Adrian BORZA

– Composer, Teacher, Audio engineer and Software developer –

ARTISTIC BIOGRAPHY

Born in Turda, Cluj County, Romania, January 19th, 1967. Fascinated by music since the age of five, he receives support form his parents with the aim to pursue his first violin lessons in his native town. Beginning in 1974, for 12 years, he studies violin, and piano as a secondary instrument, at the "Sigismund Toduță" College in Cluj-Napoca. Between 1987 and 1990, he studies Music composition with Cristian Misievici at the "George Enescu" University of Arts in Iași, and between 1990 and 1992 with Cornel Țăranu at the "Gheorghe Dima" Music Academy in Cluj-Napoca. He attends Music analyses and Composition courses with Pascal Bentoiu in 1988, Aurel Stroe in 1994, and Lucian Mețianu in 1995.

In 1992 he joins the professorial staff of the "Gheorghe Dima" Music Academy where he teaches Musical forms and analyses between 1992 and 2004, and Harmony and choral writing between 1993 and 1995. He initiates the introduction of Electronic music course into the Theoretical Faculty’s curriculum, which he teaches between 1995 and 2001. In 2004 he achieves a Ph.D. in Music at the "Gheorghe Dima" Music Academy with the doctoral thesis entitled "Computer Assisted Composition Techniques in Personal Works", coordinated by Cornel Țăranu.

In the mean time, he continues to enhance his knowledge and experience in sound recording, mixing, and computer programming. He founds and manages between 2000 and 2004 the CMP/Computer Music Production recording studio, devoted to produce modern music. He collaborates with known performers and composers like Ioan Goilă, Jancy Körössy, Adrian Pop, Nicolas Simion, Valentin Timaru, David Tuil, Erich Türk, Hans Peter Türk and Cornel Țăranu. Established in Montreal, he continues to work as Audio counselor at the Faculty of Music of the University of Montreal, where he meets acknowledged personalities like Carlo Bergonzi, Benoît Brière, Gregory Charles, Julien Grégoire, Dame Gwyneth Jones, Ron di Lauro, John Norris, Jean-François Rivest, Lorraine Vaillancourt, Robin Wheeler.

In 1994 he creates "MU80 Mix Map: Monitor, PitchChange, Processor", a software for automatic control of the Yamaha MU80 sound generator. A notable creation in 2004 is "IAC – Interactive Algorithmic Composition", software which facilitates the interactive composition based on predefined algorithms. The algorithms generate musical structures while the player performs on a MIDI Keyboard connected to the computer; the algorithms respond to the pitch, velocity and tempo changes. In 2006, he creates "VT/RAP – Video Tracking / Real-time Audio Processing", a granular synthesis and audio signal processing software controlled by gesture, and optimized for dance and installations. Using a camcorder and a laptop, the video tracking data is mapped on the sound synthesis and audio processing data, so that the motion and human gesture are transformed in real-time into sound qualities. The software illustrates an advanced medium for performing arts, dance technology and sound synthesis.

His first electro-acoustic work, "RX-1100" (1993), opens a series of works that explores the interactivity between performer and electronics. Following works such as "Fractus I-III" (1999-2001), "Traveler by Tram" (1999) and "Increat" (2003) encompass a distinguished significance of the computer sound synthesis – the sound of the image morphogenesis. The sound object is constituted by visual shapes, by relating the dot, the line, the surface, the brightness, and the color, to the pitch, the length, the volume, and the stereo image of the sound. With his software entitled IAC he creates various algorithmic compositions: "Yak" (2004), "Music for MIDI Keyboard and Interactive Computer" (2005), "80 after Max" (2006) and "Today is the Day" (2007), the latest one produced with the purpose of being played over an entire year, consisting of 365 concise pieces and aphoristic titles alike.

His music is performed in concerts and is broadcasted across Switzerland, Greece, the United States, Italy, Hungary, Germany, Netherlands, Canada, and Austria and in festivals of new music like "Cluj Modern" (Romania, 1995, 1997, 1999), "International New Music Week" (Romania, 1998), "Svensk Blåsmusikfestival" (Sweden, 1998), "Contrasts" (Ukraine, 1999), "Is Arti (Latvia, 2001), "Overseas Series" (Japan, 2001) and "Ai-maako" (Chile, 2007). He receives commissions from important soloists, ensembles and art institutions, such as Stockholm Saxophone Quartet ("akSax", 1997), Magnus Andresson ("akSax II", 1998), Swedish Concert Institute ("Chaconne", 1999), TNC National Theatre ("Penitentiary", 2001), Transylvania Baroque Ensemble ("Transylvanian Suite", 2003), and Jörgen Pettersson ("Goddesses of the Wind", 2006), who perform his works on the international scene. In 2006 he publishes "Four Choruses" at LBE Ottawa, Canada.