Concert VII
June 26, 8:00PM
MISE-EN_PLACE (45 Saint Nicholas Avenue, New York, NY 10026)
Program
Rodrigo Cadiz (Chile/Chile): Pedesis (2025)
Ali Latif Shushtari (Iran/Switzerland): Quartet (2021)
James May (USA/USA): dredge i (2024)
Alicia Castillo (USA/USA): Billow (2024)
Moon Ha (South Korea/USA): beauty in (2025)
About the composers
Rodrigo F. Cádiz studied engineering (BSc) and composition (BA) at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC) and obtained his Ph.D. in Music Technology from Northwestern University. He has composed around 70 works for different formats and authored about 70 scientific publications in indexed journals and international conferences. His music has been presented at several venues and festivals around the world. He has received several artistic creation and research grants. In 2018, he was a Tinker Visiting Professor at Stanford University and in 2024 a visiting researcher at the Orpheus Instituut. In 2019, he obtained the Excellence in Artistic Creation Prize from UC. He is currently a full professor with a joint appointment at both the Music Institute and the Department of Electrical Engineering at UC in Santiago, Chile.
Ali Latif-Shushtari (*1990) was born in Iran. After fulfilling his BSc and MSc in Physics, In 2019, he was admitted to a Master’s program in Composition at HKB, which he finished in 2022 under the mentorship of Xavier Dayer, Simon Steen-Andersen, and Dr. Leo Dick. He has attended masterclasses instructed by composers such as Stefan Prins, Mauro Lanza, and Oscar Bianchi. His music has been performed by ensembles such as ICTUS, Vortex, and Shockwave. He was assistant composer and co-director of Rebecca Saunders’s CHROMA XXI and XXII. He currently is pursuing his PhD at the Graduate School Freiburg-Bern for Artistic Research.
James May is a composer, improviser, sound artist, and photographer. His work explores unfurling, fragile spaces, using improvisation environments, field recordings, and live electronics to generate unpredictable systems in which performers can dwell. He has collaborated on performances and recordings with RE:duo, Versipel New Music, Chamber Choir Ireland and Paul Hillier, Stephanie Lamprea, Will Yager, and Jamie Monck, and has been programmed and recognized by the International Computer Music Conference (ICMC), MISE-EN FESTIVAL, Birdfoot Festival, and New Music on the Bayou. He is completing a PhD in Music and Multimedia Composition at Brown University.
Alicia Castillo (b.1997) is a composer and performer of acoustic and electroacoustic music based in Phoenix, Arizona. She enjoys collaborating closely with performers and crafting narrative driven music that explores auditory perception.
Her music has been performed by Wild Up, Eugene Difficult Music Ensemble, 113 Composers Collective, Oh My Ears Instrument Choir, Arizona Contemporary Music Ensemble, and Arizona State University’s Wind Ensemble.
Alicia holds master’s degrees in Composition and Guitar Performance from Arizona State University. She currently serves as a faculty associate at ASU and adjunct faculty at Glendale Community College teaching music theory, aural perception, and electronic music.
Moon Ha, an artist and researcher based in New York, utilizes a diverse range of tools and technologies—from traditional musical instruments and found objects to computers and handmade electronics—to create intricate soundscapes and music. As a composer working with electronics, what distinguishes his creative practice and current research is his exploration of approaches to music and sustainability, addressing crucial issues such as consumption, pollution, accessibility, and the overall stability of art and music creation. Recent projects underscore his commitment to sustainability, employing recycled and repurposed materials to craft new music and sound works, with premieres and exhibitions in South Korea, Canada and the USA, including the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Brooklyn College, and others.