Robert Voisey (born 1969) is a composer and producer of electroacoustic and chamber music.[1] He founded Vox Novus in 2000 to promote the music of contemporary American composers[2] and in 2001 created The American Composer Timeline,[3] the first in-depth listing of American composers, spanning from 1690 to the present, to appear on the Internet. A producer of new music and multi-media concerts and events, Voisey is best known for producing the 60x60 project, which he started in 2003 in order to promote contemporary composers and their music.[4][5][6] He is co-director of the Composer's Voice Concert Series[7][8] as well as vice president of programs for the Living Music Foundation.[9]
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Robert Voisey's compositions fall under a few definitive genres: neo-romantic, ambient, mash-up, text-sound, and dramatic/operatic. His neo-romantic works tend to be chamber works for acoustic instruments while the other styles are electronic incorporating electronic playback of some form. Involved in various types of multimedia, Robert Voisey collaborates with video, dance, poetry, stage performers and others. He has written for film and theatrical stage performances.
Voisey's compositions have been performed A*Devantgarde festival,[10] Electronic Music Midwest festival,[11] the International Electroacoustic Festival at Brooklyn College,[12] ÉuCuE xxvii festival,[13][14] Digital Art Weeks,[15] the Spark Festival,[16] and the ThreeTwo festival,[17] as well as the TRANSreveLATION concert,[18] The Brick Elephant,[19] Fine and Dandy,[20] the August Art concert,[21] the Composer's Voice Concert Series,[22] and the 60x60 project.[23] His work routinely receives airplay on WKCR's Arts & Answers and Art Wave radio programs[24] as well as Max Shea's Martian Gardens on WMUA.[25]
Rob Voisey’s romantic art songs “Dos Palabras” (translated directly from Spanish is "Two Words" which is an idiom meaning "I Love You". The text of the art songs are based on the work of Argentinean poet Alfonsina Storni. It is a duet commissioned by Agueda Pages and has been premiered by her in New York City, Bremen, Germany and Valencia, Spain. This song cycle has had several performances in New York City at Jan Hus Church at the Composer’s Voice Concert series; the Argentinean Consulate, and at Christ & St Stevens Church for the XL performance. “Dos Palabras” has also been performed in Barcelona, Spain.
"Poppetjie" a 10 minute opera of Voisey's was premiered at Carnegie Hall and presented by the Remarkable Theater Brigade’s Opera Shorts. “Poppetjie” is a story about a little girl who projects her notions of marriage and relationships onto her doll and teddy bear. Poppetjie is an Afrikaans word meaning "little doll."[26]
Voisey's work 50 second miniature Oregon, was selected for Jon Nelson's 50/50 project.[27] The "50/50" CD release by Recombinations/mnartists 2010 with 49 other DJ’s composers, and sound artists. Inspired by this project Voisey continued this post-modern style creating other 50 second miniature he calls States. New York, another miniature, is part of the 60x60 (2010) International Mix and received debuts at London.’s Stratford Circus as well as in St Louis and Japan. The works North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, West Virginia, Hawaii, Virginia, Maryland, and Illinois all debuted in New York City on the Vox Novus “Club” concerts.[28]
His work Shades of Forte was selected for Electronic Music Midwest[29] as well as the Composer's Voice Concert Series and Fine and Dandy[30]
Several of Rob Voisey's 60 second miniatures featuring samples and are examples of mash-ups were selected for 60x60 mixes including: Sullen, Electric Trains, Executive Decision, and We Are All 60x60.
TainTed T is a sample work dedicated to Noah Creshevsky and written for a performance honoring his 60th birthday.[12]
In 2005 Robert Voisey's work Bounce won best electroacoustic composition in Komposer Kombat[31] The work is based on samples provided by Kalvos & Damian New Music Bazaar which hosted the competition.
Being a singer who is trained is using extended vocal techniques, Robert uses samples of his voice to create ambient works. He has recorded and performed these works. One of his projects called Constellations uses these ambient gestures and electronic digitally manipulated vocal sample to create miniature which are layer together in a "moblie" fashion to create a larger sonic mix. Each miniature is named after a constellation and each mix is named after the venue or project for which it was commissioned. The Constellations TRANSreveLATION Mix"[18][32] was the first mixed of this type and was followed by the EMM MIX,[33] Composer's Voice Mix, No Extra Notes Mix, Das Punk and Krooner Mix
Robert Voisey’s suite of six movements, Constellations, was for fixed media and dancers. Each miniature—a genre in which Voisey excels as he is the creator of 60x60, a concert series devoted to music lasting sixty seconds—was vocally based. I caught spinets of raga and Middle Eastern influence with the embellishments. Though in six movements with an ever-so-slight pause in between each, the sounds remained similar throughout. At first I was nonplussed, but by the end was won over by the steadfastness and singularity of purpose and idea. The choreography was clever; white clad dancers used various light sources (hand-held light strands, single-bulb palm flashlights, and a Christmas light-wrapped dancer) to manipulate the darkness of the stage and hall according to each constellation’s implied persona. – Eclectic electronics By Lee Hartman KCMetropolis.org Tue, Oct 4, 2011[34]
His two ambient works ripples in sand, Ursa Minor, Sagittarius were selected for 60x60 mixes. Sagittarius and 'Ursa Minor are a miniatures which are part of his Constellations project.
