digital Hands, for solo masked performer and digital audio-visual environment
Scott Rubin, computer-assisted solo performance art
Tritriangle, Chicago, USA
December 7, 2024
Freedom From and Freedom To
Elastic Arts, Chicago, USA
December 13
Co-MISSIONS Residency Performance: FOLK
Choreography by Amanda Marist, with Kara Brody, Ali Lorenz, Chrissy Martin, and Isabella Limosnero
Music by Haruhi Kobayashi and Scott Rubin
Links Hall, Chicago, USA
December 20
Curiosities of Wellness in Bodies of Grief
Concept by Helen Lee, with Amanda Maraist, Hannah Marcus, Tuli Bera, Charles Pierson, and Kate Laughlin
Music by Nick Turner and Scott Rubin
Ragdale Foundation, Lake Forest, IL, USA
January 28
Solo Set
Scott Rubin, viola and projections
Digital Art Demo Space, Chicago, USA
April 26
Seems Like a Portal, opera for dancer, 4 musicians, motion-sensitive electronics and projections
Christine Saulut, dance and choreography
Between Feathers Ensemble
+
Solo Set
Scott Rubin, viola and projections
Brick 15, Vienna, Austria
April 19
Seems Like a Portal, opera for dancer, 4 musicians, motion-sensitive electronics and projections
Christine Saulut, dance and choreography
Between Feathers Ensemble
+
Solo Set
Scott Rubin, viola and projections
Theatre Am Lend, Graz, Austria
October 15
Heavy Air Happy Hour
Trio with Tommy Carroll, drums; Mai Sugimoto, saxophone; Scott Rubin, viola
Cafe Mustache, Chicago, USA
October 26
Elastro Series: Solo Set
Scott Rubin, viola and projections
Elastic Arts, Chicago, USA
March 5
Short Works Professional Performance Series at RAD FEST 2022
Burrow by Andrea Cerniglia
Dancers: Christina Chammas, Ali Claiborne-Naranjo
Sound: Scott Rubin
Wellspring Theatre at the Epic Center, Kalamazoo, MI, USA
March 10
Heavy Air Happy Hour
Trio with Mallory Linehan and Billie Howard
Cafe Mustache, Chicago, USA
May 13
CLEAT Series
Rin Peisert, movement; Scott Rubin, viola and electronics
Elastic Arts, Chicago, USA
June 18
Pivot Arts Festival
Tuli Bera, movement; Scott Rubin, viola and electronics
Edge Theater, Chicago, USA
September 24-25
In Place: Drawing You Outside by Christine Forni and Irene Hsiao
Dancers: Helen Lee, Amanda Maraist, Wannapa P-Eubanks, Darling Squire
Musicians: Scott Rubin, olula negre, Menghua Guan
Jackson Park, Chicago, USA
October 26
Elastro Series: Solo Set
Scott Rubin, viola and projections
Elastic Arts, Chicago, USA
March 8 - April 21
OOPS! POW! SURPRISE!
Installation of collection of collaborative performances with Cristal Sabbagh
Glass Curtain Gallery, Chicago, USA
April 2
Freedom From and Freedom To: Round 4
Streamed improvised performance with Angel Bat Dawid, Darling Shear, and Erin Peisert
Elastic Arts, Chicago, USA
April 15
OOPS! POW! SURPRISE! Streamed performance
Streamed performance with Cristal Sabbagh, Keisha Janae, Sarah Zalek, Erin Peisert, and Ramah Malebranche
Glass Curtain Gallery, Chicago, USA
August 21
Freedom From and Freedom To: Round 5
Improvised performance with Wannapa P-Eubanks, Peter Redgrave, Angel Bat Dawid, and Ayanna Woods
Elastic Arts, Chicago, USA
October 1-30
Sowing Asychronicities, film for dancer and cellist
Film for Women Defining Butoh, presented by the New York Butoh Institute
Collaboration with Cristal Sabbagh and Oli Harris
Virtual Event
December 11
Freedom From and Freedom To: Round 6
Improvised performance with Helen Lee, Peter Redgrave, Eli Sabbagh, and Ayanna Woods
Elastic Arts, Chicago, USA
December 16
New Single Release: Fuzzy Electric Ocean
Cover art: Oli Harris
Mastered by: Angel Hair Audio
January 12
J e l l o: Jerry's Map
Collaboration with J e l l o Performance Series
Intuit Gallery, Chicago, USA
January 29
Trio with Johanna Brock - viola, Andrew Scott Young - bass
Outer Sound, Chicago, USA
February 12
Duo with Cristal Sabbagh - movement
Experimental Station, Chicago, USA
February 21
Duo with Julian Otis - voice and movement
LaBar Performance Hall at University of Notre Dame, USA
March 1
Intercession
Intercession with Julian Otis and Scott Rubin Excerpt from Quantum Negress on Vimeo.
