BIOGRAPHY

Over the past 40 years, Wendy Reid has composed an ongoing set of musical processes based on nature, Tree Pieces, ranging from electro-acoustic chamber compositions to larger works for chamber orchestra and open ensembles in site-specific environments. 

The processes attempt to reflect the inter-connection of all things (including ourselves) in nature.  In performance, an attempt is made at a spontaneous unforced and unblocked growing of sound and silence in which emphasis is placed on formation rather than pre-established form, as in the building and shaping of cell-like units in living processes. 
 

The Tree Pieces have been performedi internationally by ensembles including the Kronos Quartet, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, the Abel-Steinberg-Winant Trio, the Other Minds Festival, New Music Works, sfSOUND, the Mills Performing Group, the Mills Contemporary Ensemble (Steed Cowart), the San Francisco String Quartet (Nathan Rubin), Ensemble Klee, Brassiosarus (Tomita-Djll-Heglin), Ruffled Feathers,  sfSOUND, the Bird Ensemble, and others.

Her site-specific performances have taken place in urban and natural settings including Oakland’s Frank Ogawa Plaza and Berkeley’s Live Oak Park, Indian Rock, Shorebird Park, and Ohlone Park, along with international online presentations.

Reid studied with Nadia Boulanger, Terry Riley, Robert Ashley, Halsey Stevens, James Hopkins, and David Raksin. She holds degrees from Mills College (M.A.,’80) and the University of Southern California (B.M.,’75). In 1982, She studied computer music at Stanford University’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics {CCRMA) with John Chowning, Max Mathews,and Jean-Claude Risset. Awards include the City of Berkeley Civic Arts Grant, Pro Arts, Meet the Composer, the Oakland Museum of California, Subito, ASMC, Innova, Paul Merrit Henry Prize, and numerous commissions.

She produced the series New Music with Birds, Frogs, and Other Creatures, sponsored by the Oakland Museum and the San Francisco Art Institute. For over 30 years, Reid taught composition at Mills College and violin/ensemble at Holy Names University PMD until both institutions closed in 2023. She currently teaches at her studio in Berkeley.

CDs, LPs, and scores are available through Frog Peak Music, Other Minds, Frog Records, Niente Records, YouTube, SoundCloud, Spotify, Bandcamp, Apple Music, and treepieces.net

Tree Pieces

TREE PIECES is an on-going set of musical processes which attempt to reflect nature's manner of operations. Because the pattern or order of nature functions as a single process without division, contrary to the state of control in which there exists a duality (-one element commanding and the other obeying), control in the compositional process is removed by varying degrees from piece to piece. 
The processes are contextual in nature thus allowing the performers to act according to the unpredictable conditions and variables which arise from within the musical continuity. In this way, the compositions attempt to reflect the inter-connection of all things (including ourselves) in nature. In performance, an attempt is made at a spontaneous unforced and unblocked growing of sound and silence in which emphasis is placed on formation rather than pre-established form, as in the building and shaping of cell-like units in living processes. This approach 'formation as process' parallels that of the artist Paul Klee whose writings have influenced my work. Klee believed that 'communication with nature remains the most essential condition' for the artist by the simple fact that he himself is part of nature.

Ambient Bird  

Since I began composing, my goal has been to create music that reflects our connection to nature and to each other. To achieve this, I developed an ongoing set of musical processes called Tree Pieces, which reflects nature’s manner of operations, specifically that of inter-connection. Although these works have been performed internationally in experimental and avant-garde classical music venues and concerts, their limited reach prompted me to explore a new direction in 2018.

I decided to expand on the ‘nature element’ by creating the site-specific Ambient Bird pieces, which go beyond formal composition and the concert hall to reach a broader audience. The title 'Ambient Bird' derives from Lulu, an African Grey parrot, and the ambient sounds of the performance site. Each piece is named after the location of the performance, such as Ambient Bird-Live Oak. While sounds from the specific site are incorporated into the score, a significant portion of the composition is created from bird and human interactions. In fact, Lulu, as the bird who creates these sounds, could be considered a co-composer, alongside the human composer she lives with.

Musicians from diverse backgrounds, races, and genders perform the ambient bird pieces on a range of instruments, including newly invented ones. They are all united by a common aesthetic/philosophy that goes beyond the music, representing a connected diversity. Lulu, an African grey parrot, is an integral part of the ensemble and contributes to the score. This philosophy extends to the audience, creating a moment of unity when everything comes together. The Ambient Bird pieces strive to create an ‘all-inclusive nature’ by involving the listeners, musicians, and environment in the performance.