UA’s Sonic Frontiers Presents Concert by Composer-Performers

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama’s Sonic Frontiers concert series will present a free concert by composer-performers Holland Hopson and Justin Peake at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 7, in the Bama Theatre’s Greensboro Room, 600 Greensboro Ave. in Tuscaloosa.

Hopson and Peake fuse acoustic and electronic music into entrancing new sounds that appeal to both traditional and contemporary sensibilities. They will each perform solo sets of their original compositions and improvised music that showcases their Alabama roots.

Hopson, a UA instructor, is a composer, improviser and electronic artist. He performs on soprano saxophone; clawhammer banjo and electronics, including custom-designed sensor interfaces; and his own interactive computer programs. He has held residencies in Florida at the Atlantic Center for the Arts and in New York at LEMURPlex and Harvestworks Digital Media Arts. His most recent solo recording is “Post and Beam,” a collection of original and traditional Appalachian songs arranged for banjo and live electronics. He also recently recorded the location sound for Jacqueline Goss’s film “The Observers” and released its companion soundtrack, titled “Wind Whistling in Overhead Wires.”

For a preview of Hopson’s work, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRk6cskXFTg.

Peake, an Alabama native, is a drummer, percussionist, sound designer, DJ, music theorist, composer, visual artist and recording producer. He presents a multifaceted approach to several genres and has developed his art into a three-dimensional experience. His foundation in jazz brings yet another distinct and notable element to his work. In 2012, Peake established Articulated Works, a multimedia production company and art/music label based in New Orleans.

For a preview of Peake’s work, go to http://vimeo.com/59588333.

Sonic Frontiers is a cutting-edge concert series of innovative and experimental music that enriches the cultural life of West Alabama and invites creative exchange between world-class performers of adventurous music, students, and the greater community through public performances and discussions. All Sonic Frontiers events are free and open to the public. The events are sponsored by UA’s New College, College of Arts and Sciences, School of Music, Creative Campus, Honors College, Blount Undergraduate Initiative and Capstone International. For more information call 205/348.9928 or visit http://sonicfrontiers.ua.edu

Under the auspices of UA’s Office of Academic Affairs, Creative Campus is an innovative student-centered collaborative learning environment where undergraduates advocate for the arts and community by designing and implementing inventive ideas for public arts projects, conversations and events that promote creativity and culture. In support of the University of Alabama’s dedication to excellence in teaching, research, and service, Creative Campus provides student internship experiences that enhance learning through hands-on practice, leadership opportunities and creative problem-solving, allowing students to grow as individuals while enhancing the cultural fabric of UA and the greater Tuscaloosa community.