Lament and Loss was commissioned by Serban Nichifor and dedicated to Nichifor's departed wife Liana Alexandra and premiered on her memorial concert in Bucharest, Romania.
In October 2010, Robert Voisey's piece, Flute Lust, had its world premier at Electronic Music Midwest, performed by flutist Rebecca Ashe. The festival was held at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois.
Robert Voisey's work is frequently performed in New York City on various concert programs including: 2nd Annual Composers Play Composers Marathon presented by COMPOSERS CONCORDANCE[35][36] and Composer's Voice Concert Series by Vox Novus.[7]
He collaborated with Anne Cammon in India Songs described as "acoustic meditations each gesture happens in its own envelope of light, each word falls on the air like a drop of honey or rain."[37] This included performances at the Bowery Poetry Club, the Nuyorican, Cornelia Street Cafe and Beauty Keeps Laying Its Sharp Knife Against Me,[38][39] a compilation CD of poets and music. Another collaboration, Living Apart was selected for Digital Art Weeks SOUNDSCAPE & HOERSPIEL 08 A Diamond in the Mud[40]
Robert Voisey is regarded as having ambitious ideas not only for the dissemination of contemporary music and art performance but for the number of audience members interested in such productions, routinely bringing rarefied forms of artistic expression into the mainstream.[41][42] Chris Pasles of the Los Angeles Times listed him as one of the composers showing creativity in getting music heard.[43]
One of Voisey’s most notable projects which he produces, and directs is 60x60. Robert founded 60x60 in 2003 with it premier performance in New York City. 60x60 started as an electronic audio project presenting 60 recorded audio works by 60 different composers, each of the works 60 seconds or less in duration. The works are presented in sequence one after the other with each minute synchronized to an analog clock. Voisey describes 60x60: “Each work is a microcosm of the larger "marco-work". Because there are no pauses between works, each minute influences another. Some works complement each other while others contrast with their differing aesthetics and styles. The 60x60 performance hour is a representation of our community of artists as much as it is a representation of artistic ideas, styles, and aesthetics.”[44] “The project has grown exponentially and now regularly includes multiple mixes representing various geographic regions.”[42]
60x60’s primary focus is to create an artistic representation of the electronic music being created in society today and to present that music to a large audience. Each 60x60 performance mix contains a wide variety of musical styles and aesthetics. "Founder Robert Voisey said the 60-centric format – inspired by other intermission-free performances in New York – is designed to retain audiences' attention. And through "60x60," he hopes to expose newcomers to electronic music."[45]
“Part of the mission is to represent diverse composers from all walks of life,” said Robert Voisey, who was quoted at the debut of the 60x60 UnTwelve Mix[46] for the Magical Musical Showcase series at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, Illinois.[47] “The point of the project is that it enables an audience to take in and enjoy a cross section of different approaches to new music within a reasonable duration. And the purpose of Robert Voisey is to promote new music ... “[5]
A strong advocate for contemporary composition, Voisey finds innovative formats in which to produce and promote his music and the work of his colleagues. "His 60x60 project... brings packaged electroacoustic concerts to venues worldwide..." He is quoted as saying, "My belief is that there is a hungry audience out there waiting to be inspired and touched by the music and ideas that today's composer has to offer."[48] 60x60 is a contemporary music project putting 60 one minute works together in a one hour performance. "The point of the project is that it enables an audience to take in and enjoy a cross section of different approaches to new music within a reasonable duration. And the purpose of Robert Voisey is to promote new music"[49][50] 60x60 is "to represent diverse composers from all walks of life"[51]
The project boasts producing over 30 different mixes[52] and presenting more than 2000 composers[53] from the thousands of submissions it receives from its call for works.[54]
Robert Voisey designed 60x60 to be a telescopic project which can grow to fit the needs of a venue or satisfy the appetite of a curious audience. The project has spanned more than 20 countries on 6 continents and has been presented in many different multimedia incarnations including 60x60 Dance, 60x60 Video, and 60x60 Images.
