Steve Duke, professor of music in saxophone and Distinguished Research Professor, has the rare distinction of having commissioned and premiered two solo works that have received awards at Institut international de musique électroacoustique de Bourges (IMEB), the distinguished, electro-acoustic music organization in France.
The latest award resulted from his collaboration with composer Elainie Lillios in “Veiled Resonance” for soprano saxophone and electronics. It follows Duke’s earlier award-winning collaboration with composer Larry Austin’s “BluesAx,” which was honored by IMEB in 1996.
Lillios, an NIU alumna (B.M. 1990 and M.M. 1992) and associate professor of composition at Bowling Green State University, received a first prize for “Veiled Resonance” at Concours Internationaux de Bourges 2009, Musiques Electroacoustiques et Arts Electroniques - Degré II - Trivium/Quadrivium, œuvre avec dispositif(s) et/ou instruments (computer music with live performer).
The competition, which receives between 500 and 600 submissions each year, is divided into seven categories of elctroacoustic music and electronic art media. Twenty-one American composers have received a first prize since 1987; 10 of those were for computer music with live performers. Duke is the only American performer who has had two works written for him that have been awarded prizes by IMEB.
“One of the things that makes this very special is not only is this the second piece that won an award at Bourges but that both ‘Veiled Resonance’ and ‘BluesAx’ are largely improvised pieces. So, the performance becomes an integral part of the composition,” Duke said.
Previously, Duke’s collaboration with composer Larry Austin on “BluesAx,” received the Magisterium award in 1996. Austin was the first American to receive the Magisterium, awarded to composers with more than 25 years of professional experience for works expected to become milestones in the history of electro-acoustic music.
Last year, “Veiled Resonance” was chosen as one of the best performances and compositions at the SEAMUS 2008 National Conference (Society for Computer Music in the United States) and was recorded for release on the SEAMUS CD Series. “Veiled Resonance” also was recorded for release on the Consortium to Distribute Computer Music (CDCM) Series on the Centaur label.
At the 2009 SEAMUS National Conference, Duke performed “Tableaux: Convolutions on a Theme,” for alto saxophone and computer music, his latest commission with Austin, a professor emeritus at the University of North Texas who received the 2009 SEAMUS Achievement Award.
Duke is currently working on new piece with another NIU alumni, Kurt Stallman (BM 1987), associate professor of composition and theory at Rice University. Stallman’s work was recently recognized by the American Academy of Arts and Letters with a 2009 Goddard Lieberson Award, and a 2008 Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship.