Elliott Sharp (born March 1, 1951) is an American contemporary classical composer, multi-instrumentalist, and performer. A central figure in the

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

and

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

scene in New York City since the late 1970s, Sharp has released over eighty-five

recordings A record, recording or records may refer to: An item or collection of data Computing * Record (computer science), a data structure ** Record, or row (database), a set of fields in a database related to one entity ** Boot sector or boot record, r ...

ranging from contemporary classical,

free improvisation Free improvisation or free music is improvised music without any rules beyond the logic or inclination of the musician(s) involved. The term can refer to both a technique (employed by any musician in any genre) and as a recognizable genre in its ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, experimental, and

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

l music to

noise Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference arise ...

, no wave, and

electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...

. He pioneered the use of personal computers in live performance with his ''Virtual Stance'' project of the 1980s. He has used

algorithm In mathematics and computer science, an algorithm () is a finite sequence of rigorous instructions, typically used to solve a class of specific Computational problem, problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specificat ...

s and

fibonacci numbers In mathematics, the Fibonacci numbers, commonly denoted , form a sequence, the Fibonacci sequence, in which each number is the sum of the two preceding ones. The sequence commonly starts from 0 and 1, although some authors start the sequence from ...

in experimental compositionAmbrose, P
Elliott Sharp's Instrumental Vision
The Morning News, October 4, 2005 since the 1970s.Tessalation Row, Elliott Sharp with the Soldier String Quartet All Music Guide He has cited literature as an inspiration for his music and often favors improvisation. He is an inveterate performer, playing mainly guitar, saxophone and

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays notes an octave bel ...

. Sharp has led many ensembles over the years, including the

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

-oriented Terraplane and Orchestra Carbon.

Biography

Sharp was classically trained in piano from an early age, taking up clarinet and guitar as a teen. He attended

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

from 1969 to 1971, studying anthropology, music, and electronics. He completed his B.A. degree at

Bard College Bard College is a private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains, and is within the Hudson River Historic ...

in 1973, where he studied composition with

Benjamin Boretz Benjamin Aaron Boretz (born October 3, 1934) is an American composer and music theorist. Life and work Benjamin Boretz was born in Brooklyn, New York to Abraham Jacob Boretz and Leah (Yullis) Boretz. He graduated with a degree in music from Br ...

and Elie Yarden; jazz composition, improvisation, and

ethnomusicology Ethnomusicology is the study of music from the cultural and social aspects of the people who make it. It encompasses distinct theoretical and methodical approaches that emphasize cultural, social, material, cognitive, biological, and other dim ...

with trombonist

Roswell Rudd Roswell Hopkins Rudd Jr. (November 17, 1935 – December 21, 2017) was an American jazz trombonist and composer. Although skilled in a variety of genres of jazz (including Dixieland, which he performed while in college), and other genres of musi ...

; and physics and electronics with Burton Brody. In 1977 he received an M.A. from the

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo, commonly called the University at Buffalo (UB) and sometimes called SUNY Buffalo, is a public research university with campuses in Buffalo and Amherst, New York. The university was founded in 1846 ...

, where he studied composition with

Morton Feldman Morton Feldman (January 12, 1926 – September 3, 1987) was an American composer. A major figure in 20th-century classical music, Feldman was a pioneer of indeterminate music, a development associated with the experimental New York School ...

and

Lejaren Hiller Lejaren Arthur Hiller Jr. (February 23, 1924, New York City – January 26, 1994, Buffalo, New York)Lejaren Hi ...

, and ethnomusicology with

Charles Keil Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was ...

. From the late 1970s, Sharp established himself in New York's music scene. His compositions have been performed by the

hr-Sinfonieorchester The Frankfurt Radio Symphony (german: hr-Sinfonieorchester) is the radio orchestra of Hessischer Rundfunk, the public broadcasting network of the German state of Hesse. From 1929 to 1950 it was named ''Frankfurter Rundfunk-Symphonie-Orchester''. F ...

, the

Ensemble Modern Ensemble Modern is an international ensemble dedicated to performing and promoting the music of modern composers. Formed in 1980, the group is based in Frankfurt, Germany, and made up variously of about twenty members from numerous countries. Hi ...

, Continuum, the Orchestra of the SEM Ensemble,

Kronos Quartet The Kronos Quartet is an American string quartet based in San Francisco. It has been in existence with a rotating membership of musicians for almost 50 years. The quartet covers a very broad range of musical genres, including contemporary classic ...

, the

FLUX Quartet The FLUX Quartet is an American string quartet dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. It was founded in 1998 and is based in New York City. The group is renowned for its performances of Morton Feldman's String Quartet No. ...

, Zeitkratzer, the Soldier String Quartet, the JACK Quartet, and Grammy-winning violinist

Hilary Hahn Hilary Hahn (born November 27, 1979) is an American violinist. She has performed throughout the world as a soloist with leading orchestras and conductors and as a recitalist. She is an avid supporter of contemporary classical music, and several ...

