about
Lisa Renée Coons is a composer and sound artist with a special affinity to noise composition, collaboration, and experimentation. She is dedicated to progressive art and focuses on partnerships with other artists and musicians as a means of developing innovative new works. Presently an assistant professor of music composition at Western Michigan University, Lisa Renée received her PhD in Composition from Princeton University, her Master’s from SUNY Stony Brook and studied at the University of Missouri-Kansas City during her undergraduate degree. Before joining WMU she was a Jackie McLean Fellow and visiting professor at the Hartt School in the University of Hartford. Her portfolio includes music for acoustic and electronic instruments, turntables, traditional ensembles, and her own welded sounding sculptures. Recent commissions include an evening-length work for The International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) and pieces for The American Composers Orchestra, The California E.A.R. Unit, Iktus Percussion Quartet, Dither Electric Guitar Quartet, the Machine Project for the Hammer Museum of Los Angeles, and the Violin Futura Project. She has received awards and support from the Other Minds Festival (a 2011 Composer Fellowship), the MAP Fund, ASCAP (Morton Gould Young Composer Award 2005/Honorable Mention 2009), and Meet the Composer, among others. Lisa Renée is a founding member of the bicoastal composers collective called, simply, The Collected (thecollectedmusic.org).
reviews and publications
Recent Reviews
New York Times review by Vivien Schweitzer of "Vera's Ghosts" performed by the American Composers Orchestra at Zankel in Carnegie Hall on Feb 20, 2014. Descents into Sounds of Dementia and War.
San Francisco Examiner review by Stephen Smoliar of "Isolation" performed by the Magik*Magik Orchestra and conducted by John Kennedy as part of the Old First Concerts Series in San Francisco, CA on Feb 8, 2014. The Magik*Magik Orchestra Showcases The Collected at Old First Church.
New York Times review by Steve Smith of "Cythére (a trauma ballet in two parts)" performed by the Calder Quartet at the MATA Festival. Music with and without Musicians.
New York Times review by Steve Smith of "Cross-Sections: Four Pieces for Electric Guitar Quartet" from Dither, the 2010 album from Dither Quartet on the Henceforth Record Label. Go Electric.
Civic Center Blog review by Michael Strickland of the premiere of "Music Painted from Memory" by the Navitas Ensemble at Other Minds 16. Civic Center.
Point of Departure Magazine review by Stuart Boomer of "Cross-Sections: Four Pieces for Electric Guitar Quartet" from Dither. Moment's Notice.
New York Times review by Vivien Schweitzer of "Vera's Ghosts" performed by the American Composers Orchestra at Zankel in Carnegie Hall on Feb 20, 2014. Descents into Sounds of Dementia and War.
San Francisco Examiner review by Stephen Smoliar of "Isolation" performed by the Magik*Magik Orchestra and conducted by John Kennedy as part of the Old First Concerts Series in San Francisco, CA on Feb 8, 2014. The Magik*Magik Orchestra Showcases The Collected at Old First Church.
New York Times review by Steve Smith of "Cythére (a trauma ballet in two parts)" performed by the Calder Quartet at the MATA Festival. Music with and without Musicians.
New York Times review by Steve Smith of "Cross-Sections: Four Pieces for Electric Guitar Quartet" from Dither, the 2010 album from Dither Quartet on the Henceforth Record Label. Go Electric.
Civic Center Blog review by Michael Strickland of the premiere of "Music Painted from Memory" by the Navitas Ensemble at Other Minds 16. Civic Center.
Point of Departure Magazine review by Stuart Boomer of "Cross-Sections: Four Pieces for Electric Guitar Quartet" from Dither. Moment's Notice.