Mark Applebaum
Picturing Music
William and Anna Jane Schlossman Gallery
“The Mad Scientist of Music,” a modern-day John Cage, and provocative integrator of art forms, Mark Applebaum masterfully crafts intricate visual artworks of signs and symbols that can also be interpreted and played by musicians. A professor of composition at Stanford University, Applebaum is internationally recognized for his innovative music notation and musical realization. Unlike most modern composers who rely heavily upon standardized notation, Applebaum is resurrecting the art of creating graphic scores, which can be viewed purely as works of art and also as functional pieces of music. This exhibition presents select projects of Applebaum’s work, being exhibited in the Fargo region for the first time, revealing highlights of his creative processes characterized by challenging the conventional boundaries of the visual arts and musical ontology.
Mark Applebaum has received his Ph.D. in Music Composition from The University of California, San Diego. His music has been performed throughout six continents, including notable commissions from the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, the Fromm Foundation, the Spoleto Festival, the Kronos Quartet, Chamber Music America, and the Vienna Modern Festival.
This exhibition is a collaboration between Plains Art Museum, Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) Department of Music, and the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony. During the exhibition, planned programs include a performance and artist talk by Applebaum, a Musicircus of John Cage works performed by MSUM students under the direction of Dr. Kenyon Williams, and interpretations of Applebaum’s works by members of the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony.
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