. His work has been featured at festivals worldwide, including the 2008 New Music Stockholm festival, the 2007 Hessischer Rundfunk Klangbiennale, and the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale (; it, La Biennale di Venezia) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy by the Biennale Foundation. The biennale has been organised every year since 1895, which makes it the oldest of ...

2003 and 2006. He releases music under his own label (zOaR music) as well as

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

label SST and

downtown music Downtown music is a subdivision of American music, closely related to experimental music, which developed in downtown Manhattan in the 1960s. History The scene the term describes began in 1960, when Yoko Ono, one of the early Fluxus artists, o ...

labels such as

Knitting Factory The Knitting Factory is a nightclub in New York City that features eclectic music and entertainment. After opening in 1987, various other locations were opened in the United States. The Knitting Factory gave its audience poetry readings, perform ...

records and

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jaz ...

Tzadik Tzadik ( he, צַדִּיק , "righteous ne, also ''zadik'', ''ṣaddîq'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadiqim'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The ...

label. ''

Guitar Player ''Guitar Player'' is an American popular magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print si ...

'' magazine's 30th anniversary issue included Sharp among their list of "The Dirty Thirty – Pioneers and Trailblazers". He has collaborated regularly with many people, including

Christian Marclay Christian Marclay (born January 11, 1955) is a visual artist and composer. He holds both American and Swiss nationality. Marclay's work explores connections between sound, noise, photography, video, and film. A pioneer of using gramophone records ...

Nels Cline Nels Courtney Cline (born January 4, 1956) is an American guitarist and composer. He has been the guitarist for the band Wilco since 2004. In the 1980s he played jazz, often in collaboration with his twin brother Alex Cline, Alex, a percussionis ...

Bobby Previte Bobby Previte (born July 16, 1951 in Niagara Falls, New York) is a drummer, composer, and bandleader. He earned a degree in economics from the University at Buffalo, where he also studied percussion. He moved to New York City in 1979 and began ...

Z'EV Z'EV (born Stefan Joel Weisser, February 8, 1951 – December 16, 2017) was an American poet, percussionist, and sound artist. After studying various world music traditions at CalArts, he began creating his own percussion sounds out of indust ...

Joey Baron Bernard Joseph Baron (born June 26, 1955 in Richmond, Virginia) is an American avant-garde jazz drummer who plays frequently with Bill Frisell and John Zorn. Music career Baron was born on June 26, 1955, in Richmond Virginia. When he was nine, ...

David Torn David M. Torn (born May 26, 1953) is an American guitarist, composer, and producer. He is known for combining electronic and acoustic instruments and for his use of looping. Background Torn has contributed to recordings by artists as diverse ...

, ,

Zeena Parkins Zeena Parkins (born 1956) is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist active in experimental, free improvised, contemporary classical, and avant-jazz music; she is known for having "reinvented the harp". Parkins performs on standard harp ...

Vernon Reid Vernon Alphonsus Reid (born 22 August 1958) is an English-born American guitarist and songwriter. Reid is the founder and primary songwriter of the rock band Living Colour, Reid was named No. 66 on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine's 2003 list of the ...

, and

Frances-Marie Uitti Frances-Marie Uitti (born 1946) is an Americans, American cellist and composer known for her use of extended techniques and performance of contemporary classical music. Tom Service, music criticism, music critic for the ''The Guardian, Guardian'' n ...

, as well as qawaali singer

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan ( pa, ; born Pervez Fateh Ali Khan; 13 October 1948 – 16 August 1997) was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. He was primarily a singer of qawwali — a form of Sufi music, Sufi devotional music. ...

, blues legend

Hubert Sumlin Hubert Charles Sumlin (November 16, 1931 – December 4, 2011) was a Chicago blues guitarist and singer, best known for his "wrenched, shattering bursts of notes, sudden cliff-hanger silences and daring rhythmic suspensions" as a member of Howlin ...

, actor/writer

Eric Bogosian Eric Bogosian ( hy, Էրիկ Բոգոսյան; ; born April 24, 1953) is an American actor, playwright, monologuist, novelist, and historian. Descended from Armenian American immigrants, he grew up in Watertown and Woburn, Massachusetts, and ...

, jazz greats

Jack DeJohnette Jack DeJohnette (born August 9, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, and composer. Known for his extensive work as leader and sideman for musicians including Charles Lloyd, Freddie Hubbard, Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, John Abercrombie, ...

and

Sonny Sharrock Warren Harding "Sonny" Sharrock (August 27, 1940 – May 25, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. He was married to singer Linda Sharrock, with whom he recorded and performed. One of only a few prominent guitarists who participated in the firs ...

, pop singer

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...

, and

Bachir Attar Bachir Attar (Arabic: بشير عطار, born 1964) is a Moroccan musician and the leader of The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar. He is the son of Hadj Abdesalam Attar, who led the group Master Musicians of Jajouka at the time of ...

, leader of the

Master Musicians of Jajouka The Master Musicians of Jajouka led by Bachir Attar (sometimes written as ...featuring Bachir Attar) are a collective of Jbala Sufi trance musicians, serving as a modern representation of a centuries-old music tradition. The collective includes ...