In 2007, Robert Voisey began the 60x60 collaboration with dance.[55] The first performance was held its premier at Jan Hus Presbyterian Church in New York City. It also received a performance at Galapagos Art Space in D.U.M.B.O. Brooklyn. Described as a “bold initiative”[56] Of his 60x60 Dance collaboration with choreographer Jeramy Zimmerman in 2008, Roslyn Sulcas in The New York Times wrote:
The idea—60 new dance pieces are performed to 60 new pieces of music, each lasting no more than 60 seconds—is quite mad. But it's this kind of madness that makes the cultural world go round, and so our thanks are due to the composer Robert Voisey, who first came up with the concept in 2003.[57]
The November 14, 2008 performance at the World Financial Center Winter Garden Atrium attracted upwards of 1500 audience members, a number which is considered unusually high in the contemporary music and dance world.
Since then 60x60 Dance has received International acclaim and has been presented in countries around the world. Rob Voisey presented 60x60 Dance at Stratford Circus[58][59] which was endorsed by the 2012 London Olympics for their Open Weekend. Time Out London says:
Either a genius or crazy concept for a dance show, depending on how you look at it: 60 choreographers each create 60 seconds of movement to be performed in succession, making one hour of fast-changing, switched up dance … there's one thing you can say for sure, it won't be boring.[60]
In Toronto, 60x60 Dance “turned out to be a thoroughly enjoyable and original hour”, claimed by Paula Citron from Classical 96.3 who continues to rave, “ All kinds of kudos to dance artist Vivien Moore who assigned the music to the choreographers, and shaped the show to have some kind of continuity. How she merged the various dancers, and figured out exits and entrances was miraculous. “[61]
60x60 Dance premiered in St. Louis at MadArt Gallery,[62][63] and has been returning yearly to The Sheldon[64] and has been presented on public television.[65] "Robert Voisey collected and culled 60 musical arrangements from many more submissions, all to inspire the performers and stimulate the audience." -Minute to Win It, By Alison Sieloff[66]
In a colossal presenting endeavor, Robert Voisey produced a video collaboration with Patrick Liddell for 360 degrees of 60x60[67] containing 6 hours of video for each of the 6 RED Mixes of 360 degrees of 60x60 originally created for the 2010 ICMC.
Voisey presented 60x60 in collaboration with video artist Zlatko Cosic at the 2007 Electronic Music Midwest festival, about which SEAMUS Journal said that Voisey "did an exemplary job of forming a sonic tapestry comprised of extremely diverse material by extremely diverse composers. Sensitive video accompaniment by Zlatko Cosic also helped organize the concert into a more coherent whole."[68]
Robert Voisey is also co-directing an ambitious project with Mike McFerron and David Morneau called Orchestra 60x60.[69] Orchestra 60x60 is a completely acoustic project written for orchestra which is based on the 60x60 concept, 60 one-minute orchestra works written by 60 different contemporary composers presented in a continuous hour performance.[70] Orchestra 60x60 was first presented at the Conductors Guild Conference in 2009.[71]
Through Vox Novus, Robert Voisey is the founder and producer of 60x60, the Composer's Voice Concert Series,[7] Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame,[72] XMV,[73] and the American Composer Timeline. He is also the Organizational Advancement Director of the Electronic Music Midwest Festival since 2011.[74]
Beginning his college career as a double-major in computer science and mathematics and the son of two accountants,[75] Voisey was an unlikely student of classical composition. He met his first composition teacher, Oded Zehavi,[76] while taking a composition class for non-majors at Stony Brook University. Zehavi then invited him to join his fledgling composition program at Tel-Hai Academic College in the Upper Galilee of Israel.[77] Accepting the invitation, Voisey was soon heard on Kol Yisrael Israel Radio and received his first contemporary performances at the College.[78]
Voisey went on to study music in the Master's Program at Brooklyn College with composers Noah Creshevsky and George Brunner. Using his voice as a primary instrument, Voisey applied electronic techniques of sampling, digital processing and multi-track layering to his own work. Robert Voisey belonged to the Brooklyn College Electro-Acoustic Ensemble where his work was featured on three CDs and several concerts at the International Electroacoustic Festivals as well as composer concerts produced by the music department.[79][80]
He left the program at Brooklyn College to strike out on his own as a composer with an entrepreneurial spirit. He founded Vox Novus and began, with a handful of friends, to produce intimate chamber concerts called the Composer's Voice Concert Series. This series has been housed in a range of venues in New York City including South Oxford Space in Brooklyn, The Gershwin Hotel, Under St. Mark’s Theater, Collective: Unconscious, Christ St. Stephen’s Church, and most recently Jan Hus Church.
