—Interview conducted by Andrew Sieradzki ’26E, Eastman Communications Intern
The Electroacoustic Music Studios @ Eastman (EMuSE), led by Mikel Kuehn, ‘93E (MA) ‘95E (PhD), frequently invites guest composers to Eastman’s campus to have pieces performed alongside historical compositions and those written by students, and their upcoming concert on Thursday, September 26th at 7:30 p.m. in Hatch Recital Hall, is no exception. Composer Kotoka Suzuki will be featured on this program in addition to being part of a symposium to discuss her music earlier that same day. We recently sat down with her to talk about this event and her works.
Q: Can you talk about the difference between being a “composer” and a “sound artist”? How do the two phrases differ to you?
A: In my opinion, sound art is conscious of, and works around, the acoustic and physical space surrounding the work. The materiality of sound and its appearance in the space is an essential element in sound art. There is no doubt that sound art and music composition can coexist, but a music composition may not necessarily be sound art. I’m often both a composer and sound artist, but sometimes I am solely a composer.
Q: Your works often manifest in different forms – acoustic music, electronic music, multimedia performances, and more. When creating a new piece, what goes into selecting its medium?
A: I have written for both purely acoustic instruments and electroacoustic, but I enjoy working with the combination of these two mediums the most. This combination allows me to explore the sounds I want to achieve to the fullest and to experiment with my interest in theater with the performers. Multimedia projects often come from collaborating with artists from other disciplines (ex., video, dance, etc.). These collaborations push me to think about how music can effectively create dialogues with various mediums and a much richer immersive experience. Multimedia projects are often bigger in scale and more time-intensive, but I make a conscious effort to embark on these projects as often as I can.
Q: Can you tell us something about what we can expect to hear and/or see in your works at the EMuSE concert?
A: You will hear two works at the EMuSE concert. “Ephyphyllum Oxypetalum” (Queen of the Night) for electroacoustic is composed for 14 channels, and you will hear this spatialized for the Ambisonic setup. The work is an acoustic journey through imaginary landscapes I have dreamed of over the years. “Umidi Soni Colores” (Wet – sound – color) is my very first collaboration work with the Austrian video artist and my longtime collaborator, Claudia Rohrmoser, and my first exploration with sound spatialization. It is composed of three separate videos projected onto multiple transparent screens, and 8.1.1. audio setup. At this concert, you will experience the work in a 5.0 layout and for a single video where three videos are combined. The work is inspired by the architectural space of Parochial Kirche, the oldest church in Berlin, Germany, where this work was premiered. Inspired by the haunting presence of the church and its destroyed interior surfaces from WWII, the work incorporates elements of stone, fire, and water as the theme for each movement.
Q: What are you hoping students, both participating in EMuSE and in the audience, take away from this performance?
A: I hope I have created an acoustic experience that transports you to imaginary places and triggers your senses to feel being in spaces you may not have experienced before.
EMuSE with Kotoka Suzuki, guest composer
Thursday, September 26
Hatch Recital Hall | 7:30 p.m.
Free and open-to-the public
For specific information regarding the performance, symposium, and to learn more about EMuSE, please visit the EMuSE website. To learn more about Kotoka Suzuki, please visit the composer’s website.
Photography by Guanglong Peng & Hengjie Zhao.