This piece was made using an electronically amplified hammered dulcimer and VCV Rack. The hammered dulcimer is amplified using 2 contact mics along the base of both bridges. The signal is then processed through a VCV rack patch that manipulates the audio into a mosaic of fractured repetitions and echoing harmonies. The video was made using animations by Arlo Tomeček taken from Dex Digital Sample Library (lookup number W.Bsn. CoTo AV2024 S2).

Links: VCV Rack Patch

Performed and edited by Cameron Church. Audio in VCV Rack. Preprocessed animations by Arlo Tomeček.

Peano is based on the Peano Curve, the first space-filling curve discovered by Giuseppe Peano in 1890. A space-filling curve is a continuous line with two endpoints that travels through every possible point in a unit square. It's a strange and wonderful way to imagine weaving a 1-dimensional line into the tapestry of a 2-dimensional space.

This piece imagines the mapping of the Peano Curve onto the performance stage. As the Peano Curve gradually travels from one end-point to the other, the listener travels from the beginning of the piece to the end, and the performer travels from one corner of the stage to its opposite. Percussion instruments, record players, amplifiers, and lights are placed across the stage, revealing the progress of the performer, and highlighting moments of meditative reflection on the relationships between the visual and sonic textures of each implement.

It is my intention with this piece to impart the following lesson: Even the most simple concepts can reveal incredible complexity when expanded beyond their preconceived limitations.

Links: Score

Canvas is an interactive installation that fosters community collaboration in the creation of a singular, evolving artwork. Over the course several days, participants engage in a communal painting process, with each individual contribution adding to the evolving visual piece. Concurrently, the live video feed of the painting is sonified through a MaxMSP patch, generating a complex and dynamic sonic landscape that is inextricably linked to the visual art. Through this immersive sensory experience, Canvas offers a unique opportunity to explore the intersection art, technology, and community engagement. For this version of the installation, the Peabody Institute's graduating class of 2023 was invited to contribute to the piece over the course of one week.

MaxMSP Patch - Michael Mills

Production - Cameron Church

Rigging - Cameron Church, Sebastian Suarez-Solis

Concept - Cameron Church, Sebastian Suarez-Solis, Mary Price

Editing - Cameron Church

Sine Post is a site-specific installation that engages with the fundamental nature of sound to create an immersive sensory experience. The environment is composed of a sequence of closely related, slowly-changing sine waves, dynamically modulating in relation to each other to form an ever-evolving sonic tapestry. As you walk through the space, the subtly shifting relationships between each tone interact with the architecture and acoustics of the environment to produce a unique auditory experience. As you walk the path, pay close attention to the dynamic relationships between the many tones.

Links: MaxMSP Patch

Composition - Cameron Church

Production - Cameron Church

Rigging - Cameron Church, Sebastian Suarez-Solis

Camerawork - Sebastian Suarez-Solis

Acting - Tyler Jordan

Editing - Cameron Church

8337#0\/3|\|'5 9.57# is a collaboration between Ryo Hasegawa (hasegawaryo.com) and Critical Error — Andrew Faulkenberry (andrewfaulkenberry.com), Cameron Church (cameronchurch.com), Mary Price (marypricecompositions.com), Michael Mills (tcpublish.com), and Sebastian Suarez-Solis (cbassuarez.com)

Live electronics patch -  Michael Mills

Actors - Andrew Faulkenberry, Cameron Church, Michael Mills

Sound - Andrew Faulkenberry, Cameron Church, Mary Price, Michael Mills

Editing - Cameron Church

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Links: VCV Rack Patch Max Patch

Performed, filmed, and edited by Cameron Church. Audio in VCV Rack. Video processing in Max 8.

This piece was created synchronously with a painting of the same name (seen at the beginning and end of this performance and in the thumbnail) by Baltimore artist Genesis Garita. Both works came together during a four-hour collaboration event between the Peabody Institute and the Schuler School of Fine Arts in spring of 2023.

Links: VCV Rack Patch

Performed by Cameron Church. Artwork and inspiration by Genesis Garita.

Percussion Solo for 200 Hands is an acousmatic work of contemporary percussion music that marries acoustic sounds with multichannel spatialization in a uniquely immersive experience. At its core, this piece is a study in texture and timbre. Cameron Church employs a wide variety of percussive instruments, ranging from the traditional drums and cymbals to more unconventional objects such as cigar boxes, chains, and steel pipes. The resulting soundscape is a rich tapestry of colors and shapes, inviting the listener to explore the ever-evolving musical landscape. By distributing various instruments throughout the multichannel sound field, Cameron aims to create an enthralling sound world that fully envelopes the listener. This approach allows for a heightened sense of immersion and intimacy with the performer, as well as an enhanced appreciation for the intricacies and great variety of percussion music. This piece is also a fantastic demonstration of Ben Giroux's talents as both the performer of the work and as the audio engineer who brought the piece to life in the 5.1 surround sound environment.