Trio with Julian Otis and Margaret M. Morris - voice and movement
Frequency Festival, Constellation, Chicago, USA
March 16
Gather 2020 Kickoff
Trio with Cristal Sabbagh - movement, Olivia Harris - cello
Comfort Station, Chicago, USA
April 9
Quaraintine Concerts (Live Stream)
Improvised Duo with Cristal Sabbagh - movement
Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago, USA
July 24
Random Acts (Live Stream) with Sarah Zalek and Cristal Sabbagh - movement
Part 1
Part 2
Out of Site Chicago 2020
Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago, USA
August 22
Freedom From and Freedom To: Round 3 (Live Stream)
Improvised performance with Ed Clemons, Sarah Zalek, and Ugochi Nwaogwugwu
Elastic Arts, Chicago, USA
September 11
Elastic Arts 3rd Annual Benefit
Cristal Sabbagh - movement, Lewis Achenbach - visual art
Elastic Arts, Chicago, USA
December 18
January 21
Duo with Peter Maunu (violin, mandolin, and electronics)
Myopic Books, Chicago, USA
January 27
Adam Shead's Adiaphora Orchestra
The Hungry Brain, Chicago, USA
March 20
bdynse, motion-sensitive audio and visual electronics with Jubilee Tai
Slate Arts+Performance, Chicago, USA
March 28
Trio with Erik Sowa (drums) and Peter Maunu (strings)
Comfort Station, Chicago, USA
April 17
inner senses for dance, tuba, and motion-sensitive live electronics
Jack Adler McKean - tuba, Yuri Shimaoka - dance
Hosek Contemporary, Berlin, Germany
April 21
Duo with Julian Otis (voice and movement)
Myopic Books, Chicago, USA
May 3
Duo with Molly Jones (sax and electronics)
Slate Arts+Performance, Chicago, USA
May 5
bdynse, motion-sensitive audio and visual electronics with Jubilee Tai
Waveforms at Experimental Sound Studios, Chicago, USA
May 25
Adam Shead's Adiaphora Orchestra
The Empty Bottle, Chicago, USA
May 26
bdynse, motion-sensitive audio and visual electronics with Jubilee Tai
an open space, Chicago, USA
June 15
bdynse, performance of motion-sensitive audio and visual electronics with Jubilee Tai
Homan Gardens, Chicago, USA
June 15
Trio with Eric Sowa (drums) and Jacob Heinemann (bass)
Elastic Arts, Chicago, USA
July 22
Adam Shead's Adiaphora Orchestra
Elastic Arts, Chicago, USA
Sept 4
in tensions for cello, dance, and motion-sensitive live electronics
Maya Fridman - Cello, Marie Albert - dance
Gaudeamus Muziekweek 2019, Utrecht, Netherlands
Sept 6
for the performers for 2 dancers and 3 musicians with motion-sensitive audio and visual electronics
Catchpenny Ensemble with Marie Albert and Yuri Shimaoka
Gaudeamus Muziekweek 2019, Utrecht, Netherlands
Sept 7
ironic erratic erotic for dance, bass, and bass clarinet and motion-sensitive live electronics
ensemble MAZE with Yuri Shimaoka
Gaudeamus Muziekweek 2019, Utrecht, Netherlands
November 24
Adam Shead's Adiaphora Orchestra
The Empty Bottle, Chicago, USA
June 16
in tensions for cello, dance, motion-sensitive live electronics
Polina Streltsova - cello, Marie Albert - dance
IRCAM: Concert du Cursus at Manifeste 2018
Le Centquatre, Paris, France
April 16
Presentation and workshop at Danse Pour Parkinson
Improvised ensemble performances
Etudes for dancers and musicians
Cité Internationale des Arts
Paris, France
April 9
Concert and workshop at Paris Improv Evenings
Solo improvised performance, ensemble improvised performances
Etudes for dancers and musicians
Espace des arts sans frontières
Paris, France
January 20-21
Presentation and workshop at Labodanse Research Retreat
Etudes for dancer and musicians
Nangis, France
January 20
Artist's talk and performance at Vernon Salon Series
Discussion of recent works and improvised set with dancer Shoshana Green and pianist/composer James Stone with motion-sensitive live electronics
Oakland, CA, USA
February 2-7
Sour Helix, for reed duo and electronics
eventuell. Saxohone Duo - Manuela Villiger und Vera Wahl
Feb 1 - Zürich
Feb 2 - Olten
Feb 4 - Basel
Feb 7 - Luzern
February 28
Brainwash Machine - dance/music/improvisation collaboration with Kinetech Arts
Improvisation duo with live electronics with Joshua Marshall - saxophone
Public Square: Can we design freedom?
