Soundologia-Episode-2-Gustavo-Matamoros
Soundologia-Episode-2-Gustavo-Matamoros

Episode 02: Living the Experimental Music Life – Composer Gustavo Matamoros

Gustavo Matamoros is an American composer from Venezuela. He specializes in experimental music and sound art. He founded the Subtropics Festival in Miami and is a core member of Frozen Music, a sound art collective that includes David Dunn, Rene Barge, Russell Frehling, and David Behrman.

He is primarily recognized for his expertise in small sounds and sound portraits, as well as his utilization of “gated” recorded sound to enhance live electroacoustic performances. Additionally, he is known for his creation of “noise melodies” and his involvement in site-specific and public sound art installations. Throughout a span of thirty years, he has engaged in work, performances, and collaborations with various distinguished experimental artists including Alison Knowles, Charles Recher, Chris Mann, Davey Williams, Fast Forward, Jan Williams, Sam Ashley, Robert Gregory, and the Frozen Music ensemble.

His music and sound installations have received commissions and awards from various organizations including New Music USA, New American Radio, NEA, MPAC, Knight Foundation, Culture Builds Florida, Art in State Buildings, Interpretations, Experimental Sound Studio, Roulette, and the City of Miami Beach. These works have been presented in Miami, Europe, and across the Americas.

Matamoros is a graduate of the University of Miami. He has served as a guest resident artist and lecturer at Mills College, University of Utah, Vermont College, UC Santa Cruz, University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon, Brooklyn College, Dartmouth College, and Wesleyan University. Additionally, he has been a review panelist for NEA, MAP, Jerome Foundation, Arts International, The Alpert Foundation, and American Composer’s Forum. Gustavo has taught electronic and experimental music, sound art, and critical listening at Florida International University, Miami International University, and the University of Miami.

Gustavo’s book recommendations to our listeners

“Conversing With Cage” – compiled by Richard Kostelanetz

“Critical Path” by R. Buckminster Fuller

Gustavo’s favorite tracks/compositions that influenced his work and life.

“Enneagram” by Egg

“In The Bag” by Joseph Celli

Find more about Gustavo Matamoros

Subtropics Festival 25 website

New Works in Honour of Pauline Oliveros

Gustavo’s favorite tracks/compositions that influenced his work and life.

“Enneagram” by Egg

“In The Bag” by Joseph Celli

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Pedja Kovačević
Pedja Kovačević

Pedja Kovačević is a Serbian-born musicologist, curator, and music producer, and the founder of Soundologia — a curatorial platform, record label, podcast, and festival dedicated to contemporary and experimental music. He moved to the United States in 2018 and holds degrees in musicology from the Faculty of Music, University of Arts in Belgrade, and in Music Management and Production from Florida International University’s School of Music.

As curator and executive producer of the Soundologia Anthology series, Pedja has commissioned, produced, and released three volumes documenting the work of South Florida’s contemporary composers and sound artists, presented in connection with the Soundologia Anthology Festival in Miami. He has taught experimental and electroacoustic music at FIU’s School of Music and has worked as a program coordinator and music administrator at music and arts schools in Miami.

As a musicologist and music writer, Pedja has published articles and presented research at international conferences and forums in the United States, Poland, Greece, and Serbia. His writing explores the relationship between music and other art forms, including painting, architecture, poetry, prose, and photography, as well as questions of listening, sound, and musical perception. His research has also examined Deep Listening, a concept introduced by American composer Pauline Oliveros, as a way of reconsidering the aesthetic dimensions of sound. Through Soundologia, Pedja promotes contemporary and experimental music and presents extended conversations with composers and sound artists about their work.

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