New and Experimental Music,
Art & Technolgy
Episode 05: Understanding the Interactive Arts: a Conversation with Jose Veliz
In today’s episode, Jose Veliz will share some of the innovative and creative results he got while exploring new potential in technology to make his interactive projects. He is one of the rare composers and artists who allow the audience to join the conductor in leading the orchestra and navigating the music flow. His music was used in the art film Kaleidoscope, while his Music United project was an event where several bands and artists performed simultaneously from different locations. Moreover, some of his creations include interactive applications that one can use to create sound and light. Also, Jose and I did a few projects together, so we discussed our collaborative work today.
About Jose Veliz
Jose Veliz is an award-winning composer, performer, interactive artist, and technologist from Guatemala, currently based in South Florida. Throughout his childhood, he lived in Guatemala, Brazil, and Mexico and eventually moved to the US. He has written musical compositions and arrangements for live performances, films, and other media and has performed as a pianist and conductor in various settings. In recent years, Jose has been experimenting with interactive art, developing the tool that engaged listeners and brings them closer to sound creation. His objective is to develop further engagement and understanding of unique musical genres by allowing audiences to be immersed and become a part of the music performance.
Jose earned a Bachelor’s in Music Media Writing and Production at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music with a certificate in Classical Piano Performance. He specialized in Music Technology at Florida International University. He was awarded multiple grants, and the most notable came from a Knight New Work Winner, Young Arts Winner and New Music USA. He is the founder of InterART Labs, a company that creates interactive video platforms, interactive concerts, and immersive installations.
Jose’s book recommendation to our listeners
Composing Interactive Music (Techniques and Ideas Using Max) by Todd Winkler
Find more about Jose Veliz and his work
Choices – Interactive orchestral composition
Kaleidoscope – Art Film Score