. He was curator of the monumental sound-art exhibition ''Volume: Bed of Sound'' for

MoMA PS1 MoMA PS1 is a contemporary art institution located in Court Square in the Long Island City neighborhood in the borough of Queens, New York City. In addition to its exhibitions, the institution organizes the Sunday Sessions performance series, th ...

, which featured the works of 54 artists including

Vito Acconci Vito Acconci (, ; January 24, 1940 – April 27, 2017) was an influential American performance, video and installation artist, whose diverse practice eventually included sculpture, architectural design, and landscape design. His foundational p ...

Tod Dockstader Tod Dockstader (March 20, 1932 – February 27, 2015) was an American electronic music composer and sound designer. He is particularly regarded as one of the first American '' musique concrète'' composers. Biography Dockstader was born in Sain ...

John Duncan John Duncan may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John Duncan (painter) (1866–1945), Scottish painter * John Duncan (artist) (born 1953), American artist and musician * Big John Duncan (born 1958), Scottish punk musician * John Duncan (harpist) ...

Walter Murch Walter Scott Murch (born July 12, 1943) is an American film editor, director, writer and sound designer. With a career stretching back to 1969, including work on ''THX 1138'', ''Apocalypse Now'', '' The Godfather I'', '' II'', and '' III'', ''Ame ...

Muhal Richard Abrams Muhal Richard Abrams (born Richard Lewis Abrams; September 19, 1930 – October 29, 2017) was an American educator, administrator, composer, arranger, clarinetist, cellist, and jazz pianist in the free jazz medium. He recorded and toured the Uni ...

Laurie Anderson Laurel Philips Anderson (born June 5, 1947), known as Laurie Anderson, is an American avant-garde artist, composer, musician, and film director whose work spans performance art, pop music, and multimedia projects. Initially trained in violin and ...

Chris & Cosey Chris & Cosey, sometimes known as Carter Tutti, are a musical duo formed in 1981, consisting of couple Chris Carter (electronics) and Cosey Fanni Tutti (electronics, guitar, cornet), both previously (and currently the sole surviving) members o ...

Survival Research Laboratories Survival Research Laboratories (SRL) is an American performance art group that pioneered the genre of large-scale machine performance. Founded in 1978 by Mark Pauline, the group is known in particular for their performances where custom-built mac ...

Ryuichi Sakamoto is a Japanese composer, pianist, singer, record producer and actor who has pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto inf ...

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...

, and

Butch Morris Lawrence Douglas "Butch" Morris (February 10, 1947 – January 29, 2013) was an American cornetist, composer and conductor. He was known for pioneering his structural improvisation method, ''Conduction'', which he utilized on many recordings. B ...

. He also curates the ''State of the Union'' CD compilations of one-minute tracks by experimental musicians, and produces records for a wide variety of artists. Sharp describes himself as a lifelong "science

geek The word ''geek'' is a slang term originally used to describe Eccentricity (behavior), eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or enthusiast obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit. In th ...

" having modified and created musical instruments since his teen years, and frequently borrowing terms from science and technology for his compositions. Elliott Sharp 2

He has composed scores for feature films and documentaries; created music and sound-design for The Sundance Channel, MTV and Bravo networks; and has presented numerous sound installations in art galleries and museums. Sharp received the 2015 Berlin Prize in Musical Composition, spending six months as a Fellow-in-Residence at the

American Academy in Berlin The American Academy in Berlin is a private, independent, nonpartisan research and cultural institution in Berlin dedicated to sustaining and enhancing the long-term intellectual, cultural, and political ties between the United States and Germany ...

. He was a 2014

Guggenheim Fellow Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the ar ...

, a 2014 Fellow at Parson'
Center for Transformative Media
and is the subject of Bert Shapiro's documentary ''Elliott Sharp: Doing the Don't'', for Pheasant Eye Film. He was a 2009 Master Artist-in-Residence at the

Atlantic Center for the Arts Atlantic Center for the Arts (ACA) is a nonprofit, interdisciplinary artists’ community and arts education facility providing artists an opportunity to work and collaborate with contemporary artists in the fields of composing, visual, litera ...

, and a 2010

New York Foundation for the Arts The New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) is an independent 501(c)(3) charity, funded through government, foundation, corporate, and individual support, established in 1971. It is part of a network of national not-for-profit arts organizations ...

Fellow in music. Sharp received a 2003

Foundation for Contemporary Arts The Foundation for Contemporary Arts (FCA), is a nonprofit based foundation in New York City that offers financial support and recognition to contemporary performing and visual artists through awards for artistic innovation and potential. It was ...

Grants to Artists Award. In March 2011, Sharp's 60th birthday was celebrated with a weekend of all-star concert events entitled "E#@60", hosted by Brooklyn's

ISSUE Project Room The ISSUE Project Room (often shortened to ISSUE) is a music venue in Brooklyn, New York, founded in 2003 by Suzanne Fiol. Located in 110 Livingston Street in Downtown Brooklyn, the venue supports a wide variety of contemporary performance, sp ...

. In March 2021, Sharp's 70th birthday was celebrated with a series of concert events entitled "E#@70", presented by Brooklyn's

Roulette Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...

