Mike McFerron, assistant professor of music and composer-in-residence at Lewis University, has received considerable recognition at both the national and international level for his composition, 9.17.2003.
Created from sounds recorded in a busy hallway of Lewis' Academic Building on Sept. 17, 2003, the composition captures a day in the lives of the university's faculty, staff and students.
"I invited the Lewis University community to contribute to my orchestra
of sounds. This piece reflects the attitudes, emotions and interactions of one
day — a summary, or a composition, that documents Sept. 17, 2003, at Lewis,"
said McFerron.
McFerron said the idea of 9.17.2003 was taken from the primary characteristic
of art — compressing a large-scale topic into a manageable space.
The piece first was recognized in May of 2004 at Confluencias: 2nd Electroacoustic
Miniature International Contest, an international musical arts competition in
Huelva, Spain. At the competition, McFerron was chosen as a finalist for 9.17.2003
in the field of short electroacoustic music. The composition was selected from
a pool of 161 submissions from the top eletroacoustic musicians around the world.
A panel of judges then chose 13 finalists in which a live audience influenced
the last round's vote.
Accolades
Since the competition, the composition has received further attention. Finalists
from Confluencias have been included on the CD (compact disc) "Confluencias:
2nd Electroacoustic Miniatures International Contest," for their winning
works. 9.17.2003 also will be featured on "Deep Wireless II," a Canadian-produced
CD that features radio and sound artists. Also, the piece has been selected
for play at the upcoming Los Angeles Sonic Odyssey: Electronic and Computer
Music Concert Series 2005, to be held April 9 in Studio City, Calif. The featured
works at the concert will include a selection of submissions from 16 different
countries, presenting the audience with examples of classical computer music,
environmental music, virtual instruments, sonic documentaries, drama, horror
and humor. McFerron will premiere his next composition, ?p?x = h/4?, at the
Florida Electroacoustic Music Festival April 9 in Gainesville, Fla. He said
this composition was inspired by the father of quantum mechanics, Werner Heisenberg,
and is dedicated to his colleague Leonard Weisenthal, chair and professor of
Lewis' physics department. McFerron also will present ?p?x = h/4? at the free
Music BYTES: Electroacoustic Mini-Concert at 2 p.m. April 22 in Ives Hall of
the Oremus Fine Art Center at Lewis University.
Impact on music
A resident of Lockport, McFerron has served as a Lewis faculty member since
2000 and is the founder and co-director of Electronic Music Midwest, an annually
presented three-day festival of electroacoustic music. Attended by more than
40 composers, the festival features original scores from the Midwest's premier
musicians. McFerron also founded Music BYTES in the fall of 2001.
During his four years as a Lewis faculty member, McFerron has made many important
contributions to the university's music department. His technological expertise
has contributed to the development of the department. In particular, he was
instrumental in creating a streaming Webcast, allowing students, faculty and
the public to access Lewis music 24 hours a day. Also, through Webcasting, some
of the department's events are broadcast live and are made available to an audience
around the globe.
To listen McFerron's works, visit www.bigcomposer.com. For more information
on upcoming music events at Lewis or on Lewis' Department of Music, visit www.lewisu.edu/music
or call (815) 836-5619.
