Signal Reflection

Premiered via YouTube on January 13, 2020

Signal Reflection is a work for 8-12 electronic musicians and one conductor. Signal reflection occurs when a signal is transmitted along a transmission medium and some of the signal power is reflected back to the source. These reflections occur because imperfections in the transition medium cause non-linear changes in the medium’s characteristics, causing some of the transmitted signal to be reflected back to its origin. In this work, signals are sent from the conductor to the musicians, who in turn represent these signals sonically. The sounds they produce in turn effect the direction of the next signal, thus creating a recursive feedback loop in the ensemble communication. Some of these musical gestures are fully pre-defined and notated, while others are created improvisationally in the moment. The title also refers to the reflective or meditative mood of the piece. Performed by the Boyer College Electroacoustic Ensemble Project (BEEP) at Temple University on the Cybersounds concert series. Composed and directed by Adam Vidiksis.