CV
Christian Asplund
Curriculum Vitae
Composer in Residence
Associate Professor
School of Music
Brigham Young University
C-550 HFAC
Provo, UT 84602
Christian_Asplund@byu.edu
Christianasplund.com
Scores/CDs: http://www.frogpeak.org/fpartists/fpasplund.html
(801) 422-3688, Fax (801) 422-0533
Education
12/98 Doctor of Musical Arts in Music Composition and Theory, University of Washington.
5/93 Master of Arts in music composition, Mills College. Thesis: Tune of Seed: Indeterminacy Analysis, Reverse Orchestration and Tunes.
9/88-6/89 Graduate studies in ethnomusicology at Graduate Center, City University of New York and composition studies in New York with Thea Musgrave and Meyer Kupferman.
4/88 Bachelor of Music in Composition, Brigham Young University.
Employment Experience
8/02-Now Composer in Residence, Associate Professor, Composition and Theory, School of Music, Brigham Young University
8/00-8/02 Assistant Professor and Chair, Composition Department, School of Music, University of Oklahoma.
9/99-7/00 Visiting Professor, music theory and composition, Oregon State University.
9/98-5/98 Instructor, music composition and theory, Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle.
9/98-12/98 Instructor, music theory and ear training, Shoreline Community College, Seattle.
9/97-6/98 Visiting Professor, music theory, ear training, music fundamentals, group piano, and Jazz and Rock history, Bellevue Community College, Bellevue, Washington.
9/93-6/95 Graduate Assistant, music theory and ear training, University of Washington, Seattle.
9/91-5/92 Graduate Assistant, Dance Department, Mills College, Oakland CA, as pianist and composer.
9/88-6/90 Research Fellow, Ethnomusicology, Graduate Center, City University of New York.
7/86-4/88 Pianist and Composer, Department of Dance, Brigham Young University.
5/83-8/83 Assistant Musical Director and Pianist, Center Stage Summer Stock Theater Company, Red Deer, Alberta, Canada.
Professional Service
2004-Now Associate Editor, Perspectives of New Music
2002-Now Brigham Young University School of Music: Graduate Studies Council, Lecture Committee, Library Committee, Publicity Committee, Technology Committee
1997-98 Bellevue Community College. Served on a major curricular restructuring committee. Wrote documents describing “outcomes and assessments” for all music courses. Also developed and administered CAI labs. Also designed and implemented security policy for instruments and other music department resources.
2000-2002 University of Oklahoma: Served as Chair of Composition Department. Served on Department Chairs Committee. Served on NASM Committee. Helped draft responses to NASM study. Ran visiting composers program as well as three different concert series. Participated in New Faculty Development Program.
Currently member of:
American Music Center (AMC)
American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP)
Society for Music Theory (SMT).
College Music Society (CMS)
Other Positions
1995-Now Musical Director, Seattle Experimental Opera.
1996-Now Violist/Keyboardist/Musical Director/Composer, Brainstun.
Awards, Honors, Grants
2005 $9500 from Genesis Foundation, London for composer fees for the opera, Sunset with Pink Pastoral.
2004 Barlow Endowment commission, $6000.
2003-2004 Listing and bio in Marquis Who’s Who in America
2002-2005 BYU College of Fine Arts Professional Development Grants
2002-2005 BYU College of Fine Arts Research/Creative Work Grants
2002-2005 ASCAP Standard Awards
8/02 Barlow Endowment commission.
7/01 Genesis Foundation Opera Competition, London - £6000 development stipend and expenses for travel to London and production of scene there, Spring 2002 (http://www.genesisfoundation.org.uk/projects/gpo/teams/teams.html)
6/01 OU Junior Faculty Fellowship - $6000
6/01 OU School of Music faculty technology grant - $2500
2/99 Jack Straw Productions Artist Support Program grant.
11/97 Artist Trust Fellowship - $5000
8/97 King County Arts Commission Grant: $4500 to compose and produce the chamber opera: Liquid
1997 Jack Straw Productions Artist Assistance Program Grant
Publications
All compositions published or forthcoming by Frog Peak Music (www.frogpeak.org) (2002 to present).
Christian Wolff. The first book about the esteemed American composer, with Michael Hicks. Under contract/forthcoming, University of Illinois Press.
“Joel Durand’s Lichtung” in In The Mirror Land, University of Washington Press (2005).
“Vision,” a piano piece, in the score anthology, Mormoniana, MAG Press (2004).
“Achieving the Body without Organs–Three Approaches: Bach, Cage and Messiaen” Perspectives of New Music Volume 35, Number 2 (Summer 1997).
“Frederic Rzewski and Spontaneous Political Music,” Perspectives of New Music 33, nos. 1 and 2 (Winter/Summer 1995): 418-441.
Recordings As Composer and Performer
2005 constructions one, Moment Trio, a co-release on Digitalis/Foxglove and Maritime Fist Glee Club.
2004 Liquid, on BYU Creative Works. An opera performed by Seattle Experimental Opera.
2004 Mormoniana, CD of piano music played by Grant Johannesen, on Tantara. Includes my “Vision.”
2003 Brainstun 2, on Present Sounds. Avant garde jazz quartet playing all Asplund compositions.
2001 >3. Maritime Fist Gleeclub Records.
