Michael Winter

  • mwinter@unboundedpress.org
  • 213.784.9595
  • www.unboundedpress.org

About

My work often explores simple processes where dynamic systems, situations, and settings are defined through minimal graphic- and text-based scores that can be realized in a variety of ways. To me, everything we experience is computable. Given this digital philosophy, I acknowledge even my most open works as algorithmic; and, while not always apparent on the surface of any given piece, the considerations of computability and epistemology are integral to my practice. I often reconcile epistemological limits with artistic practicality by considering and addressing the limits of computation from a musical and experiential vantage point and by collaborating with other artists, mathematicians, and scientists in order to integrate objects, ideas, and texts from various domains as structural elements in my pieces.

I have performed across the Americas and Europe at venues ranging in size from small basements to large museums to outdoor public spaces (some examples of more well known venues are REDCAT, Los Angeles; the University of Lille, France; the Ostrava Festival of New Music, Czech Republic; the CEAIT Festival, Los Angeles; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; and Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Santiago, Chile). In 2008, I co-founded and currently co-directs the wulf., a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to experimental performance and art. As a laboratory and hub for exploring new ideas, the wulf. has become an experiment in alternative communities and economies. Similarly, my work subverts discriminatory conventions and hierarchies by exploring alternative forms of presentation and interaction. I currently live in Los Angeles in the same place where the wulf. primarily organizes and hosts events.


Experience

University of Southern California
BODB and GBDB Lead Developer
Jan 2014 – present
  • Neuroinformatics project connecting large datasets to promote cross-discipline collaborations
  • Helped developed and teach the neuroinformatics track of an AI course; Python/Django
Wolfram Research
Research Programmer and Consultant
Jun 2012 – present
  • Signal processing
  • Developing real-time audio/visual system
the wulf.
Cofounder and Codirector
Aug 2008 – present
  • A 501(c)(3) non-profit arts organization that presents free experimental music performances
  • Organizing regular public events in experimental arts; grant-writing
Wolfram Alpha
Research Programmer
Apr 2011 – Jun 2012
  • Computational knowledge engine
  • Developed algorithms for parsing music theory related queries; scraped and formatted large music- and sports-related datasets
The Art Institute of California, Hollywood
Instructor
Jun 2010 – Apr 2011
  • Courses: Logic of Programming, Web Design, Sound Design, Interactive Design
  • Topics: interactive design, game theory, DAWs, sound design and synthesis, Python, HTML, CSS, history of electronic music
Music Mastermind
Developer and Consultant
Jun 2008 – Jul 2009
  • Game engine for generating music
  • Created algorithmic tools for automatic music creation
University of California, Santa Barbara
Teaching Assistant
Aug 2007 – Apr 2008
  • Courses: Transvergance, Digital Audio Signal Processing
  • Topics: digital architecture, philosophy of art, sound design and synthesis, composition, history of electronic music, Java, motion detection, immersive environments
University of Virginia, Charlottesville
Teaching Assistant
Aug 2006 – May 2007
  • Courses: Technosonics, Introduction to Music and Computers
  • Topics: DAWs, sound design and synthesis, composition, history of electronic music
California Institute of the Arts
Teaching Assistant
Aug 2003 – May 2005
  • Course: Introduction to Electronic Media and Computers
  • Topics: DAWs, sound design and synthesis, composition, history of electronic music

Skills

Teaching: Music Composition, DSP, Electronic Music, Music Theory, Programming, Neuroinformatics
Coding: SuperCollider, Python, JavaScript, Lilypond, Java, Mathematica, CSS, HTML, MySQL, NoSQL

Education

University of California, Santa Barbara
PhD in Media Arts and Technology
Jun 2010
California Institute of the Arts, Valencia
MFA in Music Composition
May 2005
University of Oregon, Eugene
BS in Music Technology
Jun 2003

Publications

From Scratch: Writings in Music Theory
Tenney, J. editors Polansky, L.; Pratt, L.; Wannamaker, R.; and Winter, M. UI Press. 2015.
On minimal change musical morphologies
Winter, M. Proceedings of the 2014 International Congress on Music and Mathematics. forthcoming.
Approximating Omega
Winter, M. Carbono (online). volume 7. 2014.
Chordal and timbral morphologies using Hamiltonian cycles
Akhmedov, A. and Winter, M. Journal of Mathematics and Music. volume 8 (1). pages 1–24. 2014.
Relativity and scalability with respect to sound and silence
Winter, M. Word Events: Perspectives on Verbal Notation. editors Lely, J. and Saunders, M. Bloomsbury. 2012.
A few more words about James Tenney: dissonant counterpoint and statistical feedback
Polansky, L.; Barnett, A.; and Winter, M. Journal of Mathematics and Music. volume 5 (2). pages 63–82. 2011.
Notes on a new economics for a new music
Winter, M. Experimental Music Yearbook (online). volume 2. 2010.
LiveScore: real–time notation in the music of Harris Wulfson
Barrett, G.D. and Winter, M. Contemporary Music Review. volume 29 (1). pages 55–62. 2010.
Structural Metrics: an epistemology
Winter, M. Dissertation. 2010.
James Tenney: Selected Works 1961–1969 (review)
Winter, M. Journal of the Society for American Music. volume 4. pages 531–533. 2010.
James Tenney biographical entry
Hanson, S.; Streb, C.; Polansky, L.; and Winter, M. Grove Dictionary of American Music. 2009.
On James Tenney's Arbor Vitae for string quartet
Winter, M. Contemporary Music Review. volume 27 (1). pages 131–150. 2008.
Mavericks on mavericks: James Tenney’s last courses at CalArts
Winter, M. MusikTexte. volume 112. pages 66–69. 2007.
Automatic Notation Generators
Barrett, G.D.; Winter, M.; and Wulfson, H. Proceedings of the 7th International NIME Conference. pages 346–351. 2007.

Talks

University of Southern California
On James Tenney’s Changes for six harps
Oct 2015
California Institute of the Arts
A few ways to get from one thing to the next
Oct 2015
Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana
Noise in the system: reading Claude Shannon
Oct 2015
Conservatorio de Las Rosas
New music for guitars
Nov 2014
Universidad de Buenos Aires
Algorithmic Information Theory, Metabiology, Music
Aug 2014
Universidad de Chile, Santiago
Algorithmic Information Theory, Metabiology, Music
Aug 2014
Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso
Algorithmic Information Theory, Metabiology, Music
Jul 2014
Universidade de São Paulo
Shape and Structure: a few good ideas on form and detail
May 2014
Escola de Música e Belas Artes do Paraná
On community and radicality: a personal survey of dangerous artists and art movements
May 2014
University of California, Santa Cruz
Several extremely simple ideas
Feb 2014
University of California, Santa Barbara
Adapting and applying digital signal processing techniques to high-level music information
Jan 2014
Workshop for Algorithmic Computer Music at University of California, Santa Cruz
A few thoughts on musical structure
Jul 2013
Workshop for Algorithmic Computer Music at University of California, Santa Cruz
James Tenney’s computer music
Jul 2013
Dartmouth College
Where do you get your data from?
May 2013
Dartmouth College
The computer in my life
May 2013
Wesleyan University
My software thinks your software is beautiful: a few words about metabiology, beauty and music
Nov 2011
University of California, Santa Cruz
A few words on elegance, creativity and beauty
Oct 2011
Dartmouth College
Three Ideas: 1) sometimes I steal, sometimes I don’t, and sometimes I think I am not stealing but actually am; 2) some thoughts on generalizing graphs and mathematical problems from musical ideas; 3) music, structural metrics and algorithmic information theory
Apr 2011
Dartmouth College
On James Tenney’s Changes for six harps
Apr 2011
IRCAM
On generalizing graphs and mathematical problems from musical ideas
Jan 2011
California Institute of the Arts
Structural metrics
Apr 2009
Columbia University
On James Tenney’s Arbor Vitae for string quartet
Feb 2008
State University of New York, Buffalo
Lecture on the machine and music
Dec 2006
State University of New York, Binghamton
Lecture on infinity
Aug 2005

Releases

west coast soundings
small world
Edition Wandelweiser Records. CD. 2014.
rounds
welcome round for larry
the wulf. records. Vinyl. 2013.
Music of Ostrava Days 2009 Live
recitation, code, and (perhaps) round
Ostrava Center for New Music. CD. 2009.
DIY Canons
Filter IV P.I.X.L. Study No. 1
Pogus Productions. CD. 2005.

