John Driscoll

New John DriscollJOHN DRISCOLL, composer/sound artist who is a founding member of Composers Inside Electronics (CIE) and collaborated on David Tudor’s Rainforest IV project since its inception in 1973.  He tours extensively in the US and Europe with robotic instruments, compositions and sound installations for unique architectural spaces, and music for dance.  He recently had a one-man show of his instruments at the Fridman Gallery in NYC, and has works in the collections of MoMA (NY), Museum der Moderne (Salzburg), MAC (Lyon), and Arter Museum (Istanbul) John has created works for Merce Cunningham, Douglas Dunn, and has been the musical director for Maida Withers Dance Construction Company, 1974-1980, and composer/musician for, perhaps, fifteen to twenty projects with the Company.

In his early years, John was a sculptor.  His works feature electronic music but often involve physical objects as instruments.  In 2014, he was artist-in-residence at Harvestworks Inc. developing a work for robotic-driven highly focused speakers, and has recently completed new works for an array of ultrasonic instruments.  In 2015, Driscoll co-created a Rainforest V installation version with Phil Edelstein which has been acquired by Museum der Moderne in Salzburg Austria for their collection, and was recently on exhibit in Warsaw Poland. His recent album “Fishing for Sound (Berlin)” is available on iTunes. He is working on the revival of David Tudor’s Pavilion works in conjunction with CIE, E.A.T. and the David Tudor Project.  He was recently the David Tudor Composer-In-Residence at Mills College and is currently performing Tudor’s original Rainforest work as part of a reconstruction of Merce Cunningham’s RainForest by the Stephen Petronio Company.

John has been a major influence, and his influence continues, on the work of Maida Withers and the Dance Construction Company since the founding of the Company in 1974.  Maida and John were deeply engaged with new dance and new music in the early 1970s through today.  In the 1970’s, early performances, events involving audience participation, took place in GW’s “Tin Tabernacle” (converted World War I gymnasium) and many performances in Washington Project for the Arts converted spaces.  Working in museums has been a deeply shared interest of Maida and John.  Experimentation and interdisciplinary vision has been part of the developing practice of John and Maida – substantive development of post modern dance and new electronic music.

John Driscoll’s Rainforest Installation at MOMA, 2019, NYC.

Add on computer….John on the works
TUK
THIN HOLES – BYU 3 week residency 1976 (John has nothing)
photo with sculpturesJohn Driscoll with Robotic Sound Sculptures: Maida Withers LEGACY: 50 Years of Dance on the Edge, ; Live performance ” Gala Celebration” October 7, 2022

Maida Withers and John Driscoll, Rainforest installation, MOMA, NYC

Contact: j.driscoll@composers-inside-electronics.net

More information:
http://composers-inside-electronics.net/jdriscoll/home/BIO.html
http://composers-inside-electronics.net/cie/cie/cie_home.html

Historic Photographs  Yesterday’s Garlands & Yesterday’s Kisses, 1974
Sm YesterdayJohn Driscoll plays saw
John Driscoll with tube in mouth300_rotated
Sm YesterdayJohn Driscoll holding instrument above table
John Driscoll Photo MCTheatre_DC

Collaborations