Quest 3: Arias on Tap

June 19th, 2013 • Composer Quest, News


Join us for the third Composer Quest Quest! Write a classical aria for the Twin Cities Opera on Tap group to perform. Continue reading...

Shepard Tone Illusion and the Super Mario 64 Endless Staircase

June 12th, 2013 • Sound Science


I think of the Shepard tone illusion as the musical equivalent of the infinite staircase. Play this video, and then replay it. Do you hear the tone continue to creep up? Continue reading...

The Tritone Paradox: How Your Hometown Affects Your Music Listening

June 12th, 2013 • Sound Science


Does where you grew up have an impact on how you hear music? It appears so, according to experiments by Dr. Diana Deutsch on how people hear her Tritone Paradox. Continue reading...

Experiments in the Revival of Organisms: A Trailer

June 9th, 2013 • Video


A short film of mine premiered last night at St. Paul's Northern Spark festival, with the short film group I contribute to called MNKino. The theme was "arrivals and departures," and I had no idea what I was going to make until midnight the night before it was due. I was browsing archive.org and found a disturbing, but fascinating 1940 film documenting experiments on reviving dogs from the dead. Continue reading...

Highlights from the First Composer Quest Concert

June 1st, 2013 • Composer Quest, News


We recently had our first ever Composer Quest concert at Yoga Sol. The Twin Cities Trio performed some awesome listener-submitted arrangements of pop tunes and film/video game scores for bassoon, clarinet, and oboe. We also got to hear the indie pop duo Matt & Donna Schubbe, indie rocker Peter Frey of Kazyak, and indie folker Paul Spring. Here's a special Composer Quest podcast episode with highlights from the concert. Continue reading...

Sound Installation Under the Times Square Sidewalk

May 30th, 2013 • Sound Science


Walking through Times Square on my first trip to New York City, I noticed some strangely musical sounds coming from under the grate in the sidewalk. What might seem like subway noise or a mechanical hum to the average passerby is actually a sound installation that's been playing almost constantly since 1977. It's kind of like an oasis of peaceful ambient tone in a desert of commercial noise. Continue reading...

A Brief History of Pop Music: “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” Piano Variations

May 23rd, 2013 • Composing Tips


Pianist Scott Bradlee has done some music history homework. In this video, he transforms "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" through 11 decades of pop genres. Continue reading...

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