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Earl Howard’s Strong Force,
A Fromm Foundation Commission, was performed and recorded in the Fall of 1999 at Merkin Hall, New York City. Written for the Parabola Arts Ensemble consisting of Anthony Davis, Gerry Hemingway, Anne Le Baron, Ernst Reijseger, and himself, Strong Force uses the skills of this extraordinary group of players to translate Howard’s personal vision of the ensemble situation so effectively that even the sense of spontaneity is retained, though the material is clearly composed.
Earl Howard has been performing his compositions in the United States and Europe for the past thirty years. His recent compositions include music for live electronics, electronic tape music as well as music for electronics and instruments. Earl Howard's method of creating orchestrated sounds with electronics and adding live, improvisational performance creates a unique, densely layered composition that has been performed to enthusiastic audiences at Merkin Hall, the Whitney Museum, The Kitchen, Roulette, and Carnegie Recital Hall. His works have been performed and recorded by a number of musicians including Anthony Davis' recording of Particle W, for piano and tape and Gerry Hemingway's recording of D.R. for solo percussion. The recording, Pele's Tears on Random Acoustic represents ten years of his electronic music and he recorded Fire Song with hyperpianist, Denman Maroney for Erstwhile. In 1985 Ursula Oppens and Anthony Davis commissioned Mr. Howard to compose Monopole for two pianos and tape. The Parabola Arts Foundation commissioned Quarks for tape and the Episteme Ensemble.
Mr. Howard is also a virtuoso saxophonist and has developed an extended repertoire for the instrument including Cinco Centavos for solo saxophone and Naked Charm for saxophone and tape which was performed at the New Music America festival in Hartford, Connecticut. He has received Composer fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation on the Arts. He has produced numerous soundtracks for some of the leading film and video artists including Nam June Paik, Mary Lucier, Rii Kanzaki, Bob Harris, and Bill Brand.
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