Biography

Hunter Ewen holds a Masters in Music Composition from The University of Colorado at Boulder, a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, and a Bachelor of Arts Music Composition from the Case Western Reserve University / Cleveland Institute of Music Joint Music Program.  Ewen has studied composition with John Drumheller, Carter Pann, Michael Theodore, Dan Kellogg, Monica Houghton, and Dan Visconti.  As a saxophone player, Ewen has studied with Greg Banaszak and Lee Patrick.  He is currently pursuing his DMA in Music Composition at The University of Colorado at Boulder with an expected graduation date of Spring, 2012.

With the benefit of his engineering training, Ewen’s music often utilizes elements of technology.  He follows the guiding principle that technology is best suited to augmenting live performers.  Ewen’s electronic components enhance an instrument’s natural abilities, producing un-performable sounds, while still retaining the humanity of an acoustic performance.  His music is often accompanied by multimedia components of his own creation, usually video, visual art, photography, dance, or poetry.

Outside of composing, Ewen is frequently commissioned to work in such diverse areas as acoustics research, physical computing, sound spatialization, visualization, performance, lighting design, improvisatory coding, videography, graphic/web design, score transcriptions, and project management.  He has performed in and around the Boulder/Denver area as a saxophonist, percussionist, pianist, vocalist, laptop performer DJ, VJ, and on a number of occasions, as a performer of homemade wind and string-like instruments.

Ewen has worked with or been commissioned by Lina Bahn (of the Corigliano Quartet), Edward Dusinberre (of the Takács Quartet), the Greater Cleveland Flute Society, The Playground Ensemble, GAMMA-UT, Case Western Educational Support Services, Gary Ciepluch, Anne Levy, and Grammy nominated saxophonist Greg Banaszak.  He has also been recorded by Alarm Will Sound as well as the Beethoven Academy Orchestra.

In addition to teaching the undergraduate “Introduction to Music Technology” course at CU Boulder (MUSC 4081), Ewen is a founding member of the Boulder Laptop Orchestra (BLOrk), technical coordinator for Pendulum New Music Society, and faculty consultant for the CU Music Distributed Academic Technology Coordinator.

Ewen’s music is published/distributed/recorded by Alphonse Leduc, Ken Dorn, Theodore Presser, Centaur Records, Ouroboros Review, and Fujihara Publications.

Learn more at www.HunterEwen.com

 

 

Curriculum Vitae

    Education:
University of Colorado at Boulder 07-12
DMA Music Composition (to be completed 2012)
MM Music Composition, Concentration in Technology
Case Western Reserve University / Cleveland Institute of Music Joint Program 02-07
BA Music Composition (Magna Cum Laude, with Honors in Music)
BS Mechanical Engineering (Magna Cum Laude)

    Awards and Leadership Positions:
Edward Levy Prize For Excellence in Music Composition Prize Winner 2009
Winner Ouroboros Review’s Call for Visual Poetry (for Open Me score) 2009
Colorado Constitution Day Composition Competition Winner 2008
Playground Ensemble CoCoCo Competition Winner
 2008
Cleveland Flute Society Composition Competition Winner 2008
Colorado Constitution Day Composition Competition Winner 2008
Pendulum Planning Committee 07-08
CU Adopt a Student Award 2008
Tau Beta Pi Honors Society 03-08
Kennedy Award winner for excellence in musical creativity 2007
A.W. Smith Full Tuition Scholar 2007
Dean's High Honors - 9 semesters 02-07
Golden Key International Honour Society 2007
Anish Shaw '91 Memorial Award 2007
Smith Truhaft Full Tuition Scholar 02-06
GammaUT Guest Composer and Performer 2006
President Music Undergraduate Student Involvement Committee 04-06
Alumni Association Scholarship Recipient 2005
SOURCE Award Grant recipient for summer composition 2005
Case Poster Competition Winner 2005

