Henry Vega | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Henry Vega |
| Born | 1973 (age 51–52) |
| Origin | New York City |
| Genres | Electroacoustic,Experimentalminimalismart |
| Occupations | Composer, musician |
| Instruments | computer,classical guitar |
Henry Vega (born 1973) is a composer andElectroacoustic musician fromNew York City, currently living inThe Hague,Netherlands. He founded The Spycollective in 2006, a now defunct music, theater and dance group, and is a founding director ofArtek Foundation.[1] Vega has been composing and performing internationally since 2001 and is also a founding member of The Electronic Hammer trio with Diego Espinosa andJuan Parra Cancino. He is married toPolish composerKasia Glowicka.
Vega studied composition atFlorida International University between 1993 and 1999 with the composerOrlando Jacinto Garcia and later between 1999 and 2004 he completed a Masters in Music at theUniversity of North Texas studying under electroacoustic musician Jon Nelson.[2] He moved to Europe in 2001, where he studied at theInstitute of Sonology at theRoyal Conservatory of The Hague and received a Master of Music in Sonology. Between 2004 and 2008, he then completed a PhD fromQueen's University Belfast at the Sonic Arts Research Centre (SARC).
One of Vega's influences came from working with American composerEarle Brown, who was a modern proponent of theOpen Form style of composition and a father ofaleatoric music. This inspired Vega to compose pieces with the idea of "blocks of music," where performers had the freedom of interpretation (not improvisation) to play a block repeatedly until cue'd to another block. Vega said, ""This makes an impression of synchronicity between the performers, even though while they are in the block, they are completely unsynchronised."[3]
In writing about performances duringGaudeamus Week in Amsterdam, Peter Grahame and Alexa Woolf praised Vega as a composer, "who is dedicated to the creation and promotion of electro-acoustic music; the three female singers (inIdoru in Metals) creating 'an idolized computer-programmed singer, whose imaginary capabilities are infinite'... Great sounds, and splendid dissemination of them in Amvest Zaal (Room inBeurs van Berlage).[4]
In a 2012 interview, Vega noted several influences on his compositionWormsongs, including the futurist writings of philosopherMax More and a text from the artist Georg Hobmeier. He also noted the musical inspiration coming from composers such asKenneth Gaburo,Philip Glass, andGyörgy Ligeti. The use of text and the musical style combine to inspire Vega in the potential of technology as a force in musical performance and composition. He said, "One of the themes that More talks about is overcoming the fear of technology, learning to coexist with it and internalize it."[5]
Another work Vega composed from philosophical influence wasFogpatch, in collaboration with German media artist and architect, Daniel Fetzner and performance artist Georg Hobmeier (The SpyCollective). Vega's electronic compositions accompanied a theatrical performance based on an experience of German philosopherMax Bense. The project explored the fundamental conflicts between art and technology by reconstructing a traumatic body experience Bense had inSan Francisco.[6]
During his Artistic Residency at theStudio for Electro Instrumental Music (STEIM) inAmsterdam, Vega developed, composed, rehearsed and collaborated on projects such as the electronic-music theatre pieceIminami, his workWormsongs and also the piece "Slow slower."[7]
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