Scott Rosenberg, born 1972, is a composer/multi-reed player recently from the San Francisco Bay Area where his “dedication to provocation and scene solidarity [placed] him at the forefront of the current wave” of Bay Area musicians (SF Weekly). As an instrumentalist, Rosenberg's combination of experimentation, improvisation, and non-traditional performance contexts earned him recognition as “a key player in the thriving improv and new-music scenes” (SF Bay Guardian).
A recent transplant to Chicago, Rosenberg has already garnered attention from local press for his solo work, who note that his “versatility in interacting with himself is admirable.” (Chicago Reader)
Conceiving of every concert as a unique event has led Rosenberg into a wide variety of performance contexts over the past several years, ranging from large multi-disciplinary collaborations to solo instrument performances on tenor and sopranino saxophones and contrabass clarinet.
Rosenberg is often pulling together large, diverse groups for individual projects, such as the Kensington Orchestra Project, and the 40 piece Free-Standing Orchestra that performed an evening of interactive orchestral music which was identified as " a watershed moment" for the local music scene (East Bay Express).
Rosenberg's debut CD, are, on Super J Recordings received enthusiastic praise. The recording features an array of Rosenberg’s music, particularly focusing on his quartet with Gino Robair on percussion, Morgan Guberman on contrabass, and Matt Ingalls on reeds. Cadence Magazine called are “.. an impressive resume..” that “.. begs for a follow up...” and Art Lange, in PULSE, gave it three-and-a-half stars.
That follow up album, IE, for large ensemble, was released on Barely Auditable Records in 1999, and features Rosenberg’s orchestral music recorded by an excellent improvising ensemble from the Bay Area. Of IE, Cadence Magazine said, “There is an impressive discipline about a project that simultaneously exudes a spirit of adventure and sonic discovery.” And IE has been called, “full of nuance and surprise, with a markedly ominous edge.” (21st Century Music Journal)
In addition to composing for acoustic ensembles and performing improvised music, Rosenberg, along with composer Jesse Gilbert, is the co-founder and co-organizer of an internet-based collaboration called Finding Time, which links instrumentalists on several continents in a live interactive broadcast of the performance of a graphic score. The project, which is supported by Turbulence and The Jerome Foundation, brings together graphic artists, musicians, and computer programmers from around the world.
Upcoming projects include: the debut of a new quintet group, The Rosenberg Skronktet, at the Empty Bottle; the release of a duet record with Anthony Braxton (Barely Auditable), and a solo contrabass clarinet and sopranino album (Umbrella Recordings).
Recent projects include: performing in the Jazz Em Agosto festival with Anthony Braxton’s Tentet, and a tour of the United States with guitarist John Shiurba.
Since 1994, Rosenberg has performed bi-coastally at such renowned venues as The Knitting Factory, The Monterey Pop and Rock Festival, and Yoshi’s Nightspot, with the likes of Pauline Oliveros, Anthony Braxton, Christian Wolff, Helen Thorington, Eugene Chadbourne, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Glenn Spearman, Dan Plonsey, Gino Robair, Chris Brown, Matt Ingalls, Brenda Hutchinson, Jeb Bishop, Luc Hautkamp, Ralph Carney, Marco Eneidi, Maggi Payne, Tim Perkis, Toshi Makihara, and many others. Rosenberg holds an M.A. in composition from Mills College and a B.A. with honors in music from Wesleyan University.
Listening Area