    Work Experience:
Instructor: Intro to Music Technology ~ MUSC4081-001, MUSC4081-002 07-10
Pendulum New Music Technical Coordinator and Graphic Designer 2010
Published by Alphonse Leduc, Ken Dorn, Theodore Presser, Fujihara 03-10
Private Saxophone Instructor 02-10
Free Lance Web Designer 02-10
Student Assistant to the Distributed Academic Technology Coordinator (DATC) 07-10
Interim Distributed Academic Technology Coordinator (DATC) 2008
Music Theory and Philosophy Tutor 04-07
Substitute Instructor: Music Theory I-IV ~ MUSC 101, 107, 201, 207 06-07
Cleveland Institute of Music, Young Composers Program, Staff Member 2006
Hart to Heart Fundraising Coordinator 00-06
Research Coordinator / Student Assistant:
“Rhythmic Performance Practices in Bartok’s 5th String Quartet” ~ Daphne Leong 2009
“An Empirical Analysis of Schoenberg Op. 19 No. 4” ~ Daphne Leong 2008
“Design and creation of a modular saxophone mouthpiece” ~ Chris Hernandez 2007
“Utilizing magnets for ‘safe crashes’ with micro-air vehicles” ~ Roger Quinn 2007
“How effectively do digital synthesizers replicate live sounds” ~ Isaac Greber 2005

    Specialized Technical Skills:
Finale, Sibelius, Max/MSP, Jitter, Javascript, HTML, XML, SuperCollider, Processing, Pure Data, C++, NXT-G, Quartz Composer, Adobe Flash (AS2&3), Photoshop, Soundbooth, Dreamweaver, After Effects, Final Cut Pro Suite, ProTools, DP4, Logic, Reason, Arduino, Blackboard, Matlab, Mathematica, ProE, LabView, SolidWorks

 

 

List of Courses

Graduate Level:

   University of Colorado at Boulder:
APPLIED COMPOSITION INSTRUCTION I-X
ADVANCED POST-TONAL THEORY I-II
APPLICATIONS IN MUSIC TECH
POP/ROCK ANALYSIS
INTRODUCTION TO BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RESEARCH

PROSEMENAR IN MUSICOLOGY
ORCHESTRATION SINCE 1940
MUSIC AESTETICS
COMPOSITION PROJECT DISSERTATION I-IV
   Case Western:
ELECTRONIC SOUND PRODUCTION I-II

Undergraduate Level:

EXPOSITORY WRITING
MAJOR AMERICAN WRITERS
PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION
THEORY FOR MUSIC MAJORS I-IV
EURHYTHMICS I-II
18TH CENTURY COUNTERPOINT
ORCHESTRATION I-II
FORM AND ANALYSIS
HISTORY OF WESTERN MUSIC I-III
INDEPENDENT STUDY IN ELECTRONIC COMPOSITION
FOUNDATIONS OF MUSIC EDUCATION
RECITAL CLASS
PRINCIPAL PERFORMANCE AREA I-X, SAXOPHONE
SECONDARY PERFORMANCE AREA, COMPOSITION
WIND ENSEMBLE
SAXOPHONE QUARTET
JAZZ ENSEMBLE
SYMPHONIC WINDS
UNIVERSITY CIRCLE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
CHEMISTRY FOR ENGINEERS
STRENGTH OF MATERIALS
ADVANCED VIDEO GAME DEVELOPMENT
MECHANICAL MANUFACTURING
DYNAMICS
COMPUTERS IN MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
KINEMATIC ANALYSIS & SYNTHESIS
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING LAB I-II
COMPUTER-AIDED MANUFACTURING
FLUID & THERMAL ENGINEERING I-II
MECHANICAL ENGR ANALYSIS
FLUID AND THERMAL DESIGN
AEROSTRUCTURES
ENGINEERING DESIGN
DESIGN OF MECHANICAL ELEMENTS
PHYSICAL GEOLOGY
INTRODUCTION TO SIGNALS SYSTEMS AND CONTROLS
SIGNALS AND SYSTEMS CONTROLS LAB
ELEMENTARY COMPUTER PROGRAMMING
CHEMISTRY OF MATERIALS
STATICS & STRENGTH MATERIALS
CALC FOR SCIENCE & ENGR I-III
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
JEWISH IMAGE IN POPULAR FILM
FENCING
INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
GENERAL PHYSICS I. MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS II. ELECTRICITY & MAGNETISM
INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
GENDER IN US SOCIETY
SENIOR PROJECT
INTRODUCTION TO CIRCUITS AND INSTRUMENTS
ORCHESTRAL CONDUCTING
SYMPHONIC LITERATURE

Teaching
   University of Colorado at Boulder:
INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC TECHNOLOGY (INSTRUCTOR)
   Case Western:
THEORY FOR MUSIC MAJORS I-IV (SUBSTITUTE INSTRUCTOR)