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Jay Alan Yim, a distinguished composer and academic, has profoundly impacted the world of contemporary music. With a rich educational background that includes studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, the Royal College of Music/University of London, and Harvard, Yim has built a formidable career. He has been a faculty member at Northwestern University since 1988, contributing significantly as the Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Composition and Music Technology Program. His compositions have been performed by many prestigious ensembles and orchestras worldwide, including the New York Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Jay's innovative work often blends traditional acoustic elements with electronic soundscapes, engaging audiences across the globe with themes centered on climate change and ecological awareness.
With the Creative Accelerator Grant from the Illinois Arts Council, Jay plans to embark on an ambitious multi-CD recording project. This project will showcase a recent series of his electronic works that explore his experimental approach to sampling, known as Tyme Sefari Field Recordings. The grant will serve as a catalyst, enabling Jay to bring these unique compositions to a broader audience, furthering his exploration of sound and pushing the boundaries of contemporary music. Through this recording initiative, Jay aims to enhance the understanding and appreciation of electronic music, with a focus on innovation and conceptual depth.
A large part of Jay's practice is work in partnership with visual artist Marlena Novak. One of those collaborations is currently on exhibit to the public as part of the School of the Art Institute's (SAIC) Faculty Sabbatical Triennial. Says Jay, "The project we made with a team of Marlena's former students is an art game that I co-produced with her and for which I created the electronic score and sound design. In "Dreaming The Prairie," the player gets to explore a digital recreation of an 8000-year-old prairie in Illinois from the perspective of a rusty patched bumblebee, which is a species on the federal endangered species list. Players can fly around the prairie, searching for rare and threatened plants to pollinate, experiencing the magical realism of individual plants dancing and glowing to entice them." This exhibit is open now through December 6 at the SAIC Galleries, 33 E Washington St in Chicago.
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