.E#@70 – Concert Nr. 1 – SysOrk: New Works
/ref> Sharp lives in lower Manhattan with media artist Janene Higgins and their two children.

Discography

Solo

* ''Resonance'' (1979) * ''Rhythms and Blues'' (1980) * ''Looppool'' (1988) * ''K!L!A!V!'' (1990) * ''Westwerk'' (1992) * ''Tectonics'' (1995) * ''Sferics'' (1996) * ''Tectonics – Field and Stream'' (1997) * ''Tectonics – Errata'' (1999) * ''Velocity of Hue'' (2004) * ''Quadrature'' (2005) * ''Sharp? Monk? Sharp! Monk!'' (2006) * ''Solo Beijing'' (2007) * ''Octal Book One'' (2008) * ''Concert in Dachau'' (2008) * ''Tectonics – Abstraction Distraction'' (2010) * ''Octal Book Two'' (2010) * ''The Yahoos Trilogy'' (2013) * ''Octal Book Three'' (2014) for solo 8-string guitarbass

As a leader

* ''Nots'' (1981) with

Art Baron Arthur John Baron (born January 5, 1950) is an American jazz trombonist. He also plays didgeridoo, conch shell, penny-whistle, alto and bass recorder, and tuba. Career overview Baron is an alumnus of the Berklee College of Music. He joined ...

Olu Dara Olu Dara Jones (born Charles Jones III, January 12, 1941) is an American cornetist, guitarist, and singer. He is the father of rapper Nas. Early life Olu Dara was born Charles Jones III on January 12, 1941 in Natchez, Mississippi. His mother, El ...

Bill Laswell William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, w ...

, Diana Meckley, M.E. Miller, Charles K. Noyes, Phillip Wilson * ''I/S/M:R'' (1982) with Michael Brown, Al Diaz, David Linton * ''In the Land of the Yahoos'' (1987) with Christoph Anders, Sussan Deihim, Elizabeth Fischer, David Fulton, Paul Garrin,

Shelley Hirsch Shelley Hirsch (born June 9, 1952 in Brooklyn, New York (state), New York) is an American vocalist, performance artist, composer, improviser, and writer. She won a DAAD Residency Grant in Berlin 1992, a Prix Futura award in 1993, and multiple awards ...

, Shigeto Kamada,

, Jane Tomkiewicz * ''Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Yahoos'' (1992) with

Samm Bennett Samm Bennett is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Samm Bennett is a singer and songwriter, a drummer and percussionist, and a player of string instruments such as the stick dulcimer (sometimes called a dulcitar) and the ...

, Alva Rogers,

Anthony Coleman Anthony Coleman (born August 30, 1955) is an avant-garde jazz pianist. During the 1980s and 1990s he worked with John Zorn on '' Cobra'', ''Kristallnacht'', '' The Big Gundown'', '' Archery'', and '' Spillane'' and helped push modern Jewish music ...

, Victor Poison-Tete,

Eugene Chadbourne Eugene Chadbourne (born January 4, 1954) is an American banjoist, guitarist and music critic. Life and career Chadbourne was born in Mount Vernon, New York, but grew up in Boulder, Colorado. He started playing guitar when he was eleven or twel ...

, Sussan Deihim,

Barbara Barg Barbara Barg (April 29, 1947 — May 22, 2018) was a poet, writer, and musician. Barg was born in Memphis, Tennessee and raised in Forrest City, Arkansas. After studying with poet Ted Berrigan at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, she m ...

, K.J. Grant, Lee Ann Brown * ''Dyners Club Guitar Quartet'' (1994) with Roger Kleier, David Mecionis, John Myers * ''Boodlers'' (1995) with Fred Chalenor, Henry Franzoni * ''Boodlers – Counter Fit'' (1997) with

Fred Chalenor Fred Chalenor (December 29, 1955 – June 23, 2018) was an American bassist, most recognized for his work in the bands Caveman Shoestore, Tone Dogs, and Face Ditch. He also collaborated on numerous occasions with composer and keyboardist Wayne ...

, Henry Franzoni, Joseph Trump * ''Arc 1: I/S/M'' (1996) with

, Michael Brown, Al Diaz,

, David Linton, Diana Meckley, M.E. Miller, Charles K. Noyes,

Phillip Wilson Phillip Sanford Wilson (September 8, 1941 – March 25, 1992) was an American blues and jazz drummer, a founding member of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, and a member of the Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Biography Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Uni ...

* ''Arc 2: The Seventies'' (1998) with, Steve Piccolo, Geoff MacAdie, Stewart Gilbert, Kunda Magenau, Denis Williamson, Murry Kohn, Donald Knaack,

, Jim Whittemore, Chris Vine * ''Arc 3: Cyberpunk & the Virtual Stance'' (1998) * ''Autar'' (2000) with the

Bedouin The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and A ...

Musicians of Muhammad Abu-Ajaj * ''Raw Meet'' (2002) with

Melvin Gibbs Melvin Gibbs is an American bass guitarist who has appeared on close to 200 albums in diverse genres of music. Among others, Gibbs is known for working in jazz with drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson and guitarist Sonny Sharrock, and in rock music ...