As a performer, Voisey has sung and performed all over the world including venues such as the Tank, Cornelia Street Cafe and Roulette in New York City.[81]
Robert Voisey is also a member of the ~chromatik_d_zabu.tmp (~CDZ)[82] under the pseudonym, "Vox." ~CDZabu is a non-profit organization where its members collaborate online in order to create electronic music available on the World Wide Web.
Robert Voisey has also been featured and interviewed on No Extra Notes with Richard Zarou, Noizepunk & Das Krooner show #21[83] and Kalvos & Damian New Music Bazaar #454[84] and Arts & Answers on WKCR FM NY.[85]
Eclectic electronics By Lee Hartman KCMetropolis.org Tue, Oct 4, 2011
60x60: netsuke for the musical mind By Richard Arnest Sounding Board, Spring 2011
Robert Voisey – 50/50 by Jon Nelson – Some Assembly Required, Saturday, October 16, 2010
Maximaliste! by Réjean Beaucage, VOIR, MAY, 27 2010
No time to fool around: Robert Voisey and the "madness" of the 60X60 project By Tobias Fischer, White Fungus, Issue 11 – 2010[86][87]
'Dance Around the Clock By Carl Glassman, The Tribeca Trib published December 8, 2009
You have one minute By David Cutler, The Savvy Musician, Helius Press, published October 26, 2009
Minute hand to sweep performers on, offstage By Amy Saunders The Columbus Dispatch published Saturday, October 3, 2009
"Rob Voisey: 60x60 Dance" By Suzanne Thorpe, Electronic Music Foundation, December 21, 2008
"An Express Without Any Delays" By ROSLYN SULCAS, New York Times, November 17, 2008
Brant Lyon & Friends / Beauty Keeps Laying Its Sharp Knife Against Me by JoAnne McFarland, NYC Big City Lit, Fall 2008
Arts Now! 60 X 60 2008 by Karen Moorman "Classical Voice in North Carolina", November 2008
Flash Dance Entertaining in a New York minute By Eudie Pak – Village Voice – Wednesday, Nov 5, 2008
"Gone in 60 Minutes: Electronic Compositions Showcased at NC State University" Alexandra Jones, "Classical Voice in North Carolina", October 1, 2007
"WRITERS' BLOCK", Chris Pasles "Los Angeles Times", July 22, 2007[88]
"Time and Motion", Anne Cammon, "Fly Global Music Culture", May 26, 2007
"In Concert, 60 Times the Fun", Sophia Yan, "Oberlin Review", April 27, 2007
"60x60 Project presents 60 composers in 60 minutes", Rachel Slade, "North Texas Daily", February 28, 2007
"Sound Sampler", Greg Haymes "Times Union", February 9, 2006
"Ingenuity and madness?", Malcolm Miller, "Music & Vision Daily", December 24, 2005
"From Irish Eyes to Short Attention Spans", Frank J. Oteri & John Schaefer, "Soundcheck", WNYC, New York, March 17, 2005
"Got a Minute? A Few Words on Music in 60 Seconds or Less", Robert Voisey with additional reporting by Frank J. Oteri, "NewMusicBox", May 1, 2004
– featuring the collaboration of Marsmalade, Angry Jane, JS, Martouk, Vox (a.k.a. Robert Voisey), Exorziser
[1] enceladus groove, [2] spelun king, [3] the folk, [4] polynesian escape, [5] dark oasis, [6] sitzprobe
– featuring the collaboration of e-plastic, Snvl, Intentolla, eze, Vox (a.k.a. Robert Voisey)
[1] next door marmalade,[2] love me blender, [3] in memoriam of dishwasher sprites, [4] mario cleaning dishes, [5] undead steak
– featuring the collaboration of Snvl, Dr Chnolles, b.p.-y.m., Mike V + Vox Novus: Rob Voisey, Greg Bartholomew, Antonino Cuscina, Larry Gaab, David Morneau, David Newby, John Saylor, Jane Wang
[1] vogel's private hell, [2] da vinci downtown, [3] not asleep yet, [4] mr. glitch meets glitchbot, [5] dr. turbano, [6] urba lulkanto, [7] voltaire's underwear, [8] deep drag gone, [9] synq, [10] descent into chaos, [11] better late than never, [12] spidered sidewalks of glam, [13] do you dream in black and white?
– featuring the collaboration of M. Velouté, e-plastic, Snvl, Pablo, Fred, Don Malone (EMM – Roosevelt University, Illinois), Greg Dixon (EMM ), Robert Voisey (EMM – Vox Novus)
[1] Midwest, [2] elevator, [3] october, [4] existence, [5] hotels, [6] parallel audience, [7] mtv prairie, [8] longhorn steakhouse