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA, USA
March 16
Sour Helix, for reed duo
Syrinx Duo - Emily Schultz and Maarten Schillemans
Now Hear This Festival
Studio 96, Edmonton, AB, Canada
April 5
Kerosene Palace, for orchestra and electronics
University of California, Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Milnes
Hertz Hall, Berkeley, CA, USA
April 9
eudiser, for dancer, improvising trio, motion-sensitive live electronics, and ink on canvas
Tamara Chu - dance, motion sensor, and paint, Jacob Felix Heule - percussion,
Danishta Rivero Castro - voice/electronics, and Scott Rubin - viola/electronics
CNMAT, Berkeley, CA, USA
April 9-13
the Torn Cubist, for five musicians
Ensemble Paramirabo - Le Conseil des arts de Montréal en tournée
Apr 9 - Maison de la Culture du Plateau
Apr 11 - Maison de la Culture Notre-Dame-de-Grâce
Apr 12 - Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur
Apr 13 - Maison de la Culture Frontenac
Montreal, QC, Canada
April 14
DEFINE // DEFILE, for dancer and string quartet
SanSan Kwan with Mivos Quartet
Center for New Music, San Francisco, CA, USA
May 21
ironic erratic erotic, for dancer, tuba, contrabass, and motion-sensitive live electronics
Yuri Shimoaka - dance, Jack Adler-Mckean - tuba, Adam Goodwin - contrabass
Labor neunzehn, Berlin, Germany
May 28
Kerosene Palace, for orchestra and electronics
University of California, Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Milnes
Auditorio Manuel de Falla, Granada, Spain
May 30
Kerosene Palace, for orchestra and electronics
University of California, Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, conducted by David Milnes
Palau de la Música de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
June 17
Senses IV, for dancer, cello octet, and motion-sensitive live electronics
Mosa Tsay, Shoshana Green, and Celloscape Collective
Groupmuse Massivemuse @ Covo
981 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA, USA
October 4
Artist's talk and performance IRCAM
Stridulations, acousmatic
Salle Stravinsky, IRCAM
Paris, France
October 31
Stridulations, acousmatic
Salle Stravinsky, IRCAM
Paris, France
November 16
Stridulations, acousmatic
Niveau 4, Centre Pompidou
Paris, France
December 12
Naked to the Sky, for violin, saxophone, piano, percussion, dancer, and motion-sensitive live electronics
Eco Ensemble
SanSan Kwan, dancer; Hrabba Atladottir, violin; Joshua Marshall, tenor saxophone;
Myra Melford, piano; Loren Mach, percussion
Senses II, for viola improvisation and motion-sensitive live electronics
Performed by the composer
Berkeley New Music Project
Hertz Hall, Berkeley, CA, USA
December 10
Performance at DanceHackDay at CounterPulse SF
Dance, music, motion-sensitive live electronics improvisation
Christine Bonansea Saulut, dance; Scott Rubin, viola and live electronics;
CounterPulse, 80 Turk Street, San Francisco, CA, USA
December 9
SONIC BODY Series #9
Dance, music, motion-sensitive live electronics improvisation with
Christine Bonansea Saulut, dance; Scott Rubin, viola and live electronics; Pamela Z, voice and live electronics; Jorge Bachmann, live electronics; Crystal Sepúlveda, dance
CNMAT, Berkeley, CA, USA
December 1
(e)met, for improvising trio and machine-learning-based computer improviser
Presentation-Concert in association with Digital Humanities at UC, Berkeley
Collaboration with data scientist Juan Hernandez, pianist Myra Melford, trumpeter Darren Johnston, and bassist Lisa Mezzacappa
CNMAT, Berkeley, CA, USA
November 18-19
Naked to the Sky, for violin, saxophone, piano, percussion, dancer, and motion-sensitive live electronics
Balancing on the Edge, collaboration with Thin Edge New Music Collective
