Mark Snyder, Assistant Professor of Music, performed his multimedia composition, Qwee for processed harp, accordion, electronics and video performed on Oct. 25 at Electronic Music Midwest in Kansas City, Kansas with UMW student harpist, Becky Brown.

Electronic Music Midwest is dedicated to programming of a wide variety of electroacoustic music and providing the highest quality performance of electronic media. This annual festival consists of approximately nine short concerts (about one hour in length) over the course of a weekend in autumn. Our goal is to bring together vibrant and interesting artists of all forms, give them a vehicle for their expressions, and a place for them to share ideas with others.

EMM has always featured an eight-speaker surround diffusion system under the guidance of Ian Corbett. The core of the system are eight Mackie 1521 bi-amped speakers, an EAW/QSC subwoofer system, and a Soundcraft MH3, 32+4 Channel mixer (named “Emily”). Due to Ian’s expertise, many visiting composers comment that EMM is one of smoothest run festivals they have ever attended.

Since its beginning, EMM has programmed over 500 new electroacoustic compositions. Composers have traveled from around the world to graciously share their music with audiences in the Midwest. However, EMM is about more than just playing new music. We strive to create an environment conducive to building community interaction. Most concerts are approximately one hour long, and composers have plenty of time to “talk shop” with each other as well as interact socially with students and audience members.

Mark Snyder, Assistant Professor of Music, had his multimedia work, Messy for processed clarinet, electronics and video performed at North Carolina State University’s Arts Now Series on Oct. 15 by clarinetist Andrea Cheeseman.

The Arts NOW Series at North Carolina State University presents concerts, lectures, and other performing arts events for the University community and the general public. The Arts NOW Series programs feature contemporary work in the arts: new works, new techniques, new interpretations and contexts, and new connections to older work.

Previous presentations have included everything from opera premieres to events based on video works to piano lecture-recitals on mathematics and music to a special event related to global climate change. The presentations make connections and serve such courses at North Carolina State University as those dealing with video/intermedia/film, the arts and technology, the arts and politics, 20th-century music, American music, the arts in various cultures, the arts and the physical sciences, and many other topics of general interest.

Featured artists have come from as far away as Canada, Argentina, Italy, Brazil, England, Germany, Switzerland, and from throughout the United States and have included Robert Ashley, Larry Austin, Steve Duke, Beth Griffith, Jaqueline Humbert, Michael Matthews, Stuart Saunders Smith, Sylvia Smith, the Bremen Clarinet Quartet, the Balkan String Quartet, and many others.

Dr. Andrea Cheeseman is Associate Professor of Clarinet at Appalachian State University. An active and engaging performer, she has received invitations to perform at colleges and universities throughout the country as a soloist and chamber musician. She has performed for diverse festivals such as College Music Society Annual Meetings, the Montana/Idaho Clarinet Festival, the Michigan Contemporary Clarinet Festival and the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium. She has been a regular performer at the Delta State University Electroacoustic Juke Joint Festival, and in the summer of 2003, Cheeseman was named first runner-up in the Mu Phi Epsilon International Competition.

Assistant Professor of Music Mark Snyder performed with students Becky Brown and Paige Naylor at the Second Annual Under 40 Music Marathon, an event dedicated to raising breast cancer awareness in men and women under the age of 40.

From Sept. 27-29, Hard Rock Cafe – Washington, D.C., City of Hope, and Pink Jams! partnered for the Second Annual Under 40 Music Marathon. With the help of 250 local musicians and hundreds of supporters, the event raised over $15,000!

A wide variety of local, regional, and national musicians played back to back continuously for 39 hours and 59 minutes. All in the name of breast cancer awareness.

Donations from the Marathon will go to support City of Hope’s life-saving breast cancer research and treatment programs, and helps Pink Jams! eradicate the misconception that breast cancer awareness begins at age 40.

Mark Snyder, Assistant Professor of Music, had his multimedia work, Butterfly for processed clarinet, electronics and video performed at the 2013 Society of ElectroAcoustic Musicians in the United States (SEAMUS) conference in St. Paul, Minnesota on April 19th.

On April 10th, Mark gave a master class about his music and video art to the computer music department at Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore Maryland.

On April 5th, Mark was a guest artist at Fairmont State University in Fairmont West Virginia. In addition to concertizing his own work and giving a masterclass, Mark took Junior Music and Computer Science major Becky Brown along so she could perform one of her original compositions, Rex for processed harp and voice, and she also gave a master class on harp performance and processing. Out of all his accomplishments this semester, he was most pleased with this since host composer Dan Eichenbaum requested it after hearing Becky perform her piece in composition class when he came to visit UMW.

Becky Brown discussing the harp and live processing.

Mark Snyder at Peabody Conservatory

Mark Snyder, Assistant Professor of Music, had his multimedia work, Butterfly for processed clarinet, electronics and video performed at Appalachian State University on February 19th by clarinetist Andrea Cheeseman. The recital featured electroacoustic compositions that incorporate recorded sound and images.

Dr. Andrea Cheeseman is Associate Professor of Clarinet at Appalachian State University. An active and engaging performer, she has received invitations to perform at colleges and universities throughout the country as a soloist and chamber musician. She has performed for diverse festivals such as College Music Society Annual Meetings, the Montana/Idaho Clarinet Festival, the Michigan Contemporary Clarinet Festival and the Oklahoma Clarinet Symposium. She has been a regular performer at the Delta State University Electroacoustic Juke Joint Festival, and in the summer of 2003, Dr. Cheeseman was named first runner-up in the Mu Phi Epsilon International Competition.

Snyder also had his multimedia work, Alluvium for processed accordion, electronics and video performed at Montana State University on February 24th by accordionist Whitney Salo. It was programmed as part of the Sunday Night Multimedia Series, Beneath the Surface – A Concert of Sonic and Multimedia Art.