Aaron CASSIDY

composer        //       conductor

biography   music   news   conducting   contact

  Aaron Cassidy has been active as a conductor of choral and instrumental music for over fifteen years.  His first professional post came when he was appointed Interim Assistant Conductor of the Texas Boys Choir at age 19, which was followed by a number of positions and guest conducting engagements at several universities and churches, including significant experience with the traditional choral repertoire.

Since 2000, his primary focus has been new and experimental instrumental music.  From 2002-04, he served as conductor and pianist for Augenmusik (now the Open Music Ensemble), a Buffalo, NY-based chamber ensemble specializing in the performance of graphical scores and open-form works.  More recently, he has led a number of student and professional ensembles in the context of various university composition faculty positions, including the Northwestern University Contemporary Music Ensemble, the University of Huddersfield New Music Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra, and student workshops with the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE).  In the Summer of 2009 he participated Herrenhaus Edenkoben conducting course in cooperation with the International Ensemble Modern Academy, studying with Peter Eötvös and Zsolt Nagy. 

His recent repertoire interests have spanned a wide range of musical aesthetics and include works ranging from highly determinate, complex notation to graphical notation to works from the standard repertoire.
 

 
video

 

Gerald Barry  '______'  | .wmv (excerpts)

     University of Huddersfield New Music Ensemble, rehearsal, December 2009

 

Leonard Bernstein  Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs  | .wmv (excerpt)

     University of Huddersfield New Music Ensemble, rehearsal, December 2009

 

Christian Baldini  folding space  | .wmv

     International Ensemble Modern Academy
     Herrenhaus Edenkoben, Germany, July 2009
     (audio:  SWR-2)

 

Morton Feldman  For Frank O'Hara  | .wmv (excerpt)

     University of Huddersfield New Music Ensemble, dress rehearsal, 2008

 

Nomi Epstein [untitled] | .wmv (excerpts)

     ad hoc ensemble

     Northwestern University, May 2007

 

Cornelius Cardew  Autumn '60  | .wmv (excerpt)

     Augenmusik, June in Buffalo dress rehearsal, 2003

 

Anestis Logothetis Kulmination II  | .wmv (excerpt)

     Augenmusik, June in Buffalo dress rehearsal, 2003

audio

Pablo Chin Echoes of the Steppenwolf  | .mp3

     International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) /  Aaron Cassidy, cond.

 

 
selected 20th/21st century conducting repertoire

 

Louis Andriessen Workers Union

     Augenmusik, 2003

 

Christian Baldini  folding space

     International Ensemble Modern Academy, Herrenhaus Edenkoben, July 2009

     recorded for broadcast by SWR-2

 

Gerald Barry '________'

     University of Huddersfield New Music Ensemble, 2009

 

Leonard Bernstein  Prelude, Fugue, and Riffs

     University of Huddersfield New Music Ensemble, 2009

 

Cornelius Cardew  Autumn '60

     Augenmusik, June in Buffalo, 2003

     Augenmusik, Brandeis University, 2003

     Augenmusik, University at Buffalo, 2003

 

Elliott Carter  Triple Duo *

     Herrenhaus Edenkoben Conducting Mastercourse, July 2009

    

Pablo Chin Echoes of the Steppenwolf

     International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE),  
        Northwestern University, April 2007

 

Aldo Clementi Satz 2

     New Music Northwestern, January 2007

 

Nomi Epstein [untitled] (world premiere)

     International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE),  
        Northwestern University, April 2007

     ad hoc ensemble, Northwestern University, May 2007

 

Morton Feldman For Frank O'Hara

     University of Huddersfield New Music Ensemble, 2008

 

Jürg Frey Six Instruments, Series (North American premiere)

     New Music Northwestern, January 2007

 

Jürg Frey Stücke (world premiere)

     Northwestern University, November 2006

 

Margaret Haley Procyon

     University of Huddersfield New Music Ensemble, 2008

 

Andrew Hamilton Frank O'Hara on the phone piece

     University of Huddersfield New Music Ensemble, 2008

 

Jeff Herriott  Lock: 2x2 (+1) (world premiere)

     University at Buffalo, March 2001

 

Sungji Hong  Azure *

     Herrenhaus Edenkoben Conducting Mastercourse, July 2009

 

Füsun Köksal  Deux Visions pour Sextour *

     Herrenhaus Edenkoben Conducting Mastercourse, July 2009

 

Genoël Rühle von Lilienstern  n.n. *

     Herrenhaus Edenkoben Conducting Mastercourse, July 2009

 

Anestis Logothetis Kulmination I

     Augenmusik, 2003

 

Anestis Logothetis Kulmination II

     Augenmusik, June in Buffalo, 2003

     Augenmusik, Brandeis University, 2003

     Augenmusik, University at Buffalo, 2003

 

Jeffrey Nelson  Southern Harmony No. 3

     International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE),  
        Northwestern University, April 2007

 

Michael Norris  tesserae ... interstices *

     Herrenhaus Edenkoben Conducting Mastercourse, July 2009

 

Steve Reich Eight Lines

     University of Huddersfield New Music Ensemble, 2008

 

Hyun-Ah Shim  untitled  (world premiere)

     June in Buffalo Festival Ensemble, June in Buffalo 2003

 

Edgard Varèse Octandre

     University of Huddersfield New Music Ensemble, 2008

 

Anton Webern Quartet Op.22

     University of Huddersfield New Music Ensemble, 2008

 

Carter Williams  Whistling Window 1a, for two barytons

     Hauschka Ensemble, 2002

 

*rehearsals/workshops only; not conducted in concert

 

site  updated:  9 July 2010