Robert Voisey

“With few opportunities and much competition, young composers show creativity in just getting heard.” And in Chris Pasles’s article in the Los Angeles Times, Robert Voisey is highlighted as one of those composers. Composing electroacoustic and chamber music, his aesthetic oscillates from the romantic to the Post Modern Mash-Up. His work has been performed in venues throughout the world including: Carnegie Hall, World Financial Center Winter Garden Atrium, and Stratford Circus in London

His idea and project 60×60 has been described as “mad” by the New York Times and publications around the world. Besides founding and directing 60×60, Voisey composes/curates the one hour “macro-compositions” consisting of 60 one minute works from different composers/sound artists. He has created over 25 one hour mixes which have been performed hundreds of times in more than 20 countries in performances, radio, and Television. His own 60 second miniatures have been included in several mixes including: “New York,” “Ursa Minor,” “Electric Trains,” “Sagittarius,” “tongues,” “We are all 60×60,” “ripples in sand,” and “Executive Decision.”

A post-modern project of Rob Voisey is his “States” project inspired by Jon Nelson’s 50/50. “States” is a collection of 50 second mash-ups consisting of sound collage, featuring post consumer audio. Voisey’s piece “Oregon” was selected and featured on the “50/50” CD release by Recombinations/mnartists 2010 with 49 other DJ’s composers, and sound artists. “New York,” another miniature from the “States” project, is part of the 60×60 (2010) International Mix and received debuts at London.’s Stratford Circus as well as in St Louis and Japan. The works “North Dakota,” “Oregon,” “Texas,” “West Virginia,” “Hawaii,” “Virginia,” “Maryland,” and “Illinois” all debuted in New York City on the Vox Novus “Club” concerts.

Another collage project of Robert Voisey is “Constellations.” Each Constellation Mix uses a ‘mobile’ form comprising of one minute ambient miniatures which include the live and electronic manipulation of Robert Voisey’s voice. Consistent with mobile form each constellation mix changes with each performance and is titled for the venue where it was debuted: “Constellations No Extra Note Mix” was created for the No Extra Notes podcast by Richard Zarou; “Constellations USB MIX” premiered in Stony Brook University on Long Island, New York in 2009; “Constellations Composer’s Voice Mix” premiered on Composer’s Voice concert series In New York City; “Constellations Das Punk & Krooner Mix” was created for the Das Punk & Krooner podcast; “Constellations EMMMIX” was premiered at the Electronic Music Midwest festival Kansas City, Kansas in 2007; and the “Constellations TRANSreveLATION Mix” premiered at the TRANSreveLATION concert in New York City. Many of the ambient miniatures making up constellations have received their own performances: “Sagittarius” was included on the 60×60 project and was released on the 60×60 2006 CD and received performances and airplay around the world; “Ursa Major,” was selected for the 60×60 UnTwelve mix in 2010 with performances in Chicago, Istanbul, Kansas City and Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania; the miniatures “Orion,” “Ursa Major,” “Ursa Minor,” and “Cancer” received premiere performances in New York City on the Composer’s Voice concert series.

On the less short more romantic side, Voisey’s 10 minute opera, “Poppetjie” premiered at Carnegie Hall presented by the Remarkable Theater Brigade’s Opera Shorts. “Poppetjie” is a story about a little girl who projects her notions of marriage and relationships onto her doll and teddy bear.

Rob Voisey’s romantic art songs “Dos Palabras” which are based on the work of Argentinean poet Alfonsina Storni. It is a duet commissioned by Agueda Pages and has been premiered by her in New York City, Bremen, Germany and Valencia, Spain. This song cycle has had several performances in New York City at Jan Hus Church at the Composer’s Voice Concert series; the Argentinean Consulate, and at Christ & St Stevens Church for the XL performance. “Dos Palabras” has also been performed in Barcelona, Spain.

Before taking up the role of Director of Public Relations at Electronic Music Midwest, Voisey’s works was regularly chosen for the festival and personally brought 60×60 there since 2005. Works performed at EMM include: “Flute Lust” performed by Rebecca Ashe on Electronic Music Midwest was performed in 2010 as well as “Mandala: Soft Fire” a video collaboration with Patrick Liddell; “Monkey Lab,” a collaboration with David Morneau, was performed in 2009; “Shades of Forte” an electronic collage piece was performed in 2008; “Constellations EMM Mix” electronics and voice was performed in 2007; “We are all 60×60” included in the 60×60 Midwest Mix performed in 2006. Robert Voisey and his 60×60 Midwest Mix was featured on the 2005 Electronic Music Midwest Festival. Since then he brought 60×60 Midwest to the festival in 2006; presented a live video collaboration of the 60×60 Midwest Mix with Zlatko Cosic in 2007; in 2008 he presented an installation of 60×60 containing works from all the Midwest Mixes; in 2009 he debuted 60×60 Dance; and in 2010 Robert Voisey in collaboration with Patrick Liddell presented a video installation of all six hours of the 60×60 ICMC “RED” mixes (Burgundy, Crimson, Magenta, Sanguine, Scarlet, and Vermillion.)

Robert Voisey was also interviewed by the Los Angeles Times for its Sunday Entertainment Section, profiled on Some Assembly Required with Jon Nelson, No Extra Notes with Richard Zarou, Big Dance in London, Arts Electric at the Electronic Music Foundation, White Fungus Art Magazine by Tobias Fischer, Fly Global Music Culture’s web magazine, as well as being featured on the HEC-TV, St Louis, Cityscape NPR St. Louis Public Radio, Citywide on WNYU, Arts & Answers on WKCR, Afternoon New Music on WKCR, Kalvos & Damian’s New Music Baazaar, Noizepunk & Das Krooner show and Martian Gardens on WMUA. His work routinely receives airplay on WKCR’s “Arts & Answers” and “Art Waves” radio programs in New York City as well as Max Shea’s “Martian Gardens” on WMUA Amherst, Massachusetts.

He has been invited to speak about his own music, the 60×60 project, and the promotion of new music at the Stony Brook University, Concordia University, Duquesne University , University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of Central Florida, University of California at Fresno. He has also presented and introduced the 60×60 project to audiences all over the world including: Stratford Circus (London, United Kingdom) World Financial Center Winter Garden Atrium (New York, New York), Sheldon Concert Hall (St. Louis, Missouri), Music Gallery (Toronto, Canada), Mills College (Oakland, California), the University of Central Florida (Orlando, Florida), Electronic Music Midwest festival (Kansas City, Kansas and Romeoville, Illinois), Adelphi University (Long Island, New York), A*DEvantgarde festival (Munich, Germany), Goldsmiths College (London, England), the Amadeus center (London, England), Oberlin Conservatory of Music (Oberlin, Ohio), State University of New York at Albany (Albany, New York), Lille Conservatory (Lille, France), University of Hartford, (West Hartford, Connecticut), William Paterson University (Wayne, New Jersey), CalArts (Valencia, California), Harbor College (Los Angeles, California), International Electroacoustic Festival (Brooklyn, New York), and Collective: Unconscious (New York).