Several years ago I was given a player piano and that’s how The Player Piano Project was born. I asked a number of composers to write new works or arrange old works for my new old piano. What resulted was an eclectic collection of 23 pieces by 22 composers from 6 different countries including James Tenney, Thomas Adès, Chris Dench and Veronika Krausas. The works were performed at the Alfred Newman Concert Hall at the University of Southern California in conjunction with a CD release.

This concert was part of the Faculty Masters Series through the Thornton School of Music at USC, organized by faculty composer Veronika Krausas. The program and CD also feature a work for player piano by American composer James Tenney (1934-2006), to whom the concert and CD are dedicated.

From the CD introductory essay by Eric Smigel: This project is dedicated with love and respect to James Tenney (1934-2006), whose uncompromising work as a composer, researcher, and teacher reflects his lifelong commitment to the exploration and expansion of perception. His integration of music, psychology, and computer science greatly enhanced the understanding of the relationship between technology and humanity, and his passionate curiosity continues to inspire new paths on the never-ending search.

JAMES TENNEY

1. Spectral CANNON for CONLON Nancarrow

LARRY POLANSKY

2. III interloods

THOMAS ADÈS

3. Sursum

OSVALDO BUDÓN

4. Melodias para el fin de Pietro Crespi

SHAUN NAIDOO

5. B-Sharp Wallah

JEFFREY HOLMES

6. Oro Supplex…

MARC SABAT

7. WAKE for JIM

LOU BUNK

8. Player Piano

CHRIS DENCH

9. Pas Seul I

JOSEPH BISHARA

10. Spectral Manifestation

VERONIKA KRAUSAS

11. White & Orange

ARR. VERONIKA KRAUSAS

12. Blue

CLARENCE BARLOW

13. Kuri Suti Bekar

GORDON MONAHAN

14. Just Another Turkey Track Horizon

BRIAN CURRENT

15. Banjo/Continuum

JAMES HARLEY

16. pLayer8

TAMAR DIESENDRUCK

17. Loom Study 1 for Player Piano

SEAN HEIM

18. Elegant Styles

DANIEL CORRAL

19. Eraser

GAYLE YOUNG

20. Forest

SARA GRAEF

21. Building 58

JULIAN REVIE

22. Jam To-Morrow and Jam YESterday

ARR. CEIRI TORJUSSEN

23. Raiders March