Greg Pfeiffer

A stylistically diverse composer of chamber, solo, graphic scores and electronic music, his works range from unapologetically tonal to unforgivingly atonal. He describes most of these pieces as attempts to explore contrast as a way to play with expectations and create drama. Of course, the degree of contrast differs from piece to piece. The choice of compositional process ends up being a bit of a struggle between his fondness for abstract methods versus his individual subjective aesthetic sensibilities. In some works, the pitch material is derived from an original system that applies binary code to vary the outcomes of fixed interval sets. And yet in other pieces, other methods are utilized including: chance/aleatoric operations, tonal and jazz harmony, 12-tone systems, computer programs, sampling, etc. 

 

Recent notable performances include:  Collapse [for solo harp] performed and recorded by Danielle Kuntz (US); Binary Systems performed and recorded by David Kemp (AU);  Beyond The Fallen Leviathan performed and recorded by Luca Giacobbe (IT); Glare [for string quartet] presented by Virtual Concert Halls and Vox Novus and performed by the Rusquartet (RU); Deserted Roads and Remote Outpost recorded by Edward Cohen [piano] (UK); The Nine Members of the Asian Dawn recorded by Samuel Stokes [xylophone]; The End of Greatness presented by The Curiosity Cabinet and performed by Mara Mayer [bass clarinet] (US); Spore presented by The Boston Microtonal Society and performed by Amy Advocat [clarinet] and Matt Sharrock [percussion]; and The Second Coming presented by the Southampton Cultural Center and performed by Kendra Hawley [oboe], Stephen Gamboa-Diaz [harpischord] and David English [narrator].

 

His works have been performed throughout the US and at festivals including the International Summer Course for New Music (Internationale Ferienkurse für Neue Musik) in Darmstadt, Germany, the ThingNY Spam festival and at the June in Buffalo music festival.  His scores have been displayed in Lucca, Italy and at the Long Island Museum.