Evening - Nov 18
Matinee - Nov 19
Evening - Nov 19
Harbourfront Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada
October 21
Senses, for viola improvisation and motion-sensitive live electronics
Performed by the composer
Center for New Music, San Francisco, CA, USA
June 3
Humid Gravity, arranged for spatialized cello trio and live electronics
Celloscape Collective
Center for New Music, Buy tickets
San Francisco, CA, USA
May 28
Humid Gravity, arranged for spatialized cello trio and live electronics
Celloscape Collective
Bruce Beasley's Sculpture Studio,
Buy tickets
323 Lewis St, Oakland, CA, USA
May 13
Humid Gravity, for spatialized string trio and live electronics
Mosa Tsay, Jane Kim, and Krystzoff Zimmermann
Groupmuse @ CNMAT
Berkeley, CA, USA
March 28
Lecture on my music at CCRMA @ Stanford University
March 27
Hive Chapel, for violin, cello, clarinet, and piano
Phoenix Quartet: The End of Time, Deconstructed
Bowery Arts + Science, New York City, NY, USA
March 6
Humid Gravity, for string trio
Ensemble Chartreuse
Center for New Music, San Francisco, CA, USA
March 3
Humid Gravity, for string trio
Ensemble Chartreuse
Curve Line Space, Los Angeles, CA, USA
February 19
Hive Chapel, for violin, cello, clarinet, and piano
Phoenix Quartet: The End of Time, Deconstructed
Firehouse Space, New York City, NY, USA
January 7
Humid Gravity, for string trio
Ensemble Chartreuse
Spectrum, New York City, NY, USA
December 14
less than equals three, for mixed octet
Eco Ensemble, Berkeley New Music Project
Hertz Hall, Berkeley, CA, USA
December 6
less than equals three, for mixed octet (world premiere)
New Music Concerts dir: Robert Aiken
Betty Oliphant Theatre, Toronto, ON, Canada
December 3
Sour Helix, for reed duo and electronics
Quasar Quatuor de saxophones
Le Vivier - Amplithéatre du Gésu
Montréal, QC, Canada
September 18
Self-portait with Carl Jung and John Watson (with György Ligeti in the Background) (world premiere)
Elevate Ensemble: Homage
Sol Joseph Recital Hall @ San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco, CA, USA
August 4
Sour Helix, for reed duo and electronics
Quasar Quatuor de saxophones
Camp musical des Laurentides
Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard, QC, Canada
July 23
Sour Helix, for reed duo and electronics
Quasar Quatuor de saxophones
SALT New Music Festival and Symposium
Open Space, Victoria, BC, Canada
June 20
Humid Gravity, for spatialized string trio and dancer (world premiere)
Ensemble Gô and Sarah Xiao
Modern Academy Concert Series
Goethe Institut, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
June 4
the Bath Clown Duo, for flute and piano
Perturbations, Ensemble Paramirabo
Chapelle historique du Bon-Pasteur, Montréal, QC, Canads
May 11
Sour Helix, for reed duo and electronics
Eco Ensemble, Berkeley New Music Projecto
Hertz Hall, Berkeley, CA, USA
May 2
Sour Helix, for reed duo and electronics
VOLUMES: Volume 2 with Duo d’Entre Deux
Duo d’Entre Deux
Shaki Rock Gym, Montréal, QC, Canada
May 1
Sour Helix, for reed duo
Duo d’Entre Deux - presented by les Concerts de la Métropole
Église Saint-Stanislas-de-Kostka, Montréal, QC, Canada
April 24
the Torn Cubist, for 5 musicians
Inverted Space Ensemble @ Washington Composer’s Forum Commission Concert
Brechemin Auditorium, University of Washington School of Music, Seattle, WA, USA
April 9
counter(Projections), for violin, dancer, electronics, and live projections (world premiere)
I am nothing without you, TENTH INTERVENTION
Cary Hall at the DiMenna Center, New York City, NY, USA
March 15
the Bath Clown Duo, for flute and piano (official world premiere)
Jeffery Stonehouse and Gabrielle Gingras
