Barry is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre, a founding member of the Canadian Electroacoustic Community, and a faculty at SFU. He has worked with the World Soundscape Project, editing its Handbook for Acoustic Ecology, and has published a book Acoustic Communication, dealing with all aspects of sound and technology.
As a composer, Truax is best known for his work with the PODX, which he has used for tape solo works and those which combine tape with live performers or computer graphics. Some of his music can be heard on the following CDs: Digital Soundscapes, Pacific Rim, Song of Songs, Inside, Islands, Twin Souls, Powers of Two, and Spirit Journies. In 1991 his work, Riverrun, was awarded the Magisterium at the International Competition of Electroacoustic Music in Bourges, France.
Barry Truax (2008), BC Arts Council commission
zheng performed by previous member Gelina Jiang
The Ghostly Moon is a music theatre work inspired by the tradition of Chinese ghost stories, many of which are centred on a female ghost who wishes to return to life. In this case, the story combines elements and poetry from many different sources from the 16th to the 18th centuries, and portrays the ghost as a wronged woman who returns for vengeance. However, the young scholar she visits is the brother of the man who betrayed her, and once she hears his voice she realizes this is her true lover. To return to life she must join with him as his wife, which is the outcome of many of the traditional Chinese tales. The disembodied theatrical effects from traditional Chinese drama suggested a contemporary treatment with electroacoustic techniques.
The work was commissioned by the Orchid Ensemble and is dedicated to them. The voices heard on tape telling the story are those of Kathy Borneman and Chris Grigor. The composer is indebted to Prof. Judith Zeitlin of the University of Chicago whose book, The Phantom Heroine, provided much inspiration and several of the poetic translations. Website: www.sfu.ca/~truax/ghost.html
Barry is an Associate Composer of the Canadian Music Centre, a founding member of the Canadian Electroacoustic Community, and a faculty at SFU. He has worked with the World Soundscape Project, editing its Handbook for Acoustic Ecology, and has published a book Acoustic Communication, dealing with all aspects of sound and technology.