Steven Ricks (b. 1969) is described in BBC Music Magazine as a composer “unafraid to tackle big themes.” His works, even the purely instrumental ones, often include a strong narrative influence and theatrical flare. His monodrama Medusa in Fragments—for amplified piano, surround-sound electronics, and video soprano—is a multimedia tour-de-force that has been performed at festivals and venues around the world by pianist Keith Kirchoff. His music is performed and recorded by several leading artists and ensembles, including the New York New Music Ensemble, Talujon Percussion (NY), Hexnut (Amsterdam, NE), Links Ensemble (Paris, FR), Earplay (SF), Empyrean Ensemble (SF), and violinist Curtis Macomber (NY). His commissions include a Fromm Music Foundation Commission and six Barlow Endowment commissions, including a current Barlow commission for the Manhattan String Quartet. His third portrait CD, Young American Inventions, was released by New Focus Recordings in June 2015, and is described by Seattle-based music blog Second Inversion as “innovative, ambitious, and diverse.” He holds degrees in music composition from Brigham Young University (BM), the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (MM), and the University of Utah (PhD), and also received a Certificate in Advanced Musical Studies (CAMS) from King’s College London in 2000. He is a professor in the BYU School of Music, where he teaches music theory and composition, and co-directs the electronic music studio.

Free, no tickets necessary (a Valente Lecture)