Faculty House at Columbia University, New York City, NY, USA
March 8
Sour Helix, for reed duo and electronics (world premiere)
David Wegehaupt and Jeffrey Anderle of Splinter Reeds
CNMAT, Berkeley, CA, USA
January 15
Invited Lecture: Experiential time in Fausto Romitelli’s Professor Bad Trip, Lesson I
New Music Gathering @ San Francisco Conservatory of Music
San Francisco, CA, USA
December 15
the Bath Clown Duo, for flute and piano
Eco Ensemble
Hertz Hall, Berkeley, CA, USA
December 13
Sour Helix, for reed duo, workshop
Splinter Reeds
CNMAT, Berkeley, CA, USA
September 8-12
piglet ears, for saxophone quartet
the Estrella Consort : A Celebration of Sonorities, Fall Tour
9/8: Lutkin Hall at Northwestern University, Evanston, USA
9/9: School of Music at University of Illinois - Chicago, USA
9/11: Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI, USA
9/12: Saginaw Valley State University, University Center, MI, USA
June 22
the Torn Cubist, for 5 musicians
Ensemble Paramirabo
mise-en music festival 2014, New York City, USA
May 30
the Torn Cubist, for 5 musicians
Ensemble Paramirabo
Ottawa New Music Creators, Ottawa, ON
May 9
Filthy Peaks, for amplified cello and electronics
Juan Sebastian Delgado
Doctoral Recital, McGill University, Montreal, QC
April 28
Filthy Peaks, for amplified cello and electronics (world premiere)
Juan Sebastian Delgado
Concert du Groupe Interinstitutionnel de Compositeurs Étudiants de Montréal
Café Résonance, Montreal, QC
Photo credit: Ricardo Adame
// 2024 //
Program Notes:
A former teacher once told me that good art will sometimes “mis en danger les idées” -- put ideas in danger. When Kelly, Dan, and Cacie asked me to contribute to their "Composing the Climate" project, it seemed like a good opportunity to explore this notion.
Climate change is the backdrop of 21st-century human civilization. It’s a human-caused world-wide event whose consequences are more complex than what we will ever be able to fully comprehend. We can argue about personal responsibility versus corporate and government operations, but essentially, the scale of modern human consumption habits are incompatible with our wellbeing on Earth. This will create conditions for widespread suffering.
We won’t solve climate change with music. However, we will try to make this room a little more vibrant. We will connect with humanity; acknowledge its virtues and failures.
Some of the sounds in this performance are written down, and some of them will result from the performers’ decision making. They are asked to meditate on past, present, and future eras of humanity. In these musical meditations, they will focus on the collaborative efforts of their musicality. How are they interacting together? What sort of decisions are they making? When things get difficult and uncomfortable, how will they behave?
As in the course of our daily lives, doing art involves making many choices in the backdrop of culture. Are we acting in the best interests of ourselves and our communities? Are we acting in the best interests of the poor and underserved? Are we comfortable with the status quo? Are we being selfish and short-sighted? How do all of these decisions appear to folks around us? Are they elegant? Are they sloppy? Are they righteous? Do these decisions set us on a sustainable path forward, or rather something more precarious?
Commissioned by Missing Piece with funding from the Illinois Arts Council. Dedicated to Kelly Quesada, Dan Galat, and Cacie Miller.
// 2023 //
Made possible with funding from Stadt Graz, Bundeministerium Kunst, Kulture, öffentlicher Dienst und Sport, Das Land Steiermark, NOW! Oper der Gegenwart, Stadt Wien, and Between Feathers.