2000 Robert Reigle, Tenor Saxophone, on Acoustic Levitation, includes composition “Breathspace,” as well as my performance on most of the cuts.
1997 The Archivist. A full-length CD of this opera recorded by Seattle Experimental Opera on Un-Labeled Records.
1997 Wigwam Bendix, Franchise Records.
Recordings As Composer
2005 Love Knows No Borders: New Hymns for all Seasons (forthcoming) to include my “Praise to God, Immortal Praise”, recorded by the Sydney Chamber Choir conducted by Philip Chu, recorded at Eugene Goossens Hall, Sydney, Australia, January 23, 2005.
2003 Sounding the Curve, Tom Baker, guitarist on Present Sounds. Includes my “4 Organisms” for fretless guitar.
2000 Seattle Creative Orchestra, Northwest Triptych, on Present Sounds. Includes my Symphony #4. (www.presentsounds.com/asplund.htm)
2000 Elizabeth Falconer, Water Colors (a CD of solo koto music including my “Decaying Bird”) on Sparkling Beatnik Records.
Recordings As Performer
1999 Robert Reigle, The Marriage of Heaven and Earth, Acoustic Levitation.
1998 Eyvind Kang, Theater of Mineral Nades on John Zorn’s Tzadik label.
Commissions
9/04 Sunset with Pink Pastoral, commission for completion and revision of Genesis-commissioned opera (Barlow Endowment and Genesis Foundation)
4/04 Rain, for the Downtown Ensemble, New York
1/04 Ruach, for Christina Jennings
8/02 Barlow Endowment commission.
7/01 Sunset with Pink Pastoral (original version), a chamber opera for The Genesis Prizes, Alameida Theater, London
6/01 Symphony #5 for University of Oklahoma Wind Symphony.
7/00 Liquid, a chamber opera, for Seattle Experimental Opera
2/00 “Salad” for flute octet, commissioned by Flute Salad
2/99 “Being Three” for choreographer John Dixon. Premiered at Composer/Choreographer festival, Seattle.
9/98 Symphony #4 for the Seattle Creative Orchestra
6/98 “Decaying Bird” for koto commissioned by renowned virtuoso, Elizabeth Falconner, for her solo CD on Sparkling Beatnik Records.
5/98 Floralesque, a chamber opera, for Seattle Experimental Opera.
9/97 “Collection” for brass quartet + guitar, commissioned by the Young Composers Collective.
4/19/97 Psalm 41 for Esoterics, a Seattle-based A Cappella mixed choir specializing in 20th-century music. After competitive open-call screening process, selected to compose a piece for the choir’s April 19, 1997 concert.
4/17-19/97 Northwest New Works festival at On the Boards: The Secretary’s Handbook. Text by Vanessa DeWolf and choreography by Mary Lane.
1/97 A Theater Under the Influence: music for The Roaring Girl (an Elizabethan play).
10/96 Seattle Experimental Opera/Spoot Productions: The Archivist..
2/96 Marilyn Crispell/Francois Houle Duo: “Crispois,” for their CD on Toucan.
9/95-3/96 Young Composers Collective: “Concerto Grosso” premiered at Seattle’s annual Bumbershoot Festival. Also performed by Seattle Creative Orchestra 6/27/97.
Other Compositions
1974-Now Opera, Song cycles, chamber music, jazz compositions, improvisation structures, a 24-hour piece, analog electronic and computer music including a prize-winning piece for computer-generated tape and voice.
Conference Presentations
3/06 “Christian Wolff and Composer Indeterminacy Analysis,” presented at Christian Wolff Symposium, BYU.
11/00 “Groove Theory: Through the Grooves of James Brown,” presented at Society for Music Theory annual meeting, Toronto.
Professional and Scholarly Society Memberships
American Music Center
American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP)
Society for Music Theory (SMT).
College Music Society
Festival Performances
6/03 Seattle Festival of Improvised Music
6/00 Da Vinci Days, Corvallis, OR
11/98 Earshot jazz festival with Andrew Drury.
10/97 Earshot jazz festival with Eyvind Kang.
9/97 Bumbershoot Festival with out jazz quartet, Brainstun.
6/97 ArtsEdge: “I Will Write Ten Poems About What Happened To Me In Prison” with Seattle Experimental Opera.
10/14/96 Seattle Earshot Jazz Festival, October 1996, with Matthew Sperry Quartet.
6/22/96 Vancouver Du Maurier Jazz Festival with Francois Houle’s 7° of Light.
6/13/95 Vancouver Du Maurier Jazz Festival with Francois Houle/Ken Morrison Quartet.
9/4/95 “Concerto Grosso” performed at Seattle Bumbershoot Festival by Young Composers’ Collective.
5/28/94 Seattle Festival of Improvised Music with The Academes and Aitsi.
Broadcasts
Numerous broadcasts and live appearances on radio stations including KING-FM (Live By George), KUOW (Weekday), KCMU (including rotations and many appearances on Sonarchy), KBCS, KAOS. International airplay of recordings.