Links: Score

Recorded Performers: Ben Giroux (bengirouxpercussion.com)

Electric 46 (2023)

Electric hammered dulcimer duet

“Folksy. Quaint. Uncompl-zzzrtschtzz単純несложный بسيطシンプル”

- David Carlton Adams

“A ████████ ████████ is a musical instrument with a sounding board or box, typically trapezoidal in shape, over which strings of graduated length are stretched, played by being ██████ with ████████ ███████.”

- Cameron Church

Written and performed collaboratively by David Carlton Adams (davidcarltonadams.com) and Cameron Church. This performance is from Cameron's Master's recital in Griswold Hall at the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University on February 17th, 2023.

Crits and Errors is a process piece combining sound, performance, and gameplay using the worldwide classic game of Chutes and Ladders. Players traverse a numbered grid of 100 squares, according to dice rolls, with the objective of navigating their game piece from 0 to 100, helped by climbing "ladders" but hindered by falling down "chutes". Using Max to assign pitch and timbral values to game spaces and players, Crits and Errors combines musical aleatory with real-life gestures and sheer luck. The piece is a sonic exploration of unpremeditated harmonies and frequency progression.

Links: Max Patch

Recorded Performers: the Peabody Laptop Ensemble (Colton Arnold, Cameron Church, Maxzavier Guo, Heng Lin, Nikko Musuraca, and Anson Tong)

Uno for video conference (2020)

Laptop ensemble for the UNO® card game

Uno is built around the card game UNO and was originally written to be performed live and in person. In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and the necessity for social isolation, I rewrote the piece so that it could be performed over video conference call and without the need for any equipment other than a computer and an internet connection. The Max patch translates UNO’s set of simple rules and repurposes them to create a piece of indeterminate music that is built around the interactions between performers. Every sound in this piece is created live by the performers when they play a card or an action of another player affects them. Each player is able to play Uno online with one another while streaming their audio to create a sound space that evolves with every card played. While you listen, enjoy the game and the dialogue of sound created by the choices and actions of the performers.

This piece requires performers to use the program Max 8 which can be safely downloaded for free here: https://cycling74.com/downloads. 

Links: Max Patch

Recorded Performers for upper recording: Becky Brown, Jamie Clay, Bob DuCharme, Cameron Church, I-Jen Fang, and Nelly Zevitz

Recorded Performers for lower recording: Indigo Breza, Cameron Church, and Joshua Holtzman 

🙈🙉🙊 (3 Monkeys) is a piece about communication and how environmental constraints won’t stop us ⎯ they will motivate us to evolve. In this piece, three performers fill the roles of the three wise monkeys: 

🙈 Mizaru who sees no evil, 

🙉 Kikazaru who hears no evil, and 

🙊 Iwazaru who speaks no evil. 

At certain points throughout the piece, individual performers will lose their sense of sight, hearing, or their ability to speak while continuing to maintain a visual and sonic dialogue with the other performers. This piece is an updated version of 3 Monkeys which has moved from the physical space of a concert stage to the digital space of a video call. This new environment brings with it new opportunities to explore and elaborate on the themes of communication and interpretation. In addition to providing a backdrop for the colorful graphics, the medium of a video conference call helps the focus on each individual sense be more precise. As you watch and listen to this performance, I recommend that you follow along with the conversation between performers. Try to see patterns of communication and witness the evolution of the language as it develops.

Links: Score My Analysis

Recorded Performers: Alex Christie, Becky Brown, and Cameron Church 

Thunderheads (2020)

Percussion solo and electronics

D’etat (2019)

Laptop quartet for the Coup® card game 

This piece is built around the card game Coup. This game is based on the interactions between players. Everyone playing has 2 cards which they keep private. These cards determine the actions they can take during the game. However, any player can lie and take any action they choose if they think they can get away with it. Your traditional game of Coup will involve a lot of talking while declaring actions, blocking players, or challenging a claim to a card. In this piece, the conversation is brought from speech to the realm of pitch and timbre. Every action taken in this game triggers a change in the sounds produced by each player. At the same time, many actions will frequently warrant a response from the other players resulting in a dialogue of sounds. The choices of each player cause the piece to unfold in a new way every time it is played. As you experience the piece, don’t worry about understanding the rules of the game. Instead, focus on the sounds and their interactions as if listening to a conversation taking place in front of you. 

This piece requires performers to to use the program Max 8 which can be safely downloaded for free here: https://cycling74.com/downloads.

Links: Max Patch My Analysis

Recorded Performers: Brendan Burke, Cameron Church, Indy Breza, Reza Mirzaiee