Jonathan Bepler is an American composer of experimental music perhaps best known for his collaborative work with artists and choreographers, including many years of work with visual artist

Matthew Barney Matthew Barney (born March 25, 1967) is an American contemporary artist and film director who works in the fields of sculpture, film, photography and drawing. His works explore connections among geography, biology, geology and mythology as well ...

. He is also multi-instrumentalist, singer,

installation artist Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called ...

, and teacher.

Early life and education

Bepler was born in

Media Media may refer to: Communication * Media (communication), tools used to deliver information or data ** Advertising media, various media, content, buying and placement for advertising ** Broadcast media, communications delivered over mass e ...

, Pennsylvania. He was self-taught on many instruments by the time he finished high school. His early interests included folk dance music, ancient and world music, jazz, and improvisation. In 1993 he received and M.F.A from

Bennington College Bennington College is a private liberal arts college in Bennington, Vermont. Founded in 1932 as a women's college, it became co-educational in 1969. It claims to be the first college to include visual and performing arts as an equal partner in ...

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

, where he studied composition with Louis Calabro,

Joel Chadabe Joel Chadabe (December 12, 1938 – May 2, 2021) was an American composer, author, and internationally recognized pioneer in the development of interactive music systems.

and Vivian Fine, singing with Frank Baker and Theodor Uppman as well as musical performance with

Milford Graves Milford Graves (August 20, 1941 – February 12, 2021) was an American jazz drummer, percussionist, Professor Emeritus of Music, researcher/inventor, visual artist/sculptor, gardener/herbalist, and martial artist. Graves was noteworthy for his e ...

, Bill Dixon und Min Tanaka. In the later period of his studies he directed and sang in productions of

Baroque opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a ...

such as Gluck's '' Orfeo ed Euridice''. He currently resides in Berlin.

Career

From 1985 to 1996, Bepler was guitarist with the ''

Glenn Branca Glenn may refer to: Name or surname * Glenn (name) * John Glenn, U.S. astronaut Cultivars * Glenn (mango) * a 6-row barley variety Places In the United States: * Glenn, California * Glenn County, California * Glenn, Georgia, a settleme ...

Ensemble'', touring with them through Europe, the United States and Asia. Starting in 1987, his first operas were composed. From 1993, Bepler also dedicated himself to sound installations, as well as to music for drama and dance. He is the composer for

The Cremaster Cycle ''The Cremaster Cycle'' is a series of five feature-length films, together with related sculptures, photographs, drawings, and artist's books, created by American visual artist and filmmaker Matthew Barney. ''The Cremaster Cycle'' was made over a ...

, a series of films created from 1996 to 2002 by

. In 1997, Bepler was baritone soloist at the world premiere of the opera ''Der Venusmond'' by Burkhard Stangl at the Empire State Building. He received a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists award in 1999. In 2000, Bepler worked as a composer at the Berlin

Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz The Schaubühne am Lehniner Platz (Theatre on Lehniner Square) is a famous theatre in the Wilmersdorf district of Berlin, located on the Kurfürstendamm boulevard. It is a conversion of the ''Universum'' cinema, built according to plans designe ...

with

Sasha Waltz Sacha, Sasha, Sascha, or ''variant'' may refer to: People * Sasha (name), includes list of people with the name and the variants Sascha or Sacha Musicians * Sasha (DJ) (born 1969), born Alexander Coe * Sasha (German singer) (born 1972), born Sas ...

and dancers. In 2003, together with

John Jasperse John R. Jasperse (born October 8, 1963) orgenroth 2004 p.187 is an American choreographer and dancer. Since 1990 he has been artistic director and choreographer of the New York City-based John Jasperse Company.John Jasperse performer biography i ...

he created the piece ''California'' for the ''Festival International de Danse a Cannes''. In 2006, 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 ...

premiered his piece ''Fascia'' at the Schauspielhaus Frankfurt. Bepler collaborated again with Matthew Barney on the six-hour film River of Fundament,'' was created over 7 years (2006 to 2014), and premiered at the

Bavarian State Opera 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 ...

, and at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. He has taught as professor and artist in residence at such places as the

Munich Academy of Fine Arts The Academy of Fine Arts, Munich (german: Akademie der Bildenden Künste München, also known as Munich Academy) is one of the oldest and most significant art academies in Germany. It is located in the Maxvorstadt district of Munich, in Bavaria, ...

Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design The Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (HfG) is a state art college founded in 1992 in Karlsruhe. It focuses on media art, communication design , product design , exhibition design and scenography, art research and media philosophy wit ...

, and the University of Arts and Design Offenbach.

Installations

*''Automation of Accidental Gestures,'' sound and sculpture installation with Sue Rees (with guest performers including Fred Lomberg-Holm, Jennifer Monson, Tom Goralnik, and Dan Froot) in New York and Miami, 1992–95 *''Source to Sound'', sound installation, 1993 *''On Balance'', multi-channel audio installation.

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, the ...

, New York, 2000 *''The Order'', Performance installation for the Cremaster cycle exhibition at the

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, often referred to as The Guggenheim, is an art museum at 1071 Fifth Avenue on the corner of East 89th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. It is the permanent home of a continuously exp ...