Lance Carter Lance David Carter (born December 18, 1974) is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) relief pitcher and current minor league pitching coach. He pitched in MLB with the Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and Los Angeles Dodgers. He batted a ...

* ''Radio Hyper-Yahoo'' (2004) with

Tracie Morris Tracie Morris is an American poet. She is also a performance artist, vocalist, voice consultant, creative non-fiction writer, critic, scholar, bandleader, actor and non-profit consultant. Morris is from Brooklyn, New York. Morris' experimental so ...

Sim Cain Rollins Band was an American rock band formed in Van Nuys, California. The band was active from 1987 to 2006 and was led by former Black Flag vocalist Henry Rollins. They are best known for the songs "Low Self Opinion" and " Liar", which both e ...

Maggie Estep Margaret Ann "Maggie" Estep (March 20, 1963 – February 12, 2014) was an American writer and poet, best known for coming to prominence during the height of the spoken word and poetry slam performance rage. She published seven books and rel ...

Steve Buscemi Steven Vincent Buscemi ( ,As stated in interviews by Buscemi himself, some may insist that his pronunciation of his own name is "wrong" because it does not match the original Italian pronunciation as well. It is not uncommon for people to pronou ...

, Lisa Lowell,

Jack Womack Jack Womack (born January 8, 1956) is an American author of fiction and speculative fiction. Womack was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and now lives in New York City with his wife and daughter. "Yeah, I was in Kentucky. Lived there till I was 21 ...

Eszter Balint Eszter Balint (born 7 July 1966) is a Hungarian-American singer, songwriter, violinist, and actress. Biography Eszter Balint was born in Budapest, Hungary, to Marianne Kollar and Stephan Balint. She was living with the avant-garde Squat Theatre ...

, Edwin Torres, , Steve Piccolo, Gak Sato * ''War Zones'' (2008) * ''

: Graffiti Composition'' (2010) Elliott Sharp,

Mary Halvorson Mary Halvorson (born October 16, 1980) is an American avant-garde jazz composer and guitarist from Brookline, Massachusetts. Among her many collaborations, she has: led a trio with and Ches Smith, and a quintet with the addition of Jon Irabago ...

Lee Ranaldo Lee Mark Ranaldo (born February 3, 1956) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, guitarist, writer, visual artist and record producer, best known as a co-founder of the alternative rock band Sonic Youth (guitar and vocals). In 2004, ''Rolling ...

* ''Electric Willie: a Tribute to

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

'' (2010) Elliott Sharp,

Henry Kaiser Henry John Kaiser (May 9, 1882 – August 24, 1967) was an American industrialist who became known as the father of modern American shipbuilding. Prior to World War II, Kaiser was involved in the construction industry; his company was one of ...

, , Queen Esther, Glenn Phillips, Melvin Gibbs,

(Yellowbird) * ''Err Guitar'' (2017) * ''Syzygy'' (2019

with Carbon

* ''Monster Curve'' (1982) * ''Datacide'' (1989) * ''Sili/contemp/tation'' (1990) * ''Tocsin'' (1991) * ''Truthtable'' (1993) * ''Autoboot'' (1994) * ''Amusia'' (1994) * ''Interference'' (1995) * ''Serrate'' (2009) * ''Void Coordinates'' (2010)

with Orchestra Carbon

* ''Larynx'' (1988, 2007) * ''Abstract Repressionism: 1990–99'' (1992) * ''Spring & Neap'' (1997) * ''Rheo~Umbra'' (1998) * ''SyndaKit'' (1999) * ''Radiolaria'' (2001)

String Quartets

* ''Hammer, Anvil, Stirrup'' (1987) with Soldier String Quartet and Carbon * ''Twistmap'' (1991) with Soldier String Quartet * ''Cryptid Fragments'' (1993) with Margaret Parkins, Michelle Kinney, Sara Parkins, and Soldier String Quartet * ''Digital'' (1986) on '' Short Stories (Kronos Quartet album), Short Stories'' * ''XenocodeX'' (1996) with Soldier String Quartet * ''A Modicum of Passion'' (2004) with (vocals) Devorah Day, Ben Miller, ,

Joan Wasser Joan Wasser (born July 26, 1970) is an American musician, singer-songwriter and producer who releases music as Joan As Police Woman. She began her career playing violin with the Dambuilders and played with Black Beetle, Antony and the Johnsons, ...

