Events Calendar

An Evening with Trimpin, Sound Artist

Admission is free.

Reception to follow.

Trimpin, an internationally acclaimed artist, kinetic sculptor, sound artist, musician, engineer, inventor, composer and MacArthur Genius Grant recipient, is one of the most stimulating one-man forces in music today. A specialist in interfacing computers with traditional acoustic instruments, he has developed a myriad of methods for playing trombones, cymbals and pianos with Macintosh computers. An evening with Trimpin will explore his work and the world of sound art. The evening will incorporate a lecture, a musical/sound-art performance and an excerpt from the film Trimpin: The Sound of Invention.

Trimpin was born in southwestern Germany, near the Black Forest. His early musical training began at the age of eight, learning woodwinds and brass instruments. In later years he developed an allergic reaction to metal that prevented him from pursuing a career in music, so he turned to electro-mechanical engineering. Afterwards, he spent several years living and studying in Berlin, where he received his master's degree from the University of Berlin. Eventually he became interested in acoustical sets while working in theatre productions with Samuel Beckett and Rick Cluchey, director of the San Quentin Drama Workshop. From 1985 to 1987 he co-chaired the electronic music department of the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam. Trimpin now resides in Seattle, where numerous instruments that defy description adorn his amazing studio. In describing his work, Trimpin sums it up as 'extending the traditional boundaries of instruments and the sounds they're capable of producing by mechanically operating them. Although they're computer-driven, they're still real instruments making real sounds, but with another dimension added, that of spatial distribution. What I'm trying to do is go beyond human physical limitations to play instruments in such a way that no matter how complex the composition of the timing, it can be pushed over the limits.

Organized by Karen Koblitz (Fine Arts) and Veronika Krausas (Music). Co-sponsored by the USC Thornton School of Music and the USC Roski School of Fine Arts.

For further information on this event:
visionsandvoices@usc.edu

Location: Allan Hancock Foundation (AHF) - Alfred Newman Recital Hall

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Daria Yudacufski