♪♪~~(^。^ ) works ♪♪~~(^。^ )
deep masses | 2023 | ambisonic fixed media (electronic) | premiered at The Ohio State University, November 2023
--> listen: deep_masses.wav
black hole mermaid | 2023 | electric guitar | to be premiered in Columbus, Ohio, Spring 2024
--> listen: black_hole_mermaid.wav
scrying | 2023 | interactive audiovisual installation | exhibited at the Advanced Computing Center for Arts and Design at The Ohio State University, December 2023
circles/eons | 2023 | violin, viola
dreampop 1 | 2023 | fixed media (electronic) | online release
--> listen: dreampop_1.wav
vaporwave 1 | 2023|fixed media (electronic) | online release
--> listen: vaporwave_1.wav
the becomer | 2023 | 4-channel fixed media (electronic) | stereo premiere in Zanesville, Ohio, Spring 2023 | 4-channel premiere as part of the TUTTI New Arts Festival at Denison University, March 2024
--> listen: the_becomer.wav
butterflylights | 2022 | alto saxophone with live signal processing | premiered by Frankie Wantuch at The Ohio State University, February 2023
--> listen: butterflylights.wav
moon chorus | 2022 | variable instrumentation
--> listen: moon_chorus.wav
the drowning bells | 2022 | piano with live signal processing
--> listen: the_drowning_bells.wav
the miko and the spirits | 2021 | collaboration with Tokyo Gamine; fixed media (electronic) | premiered at the Museum of Craft and Design in San Francisco, CA, September 2021
--> listen: the_miko_and_the_spirits.wav
rocknrollband | 2020 | fixed media (electronic) | online release
ether chain | 2019 | real-time generative score, variable instrumentation | premiered by the CalArts Machine Orchestra at the California Institute of the Arts, December 2019
nightlightfairies | 2019 | countertenor voice, alto saxophone, double bass, electronic track | premiered as part of the New Music on the Point festival by Eli Berman, Erin Rogers, and Evan Premo in Leicester, VT, June 2019
--> listen: nightlightfairies.wav
topography | 2019 | cello, whirly tube, handheld percussion | premiered as part of the soundSCAPE festival by Ali Jones, Julia Araiche, and Bryan Wysocki in Cesena, Italy, July 2019
unconscious maps of imaginary cities | 2019 | meditator with brain-computer interface | premiered at the University of California San Diego, April 2019
dixie vocoder | 2018 | harmonica choir | premiered by the CalArts Contemporary Vocal Ensemble at the California Institute of the Arts, April 2018
--> listen: dixie_vocoder.wav
electric breeze from the otaku wasteland | 2018 | violin, viola | premiered by Aperture Duo at the California Institute of the Arts, January 2018
animate [flute] | 2017 | amplified flute | premiered by Evan Fraser at Baldwin Wallace University, April 2017
hologram | 2016 | cello | premiered by Max Hanks at Baldwin Wallace University, November 2016
--> listen: hologram.wav
electric town | 2016 | flute, clarinet, piano, violin, cello, electronic track | premiered at Baldwin Wallace University by Evan Fraser, Justin Frankeny, Kevin Thompson, Rachel Gante, and Max Hanks, November 2016
utopia I | 2016 | fixed media (electronic) | premiered at Baldwin Wallace University, November 2016
--> listen: utopia_I.wav
throat | 2016 | bass clarinet, marimba | premiered by Transient Canvas, Berea, OH, November 2015
--> listen: throat.wav
lustrous music | 2015 | chamber orchestra | premiered by the Cleveland Chamber Symphony, Berea, OH, March 2015
nightlightcity | 2015 | orchestra, electronic track | premiered by the Baldwin Wallace University Symphony Orchestra at Baldwin Wallace University, February 2015
--> listen: nightlightcity.wav
surface music | 2014 | clarinet, saxophone, synthesizer, cajon | premiered as part of the Cleveland Museum of Art MIX series, February 2014
haptics | 2013 | banjo with string quartet | premiered by Bèla Fleck and Brooklyn Rider, Berea, OH, November 2013
┏|￣＾￣|┛ about ┏|￣＾￣|┛
Composer and technologist Steven Hixson seeks to create forward-looking musical work with roots firmly planted in the ideas and atmospheres of the present day. Influenced by ambient, '90s-era shoegaze and the 20th-century avant-garde, his ethereal, otherworldly sonic creations typically require lots of electricity, making ritualistic use of custom-built digital effects and immersive presentation methods. Surreal, colorful atmospheres and pseudo-mysticism are the lifeblood of Hixson's worlds, brought to life through highly saturated textures, eclectic microtonality, extreme timbral awareness, and vibrant harmony.
Hailing from Zanesville, Ohio in the southeastern part of the state, Hixson holds a B.M. in Music Composition from Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio and an M.F.A. in Music Technology from the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Santa Clarita, California. He has written music for several highly acclaimed musicians and ensembles, including acclaimed banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck, string quartet Brooklyn Rider, and clarinet/percussion duo Transient Canvas, and his work has been showcased at venues across the United States and in Europe, including at the Museum of Craft and Design in San Francisco, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Conservatorio Bruno Maderna in Cesena, Italy, and Point CounterPoint in Vermont.