About the composer...

Gary Knudson is a composer, musician and researcher. Born in St. Louis, Gary Knudson holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree of Music in composition from the University of North Texas in Denton, where he studied under Phil Winsor and Larry Austin and where he began his introduction into computer based music and algorithmic composition. Mr. Knudson was also fortunate enough to participate in masterclasses and guest seminars under Bertram Turetzky, Sydney Hodkinson, Sal Martirano, James Dashow, Alvin Curran, Robert Dick, Carl Stone, David Ward-Steinman, James Fulkerson, Robert Moran, Charles Dodge, John Chowning, Art Gottschalk, and Karl Korte, , among others. Mr. Knudson was a recipient of the Merrill Ellis Memorial Scholarship and Composition Service Awards in 1985 and 1986. During Mr. Knudson’s graduate studies, he was a staff member at the Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia (CEMI), co-directed by Phil Winsor and Larry Austin. He has returned to the University of North Texas in Denton to pursue his Doctor of Musical Arts degree with a specialization in computer music media.

After leaving school in 1990, he entered the private sector in computer technologies and moved to Tennessee from Texas. That same year he was hired by a Nashville software development company as a programmer/analyst to design and write customized software solutions for corporate clients. During the next several years, he worked for a number of Nashville companies first as an employee and then later owned his own business. During this time he served as a programmer, software engineer, database administrator, systems analyst, network system administrator, and consultant.

In the late-1990s after a long hiatus, he established his research composition studio: Liquid Sphere Studios. His interests include experimental music, algorithmic composition, computer music, sound synthesis, interactive computer music, multimedia, visual art and installations. Mr. Knudson is committed to the promotion of experimental and multimedia works that include real-time and non-real time computer aided pieces using traditional performers (dance, instrumentalist, photography, video, etc.), and more conventional methods of delivery for “traditional” acoustic works. Mr. Knudson’s works have been performed both in America and abroad. His works have recently been selected for performances at art@radio University of Maryland, and the Imagine II Electro-Acoustic Music Festival, 60x60 Project and 60x60 Midwest Minutes Project with Vox Novus and selected by Urlich Maiss, cellist, to be part of his ZenMan Improvisations in Germany.

Mr. Knudson is an active member of the following professional societies and organizations: Broadcast Music, Inc., American Music Center, National Association of Composers, USA., Vox Novus, The Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States and International Computer Music Association. Mr. Knudson is the founder and former president of the Tennessee chapter of National Association of Composers, USA. During his tenure as president, he served on the NACUSA's National Advisory Council and Board of Directors. Currently he is the president of Composers' Forum at University of North Texas.