SFEMF
Brava Theater 2781 24th St (at York) SF
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San Francisco Electronic Music Festival presents
Alessandro Cortini & Don Buchla
John M. Chowning
Ben Bracken
& Installation by Jacqueline Gordon

Alessandro Cortini (born May 24, 1976) is an Italian musician, currently based in Los Angeles. He is currently best known for touring and recording with the American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails from 2004 to 2008. Cortini is also the frontman for the Los Angeles based electronic-alternative band SONOIO. He also has a solo project called Blindoldfreak. www.blindoldfreak.com http://www.blindoldfreak.com

Don Buchla Educated in physics, physiology, music, and astronomy, Don Buchla's multi-faceted creativity has been applied to fields as diverse as space biophysics research, musical instrument design, and multi-media composition. Much of his work has centered on the refinement of communication channels between man and machine, notably the invention of mobility aids for the visually handicapped, the development of instrumentation for bio-feedback and physiological telemetry, and the design of interactive electronic musical instruments and performance-oriented music languages.
Don founded the alternative band Fried Suck, was a founding member of the 15 piece Arch Ensemble, and co-founded the Electric Weasel Ensemble, the Muse and the Fuse, and the Artist’s Research Collective. He served as technical director of the California Institute of the Arts, the San Francisco Tape Music Center, the Electric Circus, and the Electric Symphony. He has collaborated with such luminaries as Ami Radunskaya, David Rosenboom, Anthony Braxton, David Wessel, Morton Subotnick, Peter Apfelbaum, Suzanne Ciani, George Lewis, Nannick Bonnel, and his son, Ezra. He has developed several exotic controllers that provide expressive alternatives to traditional musical input devices; recent inventions include Thunder, Lightning III, Wind, Rain, 50 Fireflies, the Piano Bar, and the Marimba Lumina. He is currently completing a major redesign of the 200 series modular synthesizer (called the 200e) and contemplating his next project. http://www.buchla.com

John M. Chowning (b 1934) is an American composer, musician, inventor, and professor best known for his work at Stanford University and his invention of FM synthesis. Chowning's breakthrough allowed for simple yet rich sounding timbres, which synthesized 'metal striking' or 'bell like' sounds, and which seemed incredibly similar to real percussion. John Chowning graduated from Wittenberg University with a Bachelor of Music in 1959. He studied music composition with Nadia Boulanger in Paris and received his doctorate (DMA) from Stanford in 1966. He was the founding director in 1975 of the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA) at Stanford University. Chowning also worked for a number of years at IRCAM, in Paris.

Benjamin Bracken
For the past 15 years, Ben Bracken has slowly been creating a unique sonic language utilizing
electronics, acoustic sound sources (guitar, cymbal, bells, found objects, etc), electric guitar, and field
recordings. Primarily interested in the possibilities of echo-relocation in sound-based art, his work has oscillated from performance to installation, often blurring the lines between the two. In both, the location of the event becomes an active participant, intimately shaping the nature and direction of each work. Some previous or current musical groups include Crystal Village (With Gregg Kowalsky), Flashpapr, Tiny Lights, Remote Viewing Ensemble, Duo with Luis Maurette, Duo with Zach Wallace, and Bones (with Jacqueline Gordon). Ben has improvised with Le-Quan Ninh, Brent Guetzeit, Kevin Drumm, Peter Kowald, Chris Cutler, Phil Minton, Rhodri Davies, Werner Dafeldecker, Fred Van Hove, and Johannes Bauer, among others. In the spring of 2006, Ben received his MFA in Electronic Music from Mills College. From 2006-09 he curated the Totally Intense Fractal Mind Gaze Hut, a performance space in West Oakland, CA. Ben has just completed his most recent installation, contributing sound, live generated 3D visuals and interactivity to the Illuminated Forest installation at The Lab in San Francisco, CA. He currently resides in Oakland, CA and works at Cycling '74, the developers of Max/MSP and Jitter.

Tickets vailable through Brown Paper Tickets or at the door (cash only!)
$16 General (available online or at the door)
$10 Student/Senior/Discount (only available at the door)
$40 Festival Pass