MANTIS premiere of "To an Independent Thinker" (8'50) by Camilo Salazar. A NOVARS/Delia Derbyshire's commission.
The composer says: 'To an Independent Thinker is a work in three movements, inspired by and in honour to Delia Derbyshire, who worked for the BBC Radiophonic Workshop in the 1960s. She became best known for her arrangement of the Dr. Who theme, however her compositional output included standalone electronic works, as well as work for television and theatre. She is considered by many as one of the earliest pioneers of electronic music in the UK. This composition is one of the outcomes (along with two installations) resulting from a residency at NOVARS in collaboration with the Centre for Screen Studies at the University of Manchester. The three movements of this work are inspired by Delia Derbyshire's own words in a recorded interview. The work presents a variety of sonic material, some of which has been derived from the Delia Derbyshire archive, now housed at the University of Manchester. Sounds are presented both as quotations of Delia's own words and her original sounds. However, there are also new sounds, created through processing of Delia's originals using current software tools as well as my own source material. A major aim is not only to explore the Delia's sound world, but also to convey the humour and passion of her personality, along with the frustrations, which she experienced in a male-dominated and misunderstood environment.
Special thanks to Ricardo Climent, David Butler and David Berezan for their support during this residency'.
Camilo Salazar – bio
Born in Bogotá, Colombia, Camilo Salazar began his studies in classical guitar performance at the Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Bogotá, Colombia. In 2002, he transferred to the University of North Texas, where he obtained his Bachelors and Master of Music degrees in Composition and Computer Music. He studied under the supervision of Jon Christopher Nelson, Joseph Butch Rovan, Andrew May, Joseph Klein, and David Bithell. His pieces have been selected in numerous festivals and concerts in the United States, Europe and Colombia, including SEAMUS, ICMC, and Bourges Synthèse. In 2008, he curated a series of concerts featuring Colombian composers born in the 70s. This series “ColombiAcústica” is an on-going project that intends to continue for many more series. He recently completed a residency at the NOVARS Research Centre, University of Manchester, where he was commissioned to compose work inspired by and using materials from the Delia Derbyshire archive.
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