60x60 Project presents 60 composers in 60 minutes

By: Rachel Slade

Posted: 2/28/07

About 70 students sat in a darkened theater staring ahead at the white digits of an analog clock and listened to the story of Lois, Godzilla's sister, told in 60 seconds.
NT's Composers' Forum presented Vox Novus' 60X60 Project on Monday evening as part of the Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia's concert series.
The project, created by composer and Vox Novus founder Robert Voisey, features the works of 60 composers whose minute-long electronic songs play back to back as a clock keeps track of the hour-long performance.
Vox Novus, based in New York City, is an organization of composers, musicians and music enthusiasts that focuses on promoting contemporary composers and their music.
"I think it's a fascinating project as a whole," said Gary Knudson, St. Louis graduate student and president of the forum, in an e-mail interview. "At first, I wondered as a composer, what can one say musically in just 60 seconds? I discovered very quickly that a composer can say a lot."
Works by two NT students, West Lafayette, Ind. graduate composition student Greg Dixon and composition doctorate alumna Lynn Job, were selected for the 2006 International Mix. Job's piece, "Chariot (Q1)," was inspired by a verse from the Bible in which Elijah has a vision of ascending by flaming chariot from the banks of the Jordan River.
Dixon's piece is made up of small musical details that build on each other until they become overpowering.
"I find this to be analogous to many different kinds of experiences," Dixon said. "One seemingly unimportant emotion is followed by many different others until finally, a much stronger, more palpable emotional response is invoked."
After a selection panel narrows the competition down to the 100 best entries, Voisey makes the final cuts for the mix and decides how to organize the 60 pieces based on their compositional design and process.
"I was very happy that they decided to use my work," Dixon said. "'Minutia' is all about taking the 60 seconds as a formal design. I tried to use every single moment of time that I could within the 60 seconds so there is no empty space."
The project, which takes about 18 months to produce, premiered in 2003. The following year, Vox Novus began producing multiple mixes to represent different regions.
"This year we are currently producing a Pacific Rim Mix, Midwest Minutes Mix, New York Minutes Mix, and a United Kingdom Mix," Voisey said. "The goal is to promote the largest number of quality compositions which have not been selected for the international mix because of 60 being a limiting factor."
The forum was founded in 1995 by NT graduate students Joe Spaniola and Arnold Friedman and undergraduates Philip Ducote and Kevin Salfen. The group currently is comprised of 28 students advised by Joseph Klein of the music faculty.
Knudson, whose work was featured in Vox Novus' 2005 International and Midwest mixes as well as 2006's Midwest Minutes Mix, revived the group during the fall semester of 2005.
Knudson's goals for the organization are to encourage students to be active in their craft and get involved in activities and to create an avenue to bring new works to the public. To encourage a larger audience, admission to the 60X60 Project was free.
"I believe that our society does not place enough importance on the arts," Knudson said. "I hoped that by making the event free to the public, more people would attend and discover all the really great opportunities for cultural enrichment that are offered through the university."