; and (strings) Stephanie Griffin, Conrad Harris, Amy Kimball, Garo Yellin * ''Elliott Sharp String Quartets 1986–1996'' (2003) with Soldier String Quartet and The Meridian Quartet * ''Elliott Sharp String Quartets 2002–2007'' (2008) with The Sirius String Quartet

Orchestral

* ''Racing Hearts, Tessalation Row, Calling'' (2003)

with Terraplane

* ''Terraplane'' (1994) * ''Terraplane – Blues for Next'' (2000) * ''Terraplane – Music fr Yellowman'' (2002) * ''Terraplane – Do the Don't'' (2003) with

* ''Terraplane – Secret Life'' (2005) * ''Terraplane – Forgery'' (2008) * ''Terraplane – Sky Road Songs'' (2012) with

* ''Terraplane – 4AM Always'' (2014) – Winner of the Jahrespreis from Deutsche Schallplattenkritik

Duos

* ''In New York'' (1990) with

* ''Psycho~Acoustic'' (1994) with

* ''Psycho~Acoustic – Blackburst'' (1996) with

* ''Hoosegow: Mighty'' (1996) with Queen Esther * ''Improvisations'' (1997) with

* ''Revenge of the Stuttering Child'' (1997) with Ronny Someck * ''Poverty Line'' (1997) with Ronny Someck * ''Rwong Territory'' (1998) with DJ Soulslinger * ''High Noon'' (1999) with

* ''Anostalgia'' (2002) with Reinhold Friedl * ''The Prisoner's Dilemma'' (2002) with

* ''Tongue'' (2004) with

* ''Volcanic Island'' (2005) with Yasuhiro Usui * ''Tranz'' (2006) with

Merzbow is a Japanese noise project started in 1979 by , best known for a style of harsh, confrontational noise. Since 1980, Akita has released over 400 recordings and has collaborated with various artists. The name Merzbow comes from the German dada ...

* ''Feuchtify'' (2006) with Reinhold Friedl * ''Hums 2 Terre'' (2007) with Franck Vigroux * ''Duo Milano'' (2007) with

* ''pi:k'' (2007) with Charlotte Hug * ''BASE'' (2008) with Antoine Berthaume * ''Scharfefelder'' (2008) with

Scott Fields Scott Fields (born September 30, 1960 in Chicago, Illinois) is a guitarist, composer, and bandleader. He is best known for blending music that is composed with music that is written and for his modular pieces (see ''48 Motives'', ''96 Gestures'' ...

* ''Protoplasmic'' (2009) with Boris Savoldelli * ''Afiadacampos'' (2010) with

* ''Reflexions'' (2010) with

Michiyo Yagi , a Japanese musician who studied koto under Tadao Sawai, Kazue Sawai and Satomi Kurauchi, and graduated from the NHK Professional Training School for Traditional Musicians. Between 1989 and 1990, during her tenure as visiting professor of musi ...

* ''Chansons du crépuscule'' (2017) with Helene Breschand * ''Olso'' (2019) with John Andrew Wilhite-Hannisdal * ''Kumuska'' (2019) with Saadet Türköz * ''Alluvial Plain'' (2020) with Matthew Evan Taylor

Collaborative groups

* ''Semantics – Bone of Contention'' (1987) Elliott Sharp,

Ned Rothenberg Ned Rothenberg (born September 15, 1956) is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer. He specializes in woodwind instruments, including the alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, and shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute). He is known ...

* ''Bootstrappers'' (1989)

George Hurley George Hurley (born September 4, 1958) is a drummer noted for his work with Minutemen and fIREHOSE. Music career Early years Originally from the East Coast, Hurley and his family moved to San Pedro, California, when he was six years old. ...

Mike Watt Michael David Watt (born December 20, 1957) is an American bassist, vocalist and songwriter. Watt co-founded and played bass guitar for the rock bands Minutemen (1980–1985), Dos (1985–present), and Firehose (1986–1994). He began a solo ...

, Elliott Sharp * ''Bootstrappers – GI=GO'' (1992) Elliott Sharp, Thom Kotik, Jan Kotik * ''Downtown Lullaby'' (1998)

Wayne Horvitz Wayne Horvitz (born 1955) is an American composer, keyboardist and record producer. He came to prominence in the Downtown scene of 1980s and '90s New York City, where he met his future wife, the singer, songwriter and pianist Robin Holcomb. He ...

, Elliott Sharp,

* '' GTR OBLQ'' (1998)

, Elliott Sharp,

* ''Beyond'' (2001)

, Elliott Sharp, Roberto Zorzi * ''In the Tank'' (2006) Natsuki Tamura, Elliott Sharp, Takayuki Kato,

Satoko Fujii is a Japanese avant-garde jazz pianist, accordionist and composer. Early life Fujii was born in Tokyo on 9 October 1958.Huey, Stev"Satoko Fujii" AllMusic. Retrieved 9 February 2016. She started playing the piano at age 4, receiving classical tr ...

* ''TECK String 4tet'' (2007)

Carlos Zingaro Carlos Zíngaro (or Carlos "Zíngaro" Alves, born 15 December 1948 in Lisbon, Portugal) is a Portuguese violinist and electronic musician active in free improvisation. Biography Zingaro studied classical music at the Lisbon Music Conservatory fr ...

, Elliott Sharp,

Ken Filiano Ken Filiano (born 1952) is an American jazz and orchestral bassist based in Brooklyn, New York. Since the 1970s, Filiano has played or recorded with Anthony Braxton, Fred Ho, Nels Cline, Bill Dixon, Fay Victor, and others. Filiano is on the tea ...

, Tomas Ulrich * ''Venice, dal vivo'' (2010) Elliott Sharp,

, Franck Vigroux,

Bruno Chevillon Bruno Chevillon (born 23 August 1959) is a French jazz double bassist who is well known in avant-garde jazz as well as in new improvised music. Life Born in Valréas Vaucluse, Chevillon followed a double training since he graduated from the ...

