Keith Hamel

{{Short description|Canadian composer, software designer, & professor of music (born 1956)}}

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| birth_place = Morden, Manitoba, Canada

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| alma_mater = Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto

| occupation = Composer, academic

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Keith Hamel (born 1956 in Morden, Manitoba, Canada) is a composer, software designer, and professor of music. His music consists of orchestral, chamber, solo, and vocal music, often focussing on live electronics and interactivity between acoustic instruments and the computer.

Education

Keith Hamel studied at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, and holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Queen's University (Kingston, Ontario, 1981), and A.M. and PhD degrees from Harvard University (1984, 1985). Between 1981 and 1984, he also studied Computer Music at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, under the supervision of Barry Vercoe. Hamel also received composition instruction from Istvan Anhalt,[http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0000083 Anhalt, István] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718005553/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=U1ARTU0000083 |date=18 July 2011 }}. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved on 2010-11-13. Donald Martino, Peter Maxwell Davies, Earl Kim and Leon Kirchner. He was a finalist in the 1986 CBC Young Composers Competition (percussion category), and also received four awards in the P.R.O. Canada Young Composers Competition.

Career

Hamel has been on the faculty at the UBC School of Music since 1987, and has been a full professor since 1997.[http://www.music.ubc.ca/faculty-and-staff/full-time-faculty-biographies/dr-keith-hamel.html Dr. Keith Hamel] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140411133207/http://www.music.ubc.ca/faculty-and-staff/full-time-faculty-biographies/dr-keith-hamel.html |date=11 April 2014 }}. Music.ubc.ca. Retrieved on 2010-11-13. He is also an Associate Researcher at the Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems (ICICS), a Researcher at the Media Graphics Interdisciplinary Centre (MAGIC),[http://www.magic.ubc.ca/pmwiki.php?n=Main.People Main / People browse] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706210354/http://www.magic.ubc.ca/pmwiki.php?n=Main.People |date=6 July 2011 }}. MAGIC (1 December 2005). Retrieved on 2010-11-13. and Director of the UBC Computer Music Studio.

Keith Hamel has been a visiting lecturer at Stony Brook University, Queen's University, the University of Western Ontario, Simon Fraser University, the Banff School of Fine Arts, the University of Santa Barbara, the University of Washington School of Music, York University, IRCAM, and several other academic institutions.[http://debussy.music.ubc.ca/Keith/cv.html Keith A. Hamel – Curriculum Vitae]. Debussy.music.ubc.ca. Retrieved on 2010-11-13.[http://syneme.ucalgary.ca/Artsmesh+Grid&structure=Syneme Artsmesh Grid : Syneme]. Syneme.ucalgary.ca. Retrieved on 2010-11-13.

List of works

=Orchestra and large ensemble=

Quadrivium for Orchestra (1983) (15 min.)
Paraphrases for chamber orchestra (1993) (8 min.)
Overdrive for orchestra (1998) (10 min.)
Wizard for chamber orchestra (2010) (5 min.)

=Chamber ensembles=

Obsessions 1 for chamber sextet (1984) (17 min.)
Obsessions 2 for string quartet (1985) (17 min.)
Paraphrases for fl., cl., horn, fortepiano, timpani, violin, and cello (1990) (8 min.)
Refraction for clarinet, violin, and piano (1991) (10 min.)
Each Life Converges To Some Centre... for violin and piano (1992) (7 min.)
Crossfade for flute, clarinet, violin, piano, and percussion (1994) (3 min.)
Wings of Mercury for fl., ob., cl., perc., pno., vn., vc. and D.B. (1997) (12 min.)
Kolokochiki for two piano and two percussion (2002) (12 min.)
Adawura for clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion (2003) (12 min.)

=Chamber ensemble with interactive electronics=

Land of Shades for six singers and computer-generated tape (1982) (9 min.)
Obsessions III for tape and chamber ensemble (1987) (10 min.)
Ca-Non for flute/alto flute, MIDI piano, percussion, and interactive electronics
Faded Memories, Faded Jeans for cl., vc., MIDI piano, and perc. (1995) (20 min.)
Off-ramp for elec. gtr, chamber ens., and interactive electronics (2007) (14 min.)
Les Cloches for chamber orchestra and interactive electronics (2011) (11 min.)