// 2022 //
// 2021 //
// 2020 //
// 2019 //
// 2018 //
In collaboration with Polina Streltsova, Marie Albert, and Alice Boivin, as part of IRCAM-Cursus
a new universe
do they know us
a tension, an omnipresence
a system, flowing
into intimacy / privacy / struggle / hierarchy
an energy, intentions flowing through bodies / objects
a system, melting into the void
into a space to breathe, move, work, perform
do they see us
melting into the void
into the inner sublime
without sound, just our vibrations
without objects, just our vibrations
without goals, just our bodies
// 2017 //
Project #1 for Cursus at Ircam
Senses is an ongoing research and performance project that brings together music- and movement-based improvisation with motion-sensitive live electronics. The goal of Senses is to produce performance environments that explore the relationships between movement and sound through human-human interaction and human-computer interaction. Variations of Senses have been performed with solo improvisors, dancer/musician duos, and small improvising chamber ensembles.
Collaboration with Jack Adler Mckean
Collaboration with Tamara Chu, Jacob Felix Heule, and Danishta Rivero Castro
Collaboration with the University of California, Berkeley Symphony Orchestra
// 2016 //
Collaboration with Mivos Quartet and SanSan Kwan
Collaboration with Thin Edge New Music Collective, as part of Balancing on the Edge
Program notes:
Naked to the Sky is a performance scored for circus artist, violin, saxophone, piano, percussion, and motion-sensitive live electronics. This work invistigates the fluctuation of identity, control, and influence. Through the use of movement-lead improvisation and motion sensors, analog and digital relationships are formed between the circus artist and the musicians, creating an inter-directed multi-dimensional force. Through these two dynamic connections, the choreographed movements of the artist will influence the musicians’ playing and the electronic manipulation of the acoustic sound. These connections evolve throughout of the piece, creating a complex cross-modal web of entanglements and ambiguities.
// 2015 //
Collaboration with Phoenix Quartet
Premiered by New Music Concerts
on December 6, 2015.
Scored for flute, alto saxophone, trombone, piano, harp, violin, viola, and cello.
Premiere: Hong Kong New Music Academy, performed by Ensemble Gô and Sarah Xiao
Goethe Institut, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, June 20, 2015.
Recording: Chartreuse Ensemble at
Spectrum, New York City, New York, USA, January 7, 2016.
Video: Celloscape Collective at Bruce Beasley's Sculpture Studio
Oakland, California, USA, May 28, 2016
// 2014 //
Collaboration with Splinter Reeds, Duo d'Entre Deux, and Quasar Quatuor de Saxophones
Collaboration with Hajnal Pivnick, Diane Skerbec, and TENTH INTERVENTION.
Premiered on April 9, 2015 at DiMenna Center in New York City, USA.
Commissioned by Jeffery Stonehouse and Gabrielle Gingras
Premiere: Jeffery Stonehouse, flute; Gabrielle Gingras, piano, New York Flute Fair at the Faculty House at Columbia University, New York City, USA, March 15, 2015.
Program note:
Made from 100% Montepulciano d'Abruzzo grapes, grown in hillside vineyards near the Adriatic coast of Abruzzo. The grapes are harvested from August-September, de-
stemmed, crushed, and fermented in stainless steel tanks to preserve juiciness and softness.
Bright ruby-red in color, with delicious aromas of black cherries, strawberries, and herbs, the Bath Clown Duo is dry and mellow with concentrated structure. It is best enjoyed young, in order to fully appreciate its fruity varietal character. Enjoy with typical Italian dishes, red meats, pizza and cheese.
Commissioned by Juan Sebastian Delgado
Premiere: Juan Sebastian Delgado, Café Résonance, Montréal, Canada, April 28, 2015.
Program note:
Filthy Peaks is a composition in three main sections, with the second section serving as a transition between the first and the third.
The first section consists of four loops. Here, the cellist performs similar gestures across each loop using four distinct objects to excite the instrument. They begin with pieces of wax paper, move on to chopsticks, later to a milk-frother, and finally, the bow. The soundworld is transformed as a byproduct of the unfolding relationship between the objects used to make the gestures and the physical gestures themselves.