* ''Crossing the Waters'' (2013) Elliott Sharp, Melvin Gibbs, (Intakt) * ''Expressed By The Circumference'' (2019) Elliott Sharp, Álvaro Domene, Michael Caratti

As producer

: ''Spy Vs Spy'' (

Nonesuch __NOTOC__ Nonesuch may refer to: Plants * ''Lychnis chalcedonica'', a wildflower * ''Medicago lupulina'', a wildflower Places and structures *Nonesuch, Kentucky *Nonesuch Island, Bermuda *Nonesuch Mine, Michigan *Nonesuch Palace, mis-spelling of ...

, 1988) * Mofungo: ''Bugged'' (SST, 1988) * N.A.D +

Denardo Coleman Denardo Ornette Coleman (born April 19, 1956) is an American jazz drummer. He is the son of Ornette Coleman and Jayne Cortez. Biography Born to Jayne Cortez and Ornette Coleman in Los Angeles, California, in 1956,

Fred Frith Jeremy Webster "Fred" Frith (born 17 February 1949) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser. Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as one of the founding members of the English avant-rock ...

: ''Ghosts'' (Heron, 1989) * Mofungo: ''Work'' ( SST, 1989) * Kazamaki/Laar: ''Return to Street Level'' (Ear-Rational, 1990) * The Frigg: ''Frigg: Brecht'' (

, 1999) * PAK: ''100% Human Hair'' (Ra Sounds, 2007) *

: '' Graffiti Composition'' (Dog W/A Bone, 2010) * ''Binibon'' (radio play, produced and directed) (Henceforth, 2010)

As a compilation producer

* ''Peripheral Vision'' (zOaR, 1982) * ''State of the Union'' (zOaR, 1992) * ''Island of Sanity'' (

No Man's Land No man's land is waste or unowned land or an uninhabited or desolate area that may be under dispute between parties who leave it unoccupied out of fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dump ...

, 1987) * ''Real Estate'' (Ear-Rational, 1990) * ''State of the Union'' (MuWorks, 1993) * ''State of the Union'' (Atavistic, 1996) * ''State of the Union 2.001'' (

Electronic Music Foundation Electronic Music Foundation (EMF) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that produces events, publishes and disseminates media and information, and provides access to materials relevant to the history and creative potential of electronic music ...

, 2001) * ''Timebomb: Live at the Clocktower Gallery'' (

, 1997) * ''Secular Steel'' (Gaff Music, 2004) * ''I Never Met a Guitar'' (Clean Feed, 2010)

Recorded film scores and score compilations

* ''Figure Ground'' (compilation) (1997) * ''Suspension of Disbelief '' (compilation) (2001) * Soundtrack for the film ''Commune'' (2005) * Soundtrack for the film ''What Sebastian Dreamt'' (2005) * ''Q-Mix'' (2009) * ''Spectropia Suite'' (2010) Score to the sci-fi feature film by Toni Dove performed by the 31 Band, Sirius String Quartet, and special guest

Filmography

Film appearances

* ''Elliott Sharp: Doing the Don't'' (2008 DVD documentary) * ''The Old, Weird America: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music'' (2007 DVD) * ''Elliott Sharp: The Velocity of Hue. Live in Cologne'' (2007 DVD) * ''April in New York'' with

(2007 DVD) * Roulette TV: ''Elliott Sharp''.

Roulette Intermedium Roulette Intermedium is a performing arts and new music venue located in Brooklyn, New York City. Founded in 1978, it has been located in the neighborhoods of Tribeca and SoHo in Manhattan, and now resides in a renovated theater in downtown Brookly ...

Inc. (2000 DVD) * ''Record Player: Christian Marclay'' (2000 DVD)

Music composed for film

*''Spectropia'' (2006) *''

Commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

'' (2005) *''The Time We Killed'' (2004) *''What Sebastian Dreamt'' (2003) *'' Daddy and the Muscle Academy'' (1991) *''Antigone/Rites of Passion'' (1990) *''The Salt Mines'' (1990)

Opera and theater

*''Port Bou'' (2014): U.S. Premier at Issue Project Room, Brooklyn. European premiere at Konzerthaus, Berlin. The opera depicts the final moments of philosopher Walter Benjamin's life in Port Bou at the French-Spanish border as he flees Nazi-occupied France. Starring bass/baritone

Nicholas Isherwood Nicholas Isherwood is a Franco-American bass singer, who specialises in contemporary and baroque music. Notable roles include "Lucifer" in the world premieres of Stockhausen’s '' Montag'', '' Dienstag'', and '' Freitag'' from ''Licht'' at La S ...

, with pianist

Jenny Lin Jenny Lin is a Taiwanese-born American pianist. Life She was born in Taiwan, and raised in Austria and the United States. She began her piano studies at the age of 4. At age 10, she was accepted into the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna, Aust ...

and accordionist

William Schimmel William Schimmel (born 1946) is one of the principal architects in the resurgence of the accordion, and the philosophy of "Musical Reality" (composition with pre-existing music). He holds Bachelor of Music, Master of Science and Doctor of Musical ...

