Biography
Edward Schocker is a composer who creates music with made/found materials and alternate tuning systems. He holds an M.A. in composition from Mills College, where he studied with Pauline Oliveros, Alvin Curran, and independently with Lou Harrison. At Mills, Edward founded The Music For People & Thingamajigs Concert, the only annual event in The Bay Area devoted to unusual instruments and tunings -now in its twelfth year. Using an assortment of unorthodox materials of which to create sound, Edward has developed a large set of glass vessels of various sizes as his primary musical instrument.
Edward was selected for two special programs through The European Dance Development Center -1998 in The Netherlands, and 2000 in Germany. Here he took part in and conducted workshops in instrument building, as well as aspects in composer/choreographer collaborations. Many of his dance-theater collaborations at this time toured throughout Europe and were performed by members of Amsterdam-based The Barton Workshop. In 2004 Edward was honored to take part in UNESCO sponsored Shared Echos –a bicommunal project in Cyprus that helped build understanding between communities in conflict. Currently, Edward is Co-Artistic Director of Thingamajigs, an experimental arts organization based in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Since 2004, Edward has been living in Tokyo, Japan and Oakland, California. His works are performed throughout The Bay Area and Tokyo, as well as featured on KZSU’s (Stanford) “Day Of Noise Festivalâ€, and in 2005 he was awarded The NEA/Japan-U.S. Friendship Commission Fellowship to research Japanese musical instruments and tuning systems.
Edward Schocker’s music is a unique mixture of alternate tuning systems and unique instruments, combined with theater/opera. He has collaborated with many dancers, artists and writers to create a unique combination of sound, movement, and text. Enjoying international recognition, Edward’s music has been performed in numerous countries throughout the world.
