Elliott Sharp (born March 1, 1951) is an American

contemporary classical New Classical architecture, New Classicism or the New Classical movement is a contemporary movement in architecture that continues the practice of Classical architecture. It is sometimes considered the modern continuation of Neoclassical architec ...

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 ranging from

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 it ...

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 majo ...

, 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 aris ...

, no wave, and

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

. 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 problems or to perform a computation. Algorithms are used as specifications for performing ...

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 ...

. Sharp has led many ensembles over the years, including the blues-oriented Terraplane and

Orchestra Carbon An orchestra (; ) is a large Musical ensemble, 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 ...

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 ...

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

Bard College Bard College is a private 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 District—a National Historic Landmark. Founded in 18 ...

in 1973, where he studied composition with Benjamin Boretz and

Elie Yarden Elie and Earlsferry is a coastal town and former royal burgh in Fife, and parish, Scotland, situated within the East Neuk beside Chapel Ness on the north coast of the Firth of Forth, eight miles east of Leven, Fife, Leven. The burgh comprised t ...

; 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 Burton, Burtons, or Burton's may refer to: Companies * Burton (retailer), a clothing retailer **Burton's, Abergavenny, a shop built for the company in 1937 **The Montague Burton Building, Dublin a shop built for the company between 1929 an ...

. 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 1 ...

, 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 ...

, 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 "f ...

. From the late 1970s, Sharp established himself in New York's music scene. His compositions have been performed by the hr-Sinfonieorchester, 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 S.E.M. Ensemble is an American group dedicated to the performance of contemporary classical music. It was founded in 1970 by the Czech composer Petr Kotik, who serves as its director, and is based in New York City. Kotik seems to have rather ar ...

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 class ...

, the FLUX Quartet, Zeitkratzer, the Soldier String Quartet, the JACK Quartet, and Grammy-winning violinist Hilary Hahn. 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 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 jazz ...

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 San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political ...

'' 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,

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, a percussionist. He has w ...

, Bobby Previte, Z'EV,

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, h ...

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, Vernon Reid, and Frances-Marie Uitti, 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 devotional music. Sometimes c ...

, blues legend Hubert Sumlin, 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 a ...

, 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 fir ...

, 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, leader of the Master Musicians of Jajouka. 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, the ...

, 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 ...

, Tod Dockstader, John Duncan, Walter Murch, Muhal Richard Abrams,

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 ...

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,

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 th ...

, and Butch Morris. 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 eccentric or non-mainstream people; in current use, the word typically connotes an expert or enthusiast obsessed with a hobby or intellectual pursuit. In the past, it had a genera ...

" 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, 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 organization ...

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. 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 Janene Higgins is a graphic designer and video artist based in New York City. Her work spans several genres, from video performance in the experimental music scene to videos for Saks Fifth Avenue, and the design of several hundred CD packages for ...

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, Olu Dara,

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, ...

, 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 Paul Garrin (born 1957) is an interdisciplinary artist and social entrepreneur whose work explores the social impact of technology and issues of media access, free speech, public/private space, and the digital divide. Starting as his assistant in ...

, Shelley Hirsch, Shigeto Kamada, Christian Marclay, 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, 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 twe ...

, Sussan Deihim, Shelley Hirsch, Barbara Barg, K.J. Grant, Lee Ann Brown * ''Dyners Club Guitar Quartet'' (1994) with

Roger Kleier Roger Kleier (born 1958, Glendale, California) is an American composer, guitarist, improviser, and producer. He studied composition at the University of North Texas College of Music and the USC Thornton School of Music. Kleier's compositional wo ...

, David Mecionis, John Myers * ''Boodlers'' (1995) with Fred Chalenor, Henry Franzoni * ''Boodlers – Counter Fit'' (1997) with Fred Chalenor, Henry Franzoni, Joseph Trump * ''Arc 1: I/S/M'' (1996) with Art Baron, Michael Brown, Al Diaz, Olu Dara,

, David Linton, Diana Meckley, M.E. Miller, Charles K. Noyes, Bobby Previte, Phillip Wilson * ''Arc 2: The Seventies'' (1998) with, Steve Piccolo, Geoff MacAdie, Stewart Gilbert, Kunda Magenau, Denis Williamson, Murry Kohn,

Donald Knaack Donald Knaack is an American percussionist. He performs on and composes for recycled materials exclusively. His album ''Junk Music'' was nominated for a Grammy Award, and he has played in many prominent venues worldwide, including the Lincol ...

, Bobby Previte, Jim Whittemore,

Chris Vine Blurt is an English post-punk band, founded in 1979 in Stroud, Gloucestershire, Stroud, Gloucestershire. Background Blurt was founded in 1979 in Stroud, Gloucestershire by poet, saxophonist and puppeteer Ted Milton along with Milton's br ...

* ''Arc 3: Cyberpunk & the Virtual Stance'' (1998) * ''Autar'' (2000) with the Bedouin Musicians of Muhammad Abu-Ajaj * ''Raw Meet'' (2002) with Melvin Gibbs, Lance Carter * ''Radio Hyper-Yahoo'' (2004) with Tracie Morris,

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 ...