The final section recontextualizes the material presented in the first. Originally, the gesturally-rooted noise-based sounds of the first section are introduced in a non-pulsed environment, occupying the foreground of the sonic field. In the third section, they coalesce into techno-seque energy-charged grooves over which the cello plays virtuosically.
// 2013 //
Collaboration with Ensemble Paramirabo
Collaboration with Quasar Quatuor de Saxophones
Photo credit: Kareem Bandealy
Photo credit: Jubilee Tai
Scott Rubin is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary artist and improvising violist whose work interrogates relationships between sound and movement through analog and digital means. His recent projects have involved collaborations with musicians and dancers, often incorporating interactive acoustic/electronic improvisation, expanded performance practices, motion-sensors, and live video. In these projects, he engages themes of intimacy, control, and the sublime.
Scott’s music has been played around the world by the Between Feathers Ensemble, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Ensemble Paramirabo, Quasar Quatuor de saxophones, Tenth Intervention, TAK Ensemble, UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, cellist Juan Sebastian Delgado, tubist Jack Adler McKean, Thin Edge New Music Collective, Inverted Space Ensemble, Eco Ensemble, Duo d’Entre Deux, Eventuell Saxophone Duo, Phoenix Quartet, Splinter Reeds, the Estrella Consort, Ensemble Gô, the McGill University Contemporary Music Ensemble, Ensemble Arkea, and the University of Illinois New Music Ensemble.
Scott has collaborated with dancers/choreographers Irene Hsiao, Helen Lee, Tuli Bera, Amanda Maraist, Christopher Knowlton, Cristal Sabbagh, Yuri Shimaoka, Christine Saulut, Sarah Xiao, Manu Cyr, Louis Barbier, and Shoshana Green on projects staged in Chicago, Berlin, New York City, Hong Kong, Vienna, Toronto, and Oakland.
His music has been presented by the SALT New Music Festival and Symposium (Victoria, Canada), mise-en music festival (NYC), Emergents Concert Series (Toronto, Canada), l’Ensemble contemporain de Montréal+, Ottawa New Music Creators, Codes d’Accès (Montreal, Canada), the North American Saxophone Alliance, and 60x60 PianoForte Chicago. He has had workshops with Neue Vocalsolisten Stuttgart, Klangforum Wien, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Ensemble Transmission, the Danish String Quartet, and Meitar Ensemble.
Scott earned a PhD at the University of the California at Berkeley where he studies with Ken Ueno, Franck Bedrossian, Myra Melford, Edmund Campion, and Cindy Cox. He was an active researcher at the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies.
He completed his masters degree studying with Philippe Leroux at McGill University in Montréal, Canada. Previously, he earned a Bachelor of Music in music composition and a Bachelor of Science in psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, where his primary teachers were Reynold Tharp, Philipp Blume, and Stephen Taylor. Scott was also a student in the Experimental Music Studios, under the tutelage of Scott A. Wyatt.
At McGill, Scott worked as a composer for the Auditory Cognitive Neuroscience Lab under Robert Zatorre, where he wrote music to be used in music cognition experiments. Scott has studied music cognition with Stephen McAdams and Caroline Palmer. Previously, he studied with Mark Jude Tramo at the Institute for Music and Brain Science.
Scott was a co-founder and co-organizer for the Montréal Contemporary Music Lab until 2014. This is a week-long performance and composition workshop that focuses on the creation of new music through fostering collaborative relationships between performers and composers. He also performed guitar for Speakeasy Electro Swing Montreal.
His awards include the McGill University Graduate Excellence Fellowship, the Florence Gould Foundation Scholarship from the European American Musical Alliance, the Geraldine B. Cooke Scholarship from the University of Illinois, the UIUC School of Music Composition-Theory Area Achievement Award, and grants from SOCAN and the Music Graduate Students Society at McGill University. He has participated in the Modern Academy in Hong Kong, Impuls Academy in Graz, Austria, Recontres de Musique Nouvelle at the Domaine Forget Sessions in Charlevoix, Québec as well as the European American Musical Alliance Sessions in Paris, France.
Inquiries: shrubin2@gmail.com