Works

A performance history, scores, and recordings are available at <www.unboundedpress.org>.
All scores are also published or forthcoming through Frog Peak at <www.frogpeak.org/fpartists/fpwinter.html>.

single track
sustaining septet
2015
tergiversate
low sustaining trio
fade and aviary
sustained sounds and computer

to hum and walk
voice and electronics
2014
Approximating Omega (redux)
variable ensemble
[___south america___] miscellany
speaker and electronics
a conversation
speakers
necklaces
plucked strings
partition and gate
sustaining instruments

chorale and finely tuned resonators
variable ensemble
2013
order matters
variable ensemble
to converge (abstract)
variable ensemble
scaffold and map
variable ensemble
material... for james klopfleisch
variable ensemble
lv
variable ensemble
glass economies
prepared piano, piano, and/or glasses.
economy study (in one dimension)
prepared piano, piano, and/or glasses.

copyedit
variable ensemble
2012
quieting rooms
installation
delayGraph pre-alpha
computer
half-normal
variable ensemble
project.reflect.refract
film projector, reflecting and refracting objects, sustaining instruments, and perhaps percussion instruments with minimal decay
minor third
piano

mass and band
plucked strings and optional sustaining instruments
2011
minor third abstract
variable ensemble
slip and stitch
chimes
lower limit
variable ensemble
line and cipher
chimes with variable ensemble

partition conjugate prime (choir|orchestra|choir + one|two|one)
variable ensemble
2010
subset canon
variable ensemble
scene++
variable ensemble with electronics
before you cure the beast...
variable ensemble
just above and/or below the waterline...
variable ensemble
pedal, triangle machine, and (perhaps) coda
variable ensemble
after eons
variable ensemble
Approximating Omega
variable ensemble

piano machine
piano
2009
recitation, code, and (perhaps) round
choir
field and perfect circuit
variable ensemble
for gregory chaitin
variable ensemble
for Sol LeWitt
variable ensemble
gray codes
variable ensemble

towards completeness
variable ensemble
2008
small world
variable ensemble
dissection and field
variable ensemble
20 arrows 9 dashes
variable ensemble
for orin hildestad
variable ensemble
room and seams
variable ensemble
seams
variable ensemble

resonance i
variable ensemble
2007
maximum change
variable ensemble
after a koan
solo violin
sound.sound
variable ensemble
many many for james orsher and peter kotik
variable ensemble
4 James Orsher
variable ensemble
Vein Transcription
variable ensemble
Entropic Canon
variable ensemble
Three
variable ensemble
Transplanting, 06.11.07-06.16.07 (or Transcription, USA!)
variable ensemble
a chance happening
solo piano
cactus for james orsher
variable ensemble
1 sample, x performers, y seconds
variable ensemble
4 Ascents for James Tenney
variable ensemble

Trajectories
variable ensemble
2006
Prime Decomposition
variable ensemble
Intersections I
variable ensemble
Streams I
glissandi and electronics
diy for larry polansky
variable ensemble
three books and a dissertation
variable ensemble
in tone
variable ensemble
random I
variable ensemble
almost every piece
variable ensemble
for cassia streb
variable ensemble
for michael pisaro
variable ensemble
sort I
variable ensemble
nothing...I
variable ensemble

A Gaussian Canon
solo piano
2005
Infinity III
variable ensemble
Lecture on Infinity
variable ensemble
a tone for Erik KM Clark
solo violin
A Flourish
variable ensemble
Infinity 2
variable ensemble
Perspectives I
variable ensemble
Commas
variable ensemble
a set of pieces with one note
variable ensemble

Infinity 1
variable ensemble
2004
Filter IV - P.I.X.L. Study No. 1
tam-tam, cellos, cymbals, voices and electronics
Filter III - Transformation Filter
strings and electronics
Chromatic Study
variable ensemble
Tri-Dimensional Canon
variable ensemble
Difference
2 clarinets
2 Filters
variable ensemble
Flux
voice, bassoon, bass, clarinet, didgeridoo, and/or... and 2176 sine tones

Fission
flutes, clarinets, trumpet, horn, vibraphones, pianos, and strings
2003
Coincidental Canon
orchestra
Telot's Crystal
fixed digital media

A Meditation for Solo Piano
solo piano
2002
Beat Canon
variable ensemble
Density Study No. 2
fixed digital media

The Other Self
fixed digital media
2001