Aaron Siegel

Composer/Percussionist Aaron Siegel's work ranges from solo compositions and chamber music to improvised ensembles and collaborative theater pieces. He produces concert events and recordings involving his own music and collaborations with other members of the experimental arts community.Siegel’s music has been presented by Roulette, The Chocolate Factory, Ulrichsberg Kaleidaphon, Wet Ink Musics and AugustArt. Other works have been performed at the Friends Meetinghouse in Manhattan, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, and the Chashama Art Space in Times Square. Siegel’s music has been performed by the Flux String Quartet, Zyklos, pianists Emily Manzo and Walter Frank, and the Aaron Siegel Ensemble. In the spring of 2007 the New York-based mixed chamber ensemble Till by Turning commissioned and performed Chalk Line (for piano, bassoon, violin, viola and cello). In May 2008, Siegel premiered a major new work, commissioned by the Jerome Foundation for the Flux String Quartet and 4 actors at the Chocolate Factory Theater in Long Island City.His work has been supported by grants from Meet the Composer, the Jerome Foundation, The American Composers Forum, the American Music Center, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Wesleyan University, and by the Consulate General of Argentina. He has presented his work at the Cybersonica Festival of Sound and Art in London, UK, the Art Academy in Dusseldorf, Germany and the University for Art and Design in Karlsruhe, Germany. Siegel has studied with Nora Davenport, Stephen Rush, Alvin Lucier, Ron Kuivila, Anthony Braxton and Bunita Marcus. He has an MA in composition from Wesleyan University.In September 2007, Brooklyn-based Peacock Recordings released the first recording of the Aaron Siegel Ensemble, Every Morning, A History, which was praised by Signal to Noise as being representative of the flowering DIY chamber music scene in Brooklyn. 2007 also saw the release of the self-titled Memorize the Sky (2007, 482 Music) that documents a collaboration with Zach Wallace and Matt Bauder. The Cabinet, a solo percussion CD (2006, Longbox Recordings) was praised by The Wire in as “an exquisite set that has a meditative ease and grace.” He has released limited edition CDs of his electronic music including Rooms and Spaces and Sounding Place. His playing is featured on several recordings with Anthony Braxton including the mammoth 9-CD Box Set, 9 Compositions (Iridium) 2006. One of his tape pieces was selected to be part of a compilation entitled A Call for Silence that was curated by the London-based Sonic Arts Network.Aaron is on the staff of the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall. He lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife, Zoe.