=Solo instruments with interactive electronics=

Symposium II for perc. and computer tape (1985; revised 1992)
Thrust for MIDI grand piano and electronics (1989) (18 min.)
WindoW for alto saxophone and interactive electronics (1990) (12 min.)
Obsessed Again... for bassoon and interactive electronics (1992) (15 min.)
Traces for clarinet and interactive electronics (1995)
Krishna’s Flute for flute and interactive electronics (2004) (15 min.)
Touch for piano and interactive electronics (2012) (15 min.)
Full Circle for trombone and interactive electronics (2014) (14 min.)

=Vocal and choral=

Salem, 1692 for women's choir (1993) (10 min.)
Lullaby for women's choir (1999) (5 min.)
deep in the heart is where we are one for choir (2002) (7 min.)
Her Eyes in Sleep for ATTB (2005) (3 min.)

Selected performers

Ensemble Contemporain, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver New Music Ensemble, Elektra Women's Choir, ARRAYMUSIC, New Music Concerts, musica intima, Hammerhead Consort, Standing Wave, Hard Rubber Orchestra,{{YouTube|GwWlkjSfLLs|ICE AGE 2010 "WIZARD" (music composed by Keith Hamel)}} (30 January 2010). Retrieved on 2010-11-13. Robert Silverman, Robert Cram, Robert Aitken, Chenoa Anderson, Mark McGregor, Paolo Bortolussi, Corey Hamm, The Nu:BC Collective, Jesse Read, Jean-Guy Boisvert, Julia Nolan, Douglas Finch and François Houle.

Affiliations

Vice President, International Society for Contemporary Music (ISCM) (2003–2007)

President, Canadian Music Centre (2002–2006)

Board Member, Canadian League of Composers (1995–2005)

Published by Editions Musicales Européenes (Paris), Cypress Editions (Vancouver)

Keith Hamel is an Associate Composer of the [https://web.archive.org/web/20110514202928/http://www.musiccentre.ca/apps/index.cfm?fuseaction=composer.FA_dsp_biography&authpeopleid=10678&by=H Canadian Music Centre], and a member of the [https://web.archive.org/web/20100327155106/http://www.clc-lcc.ca/index_en.php Canadian League of Composers].

AMP represents the music of Paul Steenhuisen, Howard Bashaw, Keith Hamel, Bob Pritchard, James Harley, André Ristic, Gordon Fitzell, and Aaron Gervais.

Software development

Notewriter music notation software (1988–2007)
NoteAbility Pro{{cite web|url=http://www.opusonemusic.net/NoteAbility/index.html|title=NoteAbility Pro|website=opusonemusic.net}} music notation software (1996–present)
UBC Toolbox{{cite web|url=http://www.opusonemusic.net/muset/toolbox.html|title=UBC Max/MSP/Jitter Toolbox|website=opusonemusic.net}} Processing modules for Max/MSP (2005–present)
IMuSE,{{cite web|url=http://www.opusonemusic.net/muset/imuse.html|title=MuSET IMuSE|website=opusonemusic.net}} the Integrated Multimodal Score-following Environment

Notable students

Hamel has been principal supervisor of several students who have proceeded to professional careers in music. These include Richard Covey, Gordon Fitzell, Brent Lee, Jocelyn Morlock, Bob Pritchard and Paul Steenhuisen.

References

External links

[http://www.opusonemusic.net/hamel.html Keith Hamel – composer website]
[https://web.archive.org/web/20110113222956/http://www.artmusicpromotion.org/frontpage.html Art Music Promotion website]
[http://www.opusonemusic.net/muset/index.html Research]
[http://www.opusonemusic.net/NoteAbility/index.html NoteAbility Pro]
[http://www.music.ubc.ca/ UBC School of Music] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107085249/http://www.music.ubc.ca/ |date=7 November 2020 }}
[http://www.vimeo.com/6998321 Video excerpt of Obsessed Again]
[http://www.vimeo.com/6999218 Video excerpt of Intersecting Lines]