Music Building, Classroom 9, 3 Oxford St
Woven Resonances: Transcultural Music, Interdisciplinary Innovation, and the Role of A.I. in Musical Sustainability
This lecture explores the process of creating transcultural interdisciplinary music in which diverse traditions are woven together with contemporary practices, ways to address cultural appropriation in this process, and the limitations of Western music pedagogy. It examines the implications and concerns with A.I. and generative music as transformative tools for sustaining and revitalizing a vast array of musical traditions currently at risk of being forgotten. By exploring these intersections, the lecture highlights the possibilities for fostering deeper connections between cultures through music and reimagining the role of technology in shaping the future of music.
Bio:
Derrick Skye is an acclaimed Los Angeles-based composer and musician known for his transcultural approach to music, integrating various musical practices from different cultures around the world into his work with Western classical communities. The Los Angeles Times has described his music as “something to savor” and “enormous fun to listen to,” while The Times (London) has praised Skye’s music as “deliciously head-spinning.”
During his studies at the University of California, Los Angeles and the California Institute of the Arts, music across many cultures became an integral part of his musical vocabulary. Skye studied classical music with Ian Krouse, Alex Shapiro, Paul Chihara, Randy Gloss, and David Rosenboom while also studying West African music and dance with Kobla Ladzekpo, Beatrice Lawluvi, and Yeko Ladzekpo-Cole; Persian music theory with Pirayeh Pourafar and Houman Pourmehdi; Balkan music theory with Tzvetanka Varimezova; and tala (rhythmic cycles) in Hindustani classical music with Swapan Chaudhuri and Aashish Khan.
Skye has written orchestral music commissioned and/or performed by prestigious ensembles such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, National Arts Centre Orchestra (Canada), Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and The John F. Kennedy Center; a collaborative electro-acoustic artificial intelligence opera commissioned by The Lincoln Center (featured at TED 2023); choral works for Los Angeles Master Chorale, Conspirare, and EXIGENCE; and many chamber works. Rhythm and the embodiment of rhythm through movement and dance is an important theme in Skye’s works; he has often collaborated with choreographers such as Yeko Ladzepko-Cole, the Leela Dance Collective, as well as synchronized swimming champion and international coach Sue Nesbitt.
In addition to his work as a composer, Skye is dedicated to promoting cross-cultural understanding through music. His mission is to create music that transcends cultural boundaries and bridges diverse communities. Skye is Artistic Director of Bridge to Everywhere, Board Member of American Composers Forum, and Member of the New Music USA Program Council. Through his work, Skye demonstrates his belief in the power of music to inspire, connect, and foster dialogue across cultures.
Skye is an American who has Ghanaian, Nigerian, British, Irish, and Native American ancestry. His ancestry and identity have led him to claim and develop an “American” aesthetic that incorporates many cultural influences into his work, reflecting the diverse communities he is part of. Skye passionately believes in music as a doorway into understanding other cultures and different ways of living. Through learning the music of other cultures, the opportunity for dialogue rather than conflict between strangers is opened, and our society can become one with less conflict due to cultural misunderstanding. He is deeply invested in fostering creative and effective collaboration between artists of different disciplines and traditions.
Photo Credit: Hannah Arista Photography