Lawrence Fritts

Professor Emeritus
Biography

Lawrence Fritts received his PhD in composition from the University of Chicago, where he studied with Shulamit Ran, John Eaton, and Ralph Shapey. He is currently professor of composition and theory at the University of Iowa, where he directs the Electronic Music Studios.

His music has been presented at conferences and festivals throughout the world, including International Computer Music Conferences in Thessaloniki, Ann Arbor, and Gothenburg, Sweden, Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States (SEAMUS) Conferences at San Jose State University, University of North Texas, Louisiana State University, University of Iowa, and Arizona State University, International Conferences on Musical Informatics in Gorizia and L'Aquila, Italy, Festivals International D'Art Acousmatique in Lyons and Crest, France, Les Rendez-vous de la Musique Concrete at the University of Paris VIII, Colloque 2002 International Conference in d'Angoulême, France, Synthese Festival in Bourges, France, Seoul International Computer Music Festival, Boston Music Marathon at Brandeis University, New Music & Art Festival at Bowling Green State University, Electroacoustic Music Festival at the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music, the Florida Festival of Elecroacoustic Music at the University of Florida, and the International Double Reed Society Conference at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro.

His recent music for instruments and electronics has been performed by the New York University New Music Ensemble, the University of Iowa Center for New Music, the University of Chicago Contemporary Chamber Players, and by soloists Matthew Sintchak, Melissa Reiser, Kara Brown, Karin de Fleyt, Michael Giles, Kristin Thelander, Christine Bellomy, Tadeu Coelho, Benjamin Coelho, and Jeffrey Lyman. Works have also recently been presented on concert series of the Maverick Ensemble in Chicago, New Music at the Green Mill in Chicago, New Music DePaul, University of North Texas, Clark University, Bates College, University of Minnesota, Concordia College, University of Glasgow, Keele University in Staffordshire, Logos Foundation in Ghent, Belgium, the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory, and the British Information Centre Cutting Edge Tour concerts in London, York University, Nottingham University, Oxford University, and Cambridge University. Compact disk recordings of his music are available on Innova, Frog Peak, Tempo Primo, Riax, and Southport Composers.

He has given papers and invited talks at conferences of the Society of Music Theory Midwest, Annual Joint Meeting of the American Mathematical Society and the American Mathematical Association of America, the International Conference on Systems Research, Informatics, and Cybernetics in Baden-Baden, Germany, SEAMUS National Conferences in Texas and Arizona, the Kansas City Festival of Electronic Music, the Small Computers in the Arts Symposium in Philadelphia, and at Lawrence University, DEI University, Thessaloniki, Greece, Roosevelt College Chicago, and the Moscow Conservatory of Music. His articles and reviews have been published in Music Theory Spectrum, Computer Music Journal, Array, Systems Research in the Arts, Bulletin of the Council for Research in Music Education, and Papers Presented to the American Mathematical Society.

He has received honors and awards from the New York University International New Music Consortium, the Bourges International Electroacoustic Music Competition, the International Institute for Advanced Studies in Systems Research and Cybernetics, the Arts and Humanities Initiative, and the Iowa Informatics Initiative.

He recently hosted the 2002 National Conference of SEAMUS at the University of Iowa, and currently serves as consultant to the Music Perception and Appraisal Project of the Iowa Chochlear Implant Center. He has also created a free online database of anechoically-recorded musical instrument samples available at http://theremin.music.uiowa.edu/MIS.html which is widely used by composers and sound researchers throughout the world.

Current projects include commissions for works orchestra and interactive electronics, clarinet and tape, and mezzo-soprano and tape.

Research areas
  • Composition and music theory