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 r ...

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, Eszter Balint, Edwin Torres, , Steve Piccolo, Gak Sato * ''War Zones'' (2008) * '' Christian Marclay:

Graffiti Composition ''Graffiti Composition'' is an album by Christian Marclay. It began as a street installation in 1996 before being converted into a score and recorded. The album was released by Dog W/A Bone on August 17, 2010. Composition In 1996 the Berlin Academ ...

'' (2010) Elliott Sharp, Melvin Gibbs,

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 Irabag ...

, Lee Ranaldo, Vernon Reid * ''Electric Willie: a Tribute to Willie Dixon'' (2010) Elliott Sharp, Henry Kaiser, , Queen Esther, Glenn Phillips, Melvin Gibbs, Lance Carter (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; 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 Hubert Sumlin * ''Terraplane – Secret Life'' (2005) * ''Terraplane – Forgery'' (2008) * ''Terraplane – Sky Road Songs'' (2012) with Hubert Sumlin * ''Terraplane – 4AM Always'' (2014) – Winner of the Jahrespreis from Deutsche Schallplattenkritik

Duos

* ''In New York'' (1990) with Bachir Attar * ''Psycho~Acoustic'' (1994) with Zeena Parkins * ''Psycho~Acoustic – Blackburst'' (1996) with Zeena Parkins * ''Hoosegow: Mighty'' (1996) with Queen Esther * ''Improvisations'' (1997) with Frances-Marie Uitti * ''Revenge of the Stuttering Child'' (1997) with

Ronny Someck Ronny Someck ( he, רוני סומק; born 1951) is an Israeli poet and author, whose works have been translated into many languages. Biography Someck was born in Baghdad and came to Israel as a young child. He studied Hebrew literature and philo ...

* ''Poverty Line'' (1997) with

* ''Rwong Territory'' (1998) with DJ Soulslinger * ''High Noon'' (1999) with Christian Marclay * ''Anostalgia'' (2002) with Reinhold Friedl * ''The Prisoner's Dilemma'' (2002) with Bobby Previte * ''Tongue'' (2004) with John Duncan * ''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 Franck Vigroux is a French musician, composer and media artist. Background Vigroux's artistic approach integrates new media and performing arts. He is a multifaceted artist whose music works range from electro-acoustic and experimental electronic ...

* ''Duo Milano'' (2007) with

* ''pi:k'' (2007) with Charlotte Hug * ''BASE'' (2008) with Antoine Berthaume * ''Scharfefelder'' (2008) with Scott Fields * ''Protoplasmic'' (2009) with Boris Savoldelli * ''Afiadacampos'' (2010) with Scott Fields * ''Reflexions'' (2010) with Michiyo Yagi * ''Chansons du crépuscule'' (2017) with

Helene Breschand Helene or Hélène may refer to: People * Helene (given name), a Greek feminine given name *Helen of Troy, the daughter of Zeus and Leda *Helene, a figure in Greek mythology who was a friend of Aphrodite and helped her seduce Adonis *Helene (A ...

* ''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,

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, Elliott Sharp, Bobby Previte * ''

GTR OBLQ ''GTR OBLQ'' (also referred to as ''Gtr Oblq'' or ''Guitar Oblique'') is a live album by guitarists Vernon Reid, Elliott Sharp, and David Torn. It was recorded at the Knitting Factory in New York City, and was released in 1998 by Knitting Factory ...

'' (1998) Vernon Reid, 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, Elliott Sharp, Ken Filiano, Tomas Ulrich * ''Venice, dal vivo'' (2010) Elliott Sharp,

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

, Denardo Coleman, Henry Kaiser, Christian Marclay,

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) * Christian Marclay: ''

'' (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, 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 Toni Dove lives and works in New York. Since the early 1990s, she has produced unique and highly imaginative embodied hybrids of film, installation and performance. In her work, performers and participants interact with an unfolding narrative, us ...

performed by the 31 Band,

Sirius String Quartet Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbreviated Alpha CM ...

, 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 Bobby Previte (2007 DVD) * Roulette TV: ''Elliott Sharp''. Roulette Intermedium Inc. (2000 DVD) * ''Record Player: Christian Marclay'' (2000 DVD)

Music composed for film

*''Spectropia'' (2006) *'' Commune'' (2005) *''The Time We Killed'' (2004) *''What Sebastian Dreamt'' (2003) *''

Daddy and the Muscle Academy ''Daddy and the Muscle Academy'' is a 1991 Finnish documentary film directed and written by Ilppo Pohjola. The documentary is focused on the life and works of Tom of Finland, the pseudonym of Finnish gay erotic artist Touko Laaksonen. Synopsis ...

'' (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 ...

, 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, A ...

and accordionist William Schimmel, and prerecorded electro-acoustic backgrounds by Sharp. Projection design by

. *''About Us'' (2010): Commissioned in the Autumn of 2009 by the Bayerische Staatsoper 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 Jack Womack. 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 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, 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 of

, 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