Circuit Fantôme S4 Ep4: Michael J. Schumacher Event

Circuit Fantôme
series of octophonic / acousmatic listening sessions and performances,
curated by Anton Iakhontov and Daniel Teruggi.

Season 4 Episode 04: Michael J. Schumacher LIVE:
Noema,
SAM Still,
April Improvisation,
and more.

Coordination - Petra Leisentritt, Ayac Iuan Jiménez Salvador,
Supported by Stadt Wien Kultur.

Based in Brooklyn, Michael J. Schumacher has innovated in the area of spatialized sound and algorithmic composition since the 1980s, creating multi-channel, generative “Room Pieces” presented in galleries, museums, concert halls, public and private spaces. XI records has published a DVD set of five sound installations as computer applications, playable on up to eight speakers, which may be installed on a computer to create sound environments in the home. Schumacher’s composition “Grid”, a computer- generated score, has been in exhibitions in New York, Barcelona and Houston, and was performed by Ne(x)tworks Ensemble. His building-wide installation at EMPAC, in Troy New York, ran 24/7 for one year. “Living Room Pieces” is a generative installation designed for home listening; in 2021 Schumacher made an edition of 10 for Raspberry Pi. “The Portable Multi-channel Sound System” is a complete immersive environment that fits in a suitcase, with which he has toured Europe and the United States.
His interest in the relationship of musical form and architecture led to the founding of Diapason Sound Art, a gallery devoted to the presentation of multi-channel sound installations, long-duration performances and intermedia artworks. The gallery’s two high quality sound systems and its attention to the details of heightening aural perception made it an optimal space for creating and experiencing minimalist and process-based work. In its 15 years of existence Diapason presented over 300 artists at a time when sound art was emerging as a distinct practice in the United States.
Schumacher’s compositions have been presented at Roulette, Issue Project Room, The Kasser Theater, Artists Space, Ostrava Music Days, The Sound Art Museum in Rome, Transmediale in Berlin, the MCA Lyon, The Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Klangraum Krems, The Dream House, Skanu Mezs Festival, among many others.
His music has been published by XI Records, Sub Rosa, Entr’acte, Quecksilber and Sedimental.
Schumacher is the music director of the Liz Gerring Dance Company, with whom he has collaborated on a dozen full-evening length works over the past 20 years. He also performs regularly with choreographer Sally Silvers.
He studied music composition with Stanley Applebaum, Bernhard Heiden, John Eaton and Vincent Persichetti and piano with Seymour Bernstein, John Ogdon and Shigeo Neriki, and has degrees from Indiana University and Juilliard. He also worked with La Monte Young, Giampaolo Bracali and Milton Babbit. He has collaborated with choreographers, poets, architects, musicians and filmmakers including Oren Ambarchi, Bruce Andrews, Charles Curtis, Ken Jacobs, Victoria Meyers, Donald Miller, Ursula Scherrer and Stephen Vitiello.
He has received awards and residencies from NYFA, Harvestworks, RPI, DAAD, New Music USA, NYSCA, EMS Stockholm, Q-O2 Brussels, EMPAC and others. He’s an adjunct professor at NYU and has guest-lectured at Bard and RPI as well as having recently been the Varèse professor at Berlin’s TU.