Bradford Blackburn (b. 1974) is a composer, music technologist, and music theorist whose work explores electroacoustic and interactive music, new musical interfaces, extended just intonation, immersive audio, environmental sound, live video processing, sonification of movement and gesture, contemporary music performance, improvisation, and the construction of experimental musical instruments.

Since joining the music faculty at The University of Tampa in 2008, Blackburn has directed the music technology and composition program, coordinated the contemporary performance and music theory programs, and has served as the music department chair (2012-14, 2017-20). He has curated performances of experimental music, music technology, and contemporary performance for the Tampa Bay community through the Minaret New Music concert series, the UT Composer Festival, and the Synergy concert series.

Blackburn has presented his music and research at national and international events including the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States, the Brazilian Symposium on Computer Music, the Raflost festival in Iceland, and the International Conference of the College Music Society in Belgium. Blackburn’s crossover chamber work, Chimera, was selected for inclusion on the Society of Composers, Inc. CD series, and was released by Navona Records. He also has album credits as the recording engineer for several classical music releases on Centaur Records.

Blackburn’s doctoral dissertation, completed at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, discusses compositional techniques in the music of Harry Partch, using replica Partch instruments that Blackburn built and composed music for. His global musical interests include performance studies on dizi, erhu, sheng and guqin, which he began in Taiwan. Prior to studying at UIUC, Blackburn earned a M.M. in Media Writing and Production from the University of Miami FL, and a B.M. in Music Composition from The State University of New York at Fredonia. His major composition teachers have included Donald Bohlen, Zack Browning, Warren Burt, and Scott Wyatt.

Visit www.bradfordblackburn.com for more info, audio clips, and score samples.

Albums

When Gaia Falls

Release Date: August 25, 2023
Catalog Number: BR8979
21st Century
Jazz
Electroacoustic
Piano
Voice
WHEN GAIA FALLS from composer Bradford Blackburn is an environmental call for action in the face of climate change manifested through musical, literary, and sonic eclecticism as a medium of universality. Its central message? There is no better time to save the future than the present. From the body of electroacoustic, choral, and chamber works emerge a trio of narrative sub texts. The first, to simplify our needs and desires, the second, to make ecologically sustainable choices, and the third, to pursue positive change as a society. Bradford calls upon several artists to drive his message home in this release, spanning a variety of genres and moods that make a compelling case.