Michael Edgerton

Currently Associate Professor at the Guangxi Arts University, Michael is a composer whose work elides the boundaries of complexity with practical applications of physical and perceptual models. Since the mid-90’s he has been pioneering work with Multidimensionality and Nonlinear Phenomenon applied to sound production and composition.

Michael’s compositions have received prizes and/or recognition from: 2016 5^th China-Asean Composition Competition (1st Excellent Award, Thrush, #91, 2015); Kompositionspreis der Landeshauptstadt Stuttgart, 2007 (First Prize, Tempo Mental Rap, #72, 2005); Composition Contest of the Netherlands Radio Choir, 2007 (Semifinalist, Kalevi Matus, #58, 2000); 5th Dutilleux International Composition Compétition, 2003 (Sélection, 1 sonata, #70, 2004); 31st Festival Synthese Bourges, 2001 (Sélection, The Elements of Risk in Creation, #59, 2001); MacDowell Club, 1996 (First prize, Unspoken Crime #09, 1988); Friends and Enemies of New Music, 1993 (Selection,Net/Byrinth:Rec.Study I, #15, 1991); Midwest Composers Symposium, 1989 (Selection, A Penny for the Young Guy #3, 1986); National Federation of Music Clubs, 1987 (Third Prize, Ai #5, 1987); National Federation of Music Clubs, 1987 (Honorable Mention, Dwellers of the Southwest, #2, 1986); Michigan State Univ-Orchestral Composition Contest, 1986 (First prize, The Final Diary of a Branch, #1, 1985).

Michael has also been recognized in the Marquis Who’s Who in the World 2015 & 2016.

Michael has received numerous other awards (grants, commissions, Fellowships, selections and invitations) for his music and research; including a joint commission by Proxima Centauri and Musicacoustica Festival 2016 Beijing for new work for percussion and electronics to be premiered during the Musicacoustica Festival in 2016 in Beijing. Other recent recognition include: acceptance to 2016 Toronto International Electroacoustic Symposium; 2^nd party support (to attend, perform and present during “The Art of Voice Synthesis” conference & expert meeting) from the University of Amsterdam, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Orgelpark, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam & STEIM; 2^nd party support (for a week-long residency to train a choir and give concerts) from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; commission for new work from the Guangxi University of the Arts to be premiered during the 2016 China-ASEAN Music Week in Nanning; commission for new work from the Guangxi Symphony Orchestra; grant to attend and participate in the 2015 International Gugak Workshop in Seoul; two commissions for new work from the Guangxi Arts University that were premiered during the 2015 China-ASEAN Music Week.

His music has been performed by 441 Hz Chamber Choir, AuditivVokal Dresden, China-Asean Youth Orchestra, Ekmeles Ensemble, Ensemble Ars Nova, ensemble: Either/Or, Guangxi Symphony Orchestra, Kairos String Quartet, Loadbang, New Music Coop’s Combo Ensemble (Turkey), Stockholm Saxophone Quartet, Quartet New Generation, Works-in-Progress Ensemble and soloists Almut Kühne, Andreas Fröhling, Angela Rademacher-Wingerath, Chatschatur Kanajan, Gary Verkade, Jan Heinke, Jeffrey Burns, Joshua Hyde, Mats Möller, Matt Hinchliffe, Matthias Bauer, Mattias Johansson, Moritz Ernst, Philippe Arnaudet, Rebekka Uhlig, Simon Strasser, Stefan Östersjö, Timo Kinnunen, among others.

His work has been recorded on Modern Choral Masterpieces (441 Hz Chamber Choir, Dux Records, 2015); raven, le corbeau (Escargot ma non troppo: Paris, 2012); Alles – Auβer – gewöhnlich (Auditivvokal Dresden, MusikForum Dresden 2012); ELECTRONIC VOICES (Galerie SPHN, Berlin, 2001); and has been documented in a film by Lena Giovanazzi titled, Stimmig – 10 Vokalexkursionen (Mainz: University of Applied Sciences Mainz, 2012).

Michael’s work has been discussed in the following publications: Modern Accordion Perspectives #2 “Critical selection of accordion works composed between 1990 and 2010” Ed. Jacomucci (2014, Edizioni Tecnostampa, Loreto); The Techniques of Guitar Playing, by Josel and Tsao (2014, Bärenreiter); Network Science by Barabasi (2013); Pocci Catalog: the Guide to the Guitarist’s Modern and Contemporary Repertoire. Catalog of the repertoire since 1900 for guitar solo, guitar in chamber music and guitar with orchestra, by Pocci (2013, VP Music Media); Stimmig – 10 Vokalexkursionen by Giovanazzi (2012, University of Applied Sciences Mainz); When Words Are Not Enough: Tracing the Development of Extended Vocal Techniques in Twentieth-Century America, by Crump (2008, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro); New Complete Method for Clarinet: Clarinet Repertoire by Campagnolo,. (2008, Edizione C.D.B, Italy); The Encyclopedia of the World of Another Music (Svìt jiné hudby 2), by Slaby + Slaby (2007, Volvox Globator Publishing House); Weber-Lucks, Theda (2003). KörperStimmen. Eine Untersuchung zur Ästhetik Vokaler Performance Kunst mit einer gendervergleichenden Perspektive, by Weber-Lucks (2003, Technische Universität Berlin); Manuales Auditivo-Vocales; vol. 5 La Voz y el Canto & vol. 9 Manual de Psicoacústica by LaFarga (2003, Cullera); Information Arts, Intersections of Art, Science, Technology, by Wilson (2002, The MIT Press), and; On the construction of the passing of time in music, by Chandra  (1989, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign).

Michael is engaged with research into voice, acoustics and perception. This work has been supported by numerous grants, including a Postdoctoral Fellowship with the National Center for Voice and Speech. The results have been published in diverse scholarly journals, as well as book chapters in Perspectives on Teaching Singing: a celebration of Vocal Pedagogy in the 21 Century (ed. Scott Harrison and Jessica O’Bryan; Springer Publishing), and The Oxford Handbook of Singing (ed. John Nix; Oxford University Press). Edgerton has two books available: The 21st Century Voice (New Instrumentation Series, Rowman & Littlefield, 2nd ed. 2015) and Music within the Continuum (Lambert Academic Publishing, 2015).

Michael’s compositions are published by BabelScores, C. Allen Publications, Componistenwerk, Conners Publications/C.P. Press Publications; Forum Zeitgenössischer Musik Leipzig, PRB Production, T.U.B.A Press and Uetz Verlag.