Music Department Welcomes Edmund Campion, Visiting Slee Professor in Fall 2021

Edmund Campion’s music explores relationships between sound and space—creations that often involve the careful mixing of acoustic instruments with emerging computer technologies. Born in Dallas, Texas in 1957, he studied composition at the University of Texas and Columbia University followed by several years in France working with composer Gérard Grisey. In 1993 he was selected to work at IRCAM where he composed the piece Losing Touch, now a mainstay in the repertoire for percussion and electronics. He has been commissioned by major American and French cultural institutions including, IRCAM, Radio France, the French Ministry of Culture, the Fromm Foundation, and the Koussevitzky Music Foundation. In 1995, Hillary Clinton presented him with the Rome Prize in Music Composition. His works are heard in concert halls worldwide and a monograph CD by the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players is available on Albany records. Les Percussion des Strasbourg sextet released a recording of Wavelike and Diverse on their 50th Anniversary CD collection.

As a 2016 Guggenheim Fellow, Mr. Campion composed for the Contemporary Gugak Orchestra, an ensemble of 50 musicians performing on ancient Korean instruments.  In 2015, the Ensemble Intercontemporain co-commissioned Campion and audiovisual artist Kurt Hentschläger for the 25-minute, Cluster X.  The multi-media work was premiered at the Philharmonie de Paris in October of 2015 and toured the United States. In 2012, while Composer in Residence with the Santa Rosa Symphony, Campion was commissioned for The Last Internal Combustion Engine, written for full orchestra, Kronos Quartet and electronics.