Software of Seagulls is the solo electronic project of Chris Perren, founder and principle composer of Nonsemble, and Mr. Maps, and Music Technology Lecturer at UQ. Under the guise of Software of Seagulls, Chris has presented a wide range of performances and recordings, including experimental guitar & electronics compositions, analog hardware-based electronica performances, and studio-produced collages of improvisation and found sound.
Software of Seagulls’ concert as part of UQ School of Music’s 2020 Art Museum Concert Series will be the premiere outing of a new audiovisual performance Chris has been developing for the past 3 years. Having explored audiovisual synchrony in concert and chamber music composition since 2012 and earning international recognition, this concert marks Chris’s first earnest attempt to integrate performance visuals with the expansive textural electronica of Software of Seagulls.
In this 45-minute performance of original music, live electronic performance using the Ableton Push instrument and a range of analog devices will be accompanied by synchronised abstract visuals, in an evocative and cinematic multi-modal live show.
Biography
Chris Perren is an Australian composer and video artist, holding a PhD in music composition. Chris is the founder of the indie-chamber group, Nonsemble, and electronic outfit Software of Seagulls. He has written music for Ensemble Offspring, Queensland Camerata, Rosa Guitar Trio, Rubiks Collective, and various other groups and soloists.
His works have been performed widely, including at Bang on a Can Festival (MA, USA), MATA Festival (NYC), Extended Play Festival (Sydney), MONA (Hobart), Dots+Loops, and GoMA (Brisbane). Chris's recorded work has been released on Bigo and Twigetti (London), and Friend of Mine Records (Tokyo), SUGARRUSH RECORDS and lofly (Brisbane).
Chris is known for his experimental audiovisual pieces, which have earned him an Australia Council New Work grant, two MTAQ composer awards, and a TEDx talk invitation. Chris’s theatre scores have accompanied over 20 productions in Brisbane, Sydney, and Hong Kong.
Chris lectures in Music Technology at The University of Queensland School of Music. He is a specialist educator in the fields of music composition and arrangement, music technology, Ableton Live, and Logic Pro.
Chris lives on Jagera land in Brisbane’s south with his wife and two children.
About UQ School of Music Concert Series
In 2020 the School of Music has continued to collaborate with the UQ Art museum; presenting concerts that feature alumni and staff working in the genres of electro-acoustics, structured improvisation, electronic dance music, and contemporary classical music. The series fosters an ongoing partnership between our two prestigious institutions and supports interdisciplinary projects within the arts at UQ.