, 2003 *''Double quartet for: together again for the first time'', video and sound installation. New York, 2005 *''Dances for Broken Ensemble'', video and sound installation. Cincinnati

Contemporary Arts Center The Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) is a contemporary art museum in Cincinnati, Ohio and one of the first contemporary art institutions in the United States. The CAC is a non-collecting museum that focuses on new developments in painting, sculptur ...

, 2007 *''Curtain Callers'', video and sound installation with Ann-Sofi Siden. Royal Dramatic Theater, Stockholm 2012

Compositions

*''Innana'', dance-opera (with Christina Svane), 1987 *''The Great Belzoni'', cabaret-opera, 1990 *''Keep Your Hands Off'', chamber music for piano, saxophone, cello, bass, guitar and drums, 1997 *''Primary Orifice'' for the

Ensemble, 1998 *''Cremaster 5'', Budapest Philharmonic, Adrienne Csengery, soprano in film by

. Budapest, 1993 *''Ruins'', video opera project. Tokyo, 1999 *''Cremaster 2'', Music for film by

. Utah and NY, 1999 *''S'', music for the dance drama by

. Berlin, 2000 *''Cremaster 3'', Music for film by

. New York, 2002 *''Transient Symphony: Oratorio for Hillside and Valley'', mobile sound track for the ''Echigo-Tsumari Art Trienniale''. Japan, 2003 *''The Rape of the Sabine Women'', video opera project with

Eve Sussman Eve Sussman is a British-born American artist of film, video, installation, sculpture, and photography. She was educated at Robert College of Istanbul, University of Canterbury, and Bennington College. She resides in Brooklyn, New York, where h ...

. Greece and New York, 2005 *''Gezeiten'', music for the dance drama by

. Berlin, 2005 *''Fascia'', concert piece for orchestra, children's choir, opera soloists and foley artists.

. Frankfurt, 2006 *''Aliens'', score for Dance by Luc Dunberry. Grand Theatre Luxembourg, 2008 *''Les Assistantes'', collaboration with choreographer

Jennifer Lacey Jennifer or Jenifer may refer to: People *Jennifer (given name) * Jenifer (singer), French pop singer * Jennifer Warnes, American singer who formerly used the stage name Jennifer * Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer * Daniel Jenifer Film and televi ...

. Paris and Montpellier, 2008 *''REN Los Angeles'', Drum and Bugle Corps, Choir, Mariachi Divas featuring Lila Downs. Site specific performance by Matthew Barney and Jonathan Bepler. Los Angeles, 2008 *''Jimmy'', concert piece for Guitar, Trombone, Viola, Accordion, 2009 *''Same Unknown'', sound score for 9 channel video installation by Ann-Sofi Siden. 2009 *''Guardian of the Veil'', chamber orchestra, marching snares, baglamas, suonas, featuring the

Basel Sinfonietta The Basel Sinfonietta is a Swiss orchestra, based in Basel. History The Basel Sinfonietta was founded in 1980, as a self-governing ensemble, by a group of young musicians with a focus on contemporary classical music. The orchestra has presented ...

Theater Basel Theater Basel is the municipal theatre of the city of Basel, Switzerland, which is home to the city's opera and ballet companies. The theatre also presents plays and musicals in addition to operas and operettas. Because the theatre does not ha ...

, 2009 *''KHU Detroit'', operatic multi-site Performance in collaboration with Matthew Barney. Detroit, 2010 *''Tool is Loot'', Trombones, strings, woodwinds, percussion, singer (Bepler). score for Dance with Jennifer Lacey and Wally Cardona. The Kitchen, NYC. 2011 *''BA New York'', 300 voices, Banjo ensemble, String ensemble. performance in collaboration with Matthew Barney. Brooklyn Navy Yard Dry docks, 2013 *''Divided Chamber Music'', for strings, brass, choirs and bodies.

Zeche Zollverein The Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex (German Zeche Zollverein) is a large former industrial site in the city of Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The first coal mine on the premises was founded in 1847, and mining activities took pla ...

, Essen, Germany, 2014 *''Within Between'', live score for dance by

. 6 channel sound. NYLA, NYC, 2014 *''River of Fundament'', 6-hour work with many musical ensembles. Operatic film by Matthew Barney and Jonathan Bepler.

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

and NYC, 2014 *''Ca Va Bien, Mayakovsky'', 5 movements for orchestra and vocal soloists. Orchestra and Choir of Radio France, Paris, 2017 *''Redoubt'', score for film by Matthew Barney, 2018

Discography

* ''Masterpieces of Fantasy'', 1997 * ''Music for Cremaster 5'', Original Soundtrack Recording, 1998 * ''Alternative Schubertiade'' (Anthology), 1999 * ''Music for Cremaster 2'', 1999 * ''State of the Union'' (Anthology), 2001 *The Order, 2002 * ''Music for Cremaster 3'', 2002 * ''Transient Symphony'', 2003

External links

Jonathan Bepler's Homepage

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bepler, Jonathan 1959 births 20th-century classical composers 21st-century American composers 21st-century classical composers American classical composers American male classical composers American opera composers Male opera composers Bennington College alumni Living people People from Media, Pennsylvania 20th-century American composers 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians