MC MIll Presents: Neil Rolnick & Demetrius Spaneas
Composers Neil Rolnick and Demetrius Spaneas collaborate on an evening of solos and duets for saxophones and computer. The program will include duet improvisations, Spaneas’ suite “…no longer to his father…” for solo saxophone, and Rolnick’s “Robert Johnson Sampler” and “Horny,” a re-imagining of his 1988 piece “Vocal Chords.”
BIOS
Composer Neil Rolnick pioneered in the use of computers in musical performance, beginning in the late 1970s. Since moving to New York City in 2002, his music has been receiving increasingly wide recognition and numerous performances both in the US and abroad. Rolnick has often included unexpected and unusual combinations of materials and media in his music. He has performed around the world, and his music appears on 16 CD’s.
Rolnick teaches at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, where he was founding director of the iEAR Studios.
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Demetrius Spaneas travels the world as a musical ambassador, connecting classical, jazz, and traditional music throughout the US, Eastern Europe, and Asia. He has worked with such diverse artists as John Cage, Ray Charles, and Kyrgyz traditional musicians, and has been featured soloist and composer at major concert venues and international festivals in the three continents. Through his work with the US Embassy system, he has presented concerts and lectures on American music and culture throughout the former Soviet Union. Interested in connecting cultures and creating international artistic dialogue through cultural diplomacy, his current initiatives focus on Central Asia, the Balkans, China, and Russia. To this end, he has been appointed a Fulbright Specialist in American Studies, Music. He has won grants and awards from ASCAP, Meet the Composer, the American Music Center, and other organizations, including a special certificate from the Russian Duma (senate) for enriching the cultural life of St. Petersburg. Mr. Spaneas, a New York City-based artist, is a native of Lowell, MA and holds both bachelor and master of music degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music where he studied classical and jazz performance, composition, and world music.
