COMPOSER. MULTIMEDIA ARTIST.
DIRECTOR OF SPLICE INSTITUTE. EDUCATOR. PROGRAMMER. 

Christopher Biggs is a composer and multimedia artist residing in Kalamazoo, MI, where he is Associate Professor of Music Composition and Technology at Western Michigan University. Biggs’ recent projects focus on integrating live instrumental performance with interactive audiovisual media. Biggs is the Director of SPLICE Institute. His first album, Decade Zero, was released on Ravello Records in the fall of 2017.

Current Projects

will all fall in

will all fall in for vibraphone and interactive electronics has been commissioned by Scott Deal. The work is inspired Jeff Lemire’s graphic novel “A.D.: Afterdeath.” The work will be performed in Beijing and Indianapolis in Fall 2019. The live electronics consist of 8 processing units, each of which can be automatically mixed based on the amplitude of any other set of signals.

Imprints in Time

Imprints in Time for saxophone with thunder tube insert and interactive audiovisual electronics is being written for Noa Even, Justin Massey, Henning Schröder Zach Shemon, and Drew Whiting.

bw.tools

bw.tools is a collaborative programming project with Samuel Wells. It is a max package of useful objects built in Javascript. Contents include a cue system, a system for triggering and manipulating fixed media files, a random range object, and numerous other utilities. Download at: https://github.com/sllewmas/bw.tools

About

Christopher Biggs is a composer and multimedia artist whose “original and unique musical language” blends dense, contrapuntal textures with direct, visceral expression. His music presents a “masterful combination between acoustic instruments and electronics” (Avant Scena), and has been described as “heartbreakingly beautiful” (Classical Music Review), and a “sonic foodfight” (Jazz Weekly). His recent projects focus on integrating live instrumental performance with interactive audiovisual media.

Biggs’ music has been presented across the United States and Europe, as well as in Latin America and Asia. His music is regularly performed on conferences and festivals, including the International Computer Music Conference, SEAMUS Conference, Visiones Sonoras, Electronic Music Midwest, Electroacoustic Barn Dance, Root Signals, New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, Toronto International Electroacoustic Music Symposium, Bowling Green New Music Festival, and Society for Composers, Inc. Biggs has been a featured guest composer at the Wired Festival (Wisconsin), Ramificaciones: Festival de música y multimedia (Mexico), Beams Festival (Boston), the Performing Media Festival~ (Indiana), and the Truman State New Music Festival (Missouri).

His music is available on Ravello Records, SEAMUS CD Series, PARMA Recordings, Electroacoustico Records, Thinking outLOUD Records, and Irritable Hedgehog. Biggs has written music for various ensembles and soloists, including Ensemble Dal Niente, the Western Brass Quintet, the Prism Saxophone Quartet, SPLICE Ensemble, Keith Kirchoff, Pangea Piano Project, Kari Johnson, Samuel Wells, Western Michigan University Symphonic Band, and the Truman State University Wind Ensemble.

Biggs is a co-founder and the director of SPLICE Institute, which is a weeklong intensive summer program for performers and composers to experience, explore, create, discuss, and learn techniques related to music for instruments and electronics. SPLICE takes place each June in Kalamazoo, MI.

Biggs received the 2008 Missouri Music Teacher’s Association composer of the year award, the 2009 SEMAUS/ASCAP first place award, the 2011 MACRO International Composition Award, the 2012 Issa Music and Dance Faculty Award, a 2013 and 2016 Kalamazoo Artistic Development Initiative Grant, and various grants and awards from Western Michigan University. He was a Preparing Future Faculty Fellow at the University of Missouri-Kansas City from 2007 to 2010. Biggs has given guest lectures at numerous universities, including Indiana University, the University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of Missouri, and Columbia College. He was a co-founder and board member of the Kansas City Electronic Music and Arts Alliance.

Biggs teaches acoustic and electronic music composition, electronic music production, digital signal processing, visual programming, and music theory. He received degrees from American University (B.A. in print journalism), The University of Arizona (M.M. in music composition), and the University of Missouri-Kansas City (D.M.A. in music composition). He studied music composition with James Mobberley, Paul Rudy, Joao Pedro Oliveira, Daniel Asia, Chen Yi, and Zhou Long.

Events: 2019-20

(July to June)

Decoherence for trumpet and computer
performed by Tom Poulson
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Scottish Storytelling Centre
Edinburgh, Scotland
08/13/2019

Decoherence for trumpet and computer
performed by Tom Poulson
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
Scottish Storytelling Centre
Edinburgh, Scotland
08/15/2019

Imprints in Time for saxophone and computer
performed by Noa Even
Noa Even Saxophone Recital – Atomic
Kent State University
Kent, Ohio
09/03/2019

Imprints in Time for saxophone and computer
performed by Drew Whiting
Electronic Music Midwest Festival
Kansas City Kansas Community College
Kansas City, Kansas
09/07/2019

Imprints in Time for saxophone and computer
performed by Noa Even
Noa Even Saxophone Recital – Atomic
Michigan State University
Lansing, MI
09/08/2019

Imprints in Time for saxophone and computer
performed by Noa Even
Noa Even Saxophone Recital – Atomic
Grand Valley State University
Grand Rapids, MI
09/11/2019

Imprints in Time for saxophone and computer
performed by Noa Even
Noa Even Saxophone Recital – Atomic
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MI
09/12/2019

we will all fall in for vibraphone and computer
performed by Scott Deal
Fata Morgana
Indianapolis, IN
10/05/2019

we will all fall in for vibraphone and computer
performed by Scott Deal
SCI Region V Conference
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois
10/12/2019