ANALOG arts has been providing production support for Vinca Quartet since 2008, as they have been busy establishing themselves on the recital circuit. Next month, they will return to Jeunesses Musicales in Germany, and they have a busy fall of concerts around the U.S.

Vinca have won prizes at the International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition (2008), Premio Paolo Borciani International Quartet Competition (2008), Plowman Chamber Music Competition (2006), and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition (2005).

For more information about Vinca, visit them on MySpace or at their website.

Timothy Vallier (composer) is ANALOG’s newest member. Originally, he worked as an intern for ARTSaha! 2007. The following year, he performed on several concerts at the festival. One premiere found him banging on the undercarriage of his car in a parking lot!

In addition to composing, Timothy is also a talented singer, and he performs frequently. He is currently working on a concert for iPhones.

Iron Composer is an instant composition contest. Five composers are selected from around the country to compete in a daylong event. At 9 am, they are given an instrumentation and a musical ingredient. They have just five hours to finish a piece of music, which is immediately rehearsed and judged at a free public concert.

Now in its third year, Iron Composer was created for the <i>ARTSaha!</i> festival in a partnership between ANALOG <i>arts</i> and the University of Nebraska at Omaha. The 2009 competition will take place in suburban Cleveland with the institutional support of Baldwin-Wallace College. It will also be broadcast live by Cleveland’s classical radio station WCLV. Mark Satola of the Not the Dead White Composer’s Hour will emcee.

The five finalists who will compete are Andrew Jamieson (IL), Travis Jeffords (IN), Sunny Knable (NY), Wei-Chieh Lin (NY), & John Rot (OH). For more information on the finalists and the competition, visit ironcomposer.org.

Zodiac Dust is the sophomore album by Brooklyn-based percussion duo Loop 2.4.3. ANALOG arts released it in partnership with indie label Music Starts From Silence. The album showcases Loop 2.4.3’s original compositions in a suite of songs that take the listener on an aural journey. It also features instruments that were built for the duo.

Doug Simpson from Audiophile Audition writes about the custom built eLog:

 

After a short commencement prelude, “Prologue: Rebirth,” the album opens up with “Dark Matter,” a cosmic saga that mixes heavy and light percussion with open-minded effects and electronics. It is here the hand-made eLog is introduced, which Michael Wygmans custom built for Loop 2.4.3., which is essentially a log drum that offers a broader sonic canvas. To get crucial auditory agitation, the eLog is run through a Fender amp and a vocal effects unit, thus fashioning a synthesized, distorted characteristic. “Dark Matter” persuasively demonstrates that rhythm instruments can direct melodic lines, execute choruses, and engage listeners’ imagination.

 

Zodiac Dust is on sale now at all major digital retailers.

ANALOG announced the finalists who will compete in Cleveland on October 2nd for the Iron Composer title and cash prize of $500. It’s a diverse group of composers from across the country: Chicago, Bloomington, Oberlin, and New York City.

For more information on the contest, visit www.ironcomposer.org.