Natasha Barrett (Photo by Carsten Aniksdal)
The University of Georgia Hugh Hodgson School of Music, with support from the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts, welcomes composer Natasha Barrett as a visiting artist Jan. 26-28.
All residency events will be in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, and all events are free and open to the public.
On Jan. 26 at 3 p.m. in Edge Hall, Barrett will first offer a lecture titled “Reconfiguring the outdoor sound landscape: revealing music in the noise.”
“Sound penetrates our outdoor spaces. Much of it we ignore, its qualities too quiet, fleeting or mundane to pay heed to amidst our thoughts and activities, or we may experience the sounds as an annoyance or disturbance. Maneuvering our listening to be excited by outdoor sound, especially urban or city soundscapes, is not so easy. Yet amongst the noise can be found qualities of interest,” Barrett said. “In this presentation, I show how I use 3D sound recording, analysis and electroacoustic composition to reveal the music under the noise, with examples from some recent outdoor sound installations.”
A concert will conclude Barrett’s visit on Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. in the Dancz Center for New Music. This one-hour concert will include experimental immersive/3D audio electronic music utilizing the full capacity of the Dancz Center’s multimedia and spatial audio capabilities.
Barrett is a composer exploring new technologies and experimental approaches to sound in a broad range of contemporary music, including concert works, public space sound-art installations and multimedia interactive music. She is known for her electroacoustic and acousmatic music and use of 3D sound technology in composition. Her work is commissioned and performed throughout the world and has received over 20 international awards including the Nordic Council Music Prize, the Giga-Hertz Award (Germany), five first prizes and the Euphonie D’Or in the Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Awards (France), two first prizes in the International Rostrum for electroacoustic music and most recently the honorary Thomas Seelig Fixed Media Award for 2023. She collaborates with performers, visual artists, architects and scientists and is also active in performance, education and research.