, and prerecorded electro-acoustic backgrounds by Sharp. Projection design by Janene Higgins. *''About Us'' (2010): Commissioned in the Autumn of 2009 by the

Bayerische Staatsoper The Bayerische Staatsoper is a German opera company based in Munich. Its main venue is the Nationaltheater München, and its orchestra the Bayerische Staatsorchester. History The parent ensemble of the company was founded in 1653, under Ele ...

in Munich for their 2010 Summer Festival series in the Mini-Opera Pavillon. A science-fiction story about a Singularity opening our dimension to creatures from another who were only visible to teenagers and were able to catalyze unpredictable and highly creative acts among those teens. All-teenage performers, between the ages of 14–18. In addition to composing the music, Sharp also created the script and story as well as directing the production. *''Binibon'' (2009): Premiered at The Kitchen, NYC. A work of music/theater, concept and music by Sharp with libretto by noted science-fiction author

. Binibon is a chronicle of both a murder and the transformation of the East Village in the early 1980s. It has been released as a radioplay by Henceforth Records. Developed with and directed by Tea Alagic, with projection design by Janene Higgins. *''Em/Pyre'' (2006): Em/Pyre is an opera commissioned by soprano Donella Del Monaco for the 2006

to be performed by her with her regular ensemble a collection of musicians whose backgrounds and technical skills varied greatly. She also requested that Sharp perform with the ensemble and conduct the piece. Longtime collaborator

Steve Piccolo ''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen Notable people with the name include: steve jops * Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people * Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people * Steve ...

created the text and sang the baritone parts. Em/Pyre was based on Sharp's interpretation and comparison of Venice in the 15th century with New York City in the late 20th century – two towering city-states whose empires both devolved due to both internal and external cultural and political/economic factors. The composed core materials and defined structure were to be elaborated through conduction and the manifestation of simple algorithmic approaches as well as guided improvisations based on the core materials. A CD of Em/Pyre was released in 2010 on the Italian label Opusavantra Studium. *''Innosense'' (1981): Premiered at Studio PASS in NYC, Innosense is a post-apocalypse opera set in a basement in the Lower East Side. The three "live" characters are the "Three Improvisers", here performed by Charles K. Noyes on percussion, Lesli Dalaba on trumpet, and Sharp on fretless electric guitar, soprano sax, and bass clarinet. Materials for these characters includes vocal and instrumental sounds made by Sharp, found sounds, sound effects, and texts both written by Sharp and appropriated from various sources. Voices for these characters include Victoria Vecna and Felipe Orrego. Recorded November 23, 1981, zOaR music.

Installations

*''Suspension'' (2004): 2-channel installation of video and sound exploring the awareness of momentary stillness in the metropolis. Collaboration with video artist Janene Higgins, for The

Chelsea Art Museum The Chelsea Art Museum (CAM) was a contemporary art museum located at 556 22nd Street (Manhattan), West 22nd Street on the corner of Eleventh Avenue (Manhattan), Eleventh Avenue in the Chelsea (Manhattan), Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New Y ...

, NYC. *''Fluvial'' (2002): A system for flowing audio to create moving sound currents within the enclosed space of the Engine 27 gallery in NYC, ''Fluvial'' uses randomization, filtering, and feedback as its basic processing elements to make full use of the room's spatialization potential. *''Chromatine'' (2001): Both musical instrument and sculpture, encouraging visitors to touch the sculpture and cause it to play music. For the Gallery of the School of

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 paintings and more than 450,000 works ...

. *''Tag'' (1997): An interactive audio installation created for the ''Departure Lounge'' exhibition at the

Clocktower Gallery Clock towers are a specific type of structure which house a turret clock and have one or more clock faces on the upper exterior walls. Many clock towers are freestanding structures but they can also adjoin or be located on top of another buildin ...

, New York City. *''Distressed Vivaldi'' (1996): Soundtrack created for the ''Model Home'' exhibition at the Clocktower Gallery of MoMA PS1, New York City.

References

External links

Official website
* , documentary * , concert film * , concert excerpt *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharp, Elliott 1951 births Musicians from Cleveland 20th-century classical composers American male classical composers American classical composers Bass clarinetists Bard College alumni Cornell University alumni Jewish American musicians 20th-century American Jews Living people American rock saxophonists American male saxophonists University at Buffalo alumni Bootstrappers (band) members Homestead Records artists Cavity Search Records artists Glass Records artists 20th-century American saxophonists 20th-century American composers 21st-century American saxophonists Classical musicians from Ohio 21st-century clarinetists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians Clean Feed Records artists Atavistic Records artists Intakt Records artists 21st-century American Jews

Biography

Discography

Solo

As a leader

with Carbon

with Orchestra Carbon

String Quartets

Orchestral

with Terraplane

Duos

Collaborative groups

As producer

As a compilation producer

Recorded film scores and score compilations

Filmography

Film appearances

Music composed for film

Opera and theater

Installations

Further reading

References

External links