Kevin Ernste

Associate Professor

Overview

Kevin Ernste is a composer, performer, and teacher of composition and electronic music at Cornell University where he is Director of the Cornell Electroacoustic Music Center (CEMC). He did graduate work in Music Composition at the Eastman School of Music (MA, PhD). He is a founding member of the Cornell Avant-Garde Ensemble (CAGE, http://digital.music.cornell.edu/cage/). He was the Acting Director of the Eastman Computer Music Center and Co-director of the ImageMovementSound festival. 

His recent music includes Nisi [nee-see] (“Island” in Greek) for hornist Adam Unsworth released on Equilibrium Records,  Numina for Brooklyn-based Janus Trio (flute, viola, harp) presented recently at the Spark Festival in MN, Seiend for brass quintet premiered by Ensemble Paris Lodron(Salzburg, Austria, Roses Don’t Need Perfume for guitarist Kenneth Meyer (gtr. and electronic sounds, 2009) recently presented by Dr. Meyer on a Hungary/Romania tour, a piece for saxophone and electronics called To Be Neither Proud Nor Ashamed (released on Innova Records), and Birches for viola with electronic sounds for John Graham performed on Mr. Graham’s recent China tour (Beijing, Wuhan, Xiamen, Hong Kong) as well as at the Aspen Summer Music Festival.  Mr, Graham presented Birches again in August 2011 at the International Computer Music Conference  (ICMC) in Huddersfield, UK.

Ernste’s recently commissioned works include Chorale for chamber ensemble and electronics (after Stucky on Purcell), Palimpsest for the JACK Quartet,  and a half-evening-length work in progress for viola, percussion, and “unmanned” prepared piano.

Links of interest:

Cornell Electroacoustic Music Center (CEMC)
Cornell Avant-Garde Ensemble (CAGE)

Research Focus

  • Composition: electroacoustic music
  • Improvisation
  • Field recording
  • Studio and remote recording
  • Mixing and mastering
  • Spatialized and immersive sound
  • Microphone array design

Publications

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