INEVITABLE PATH « drewschnurr.com

Drew Schnurr is a composer, sound artist, and performer from Los Angeles whose work blurs traditional lines in music, media, and sound.

As a composer for media, Drew has produced music and sonic branding for numerous world brands and media conglomerates. He is also an active concert composer and sound artist with a diverse range of international commissions and exhibits.

Revered by his peers, industry professionals, and critics, his work has been called both “rare” and “remarkable.”

“This composer bends and stretches rules within his own aesthetic, weaving his musical ideas in harmonious waves that threaten to drown, yet gently tumble the listener forward with intrigue and anticipation.” -Adam Rosenthal review for Persee: Orchestrated Perception

VISUAL MEDIA PORTFOLIO
CONCERT PORTFOLIO
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Hyperventilations

for Piano with Four Hands [cat. sc26]

Hyperventilations of a Fire Dragon harnesses music from my early career as a performer in latin bands, jazz ensembles, funk bands, and rock and metal bands. The underlying fervency of these influences is felt throughout the work, leveraged by the power and agility of the piano, driving the performance often to the edge of playability. This piece initiates a compositional renaissance, a drilling down into the musical cores of “fire” that constitute the music of my youth. It comes from the gut—quite literally, was breathed into life. The melodic and rhythmic motives are all derived from vocal inflections (and hyperventilations) improvised, recorded, transcribed and re-composed by the composer.

DREW SCHNURR (2015)

Premiered by Vicki Ray and Aaron Kallay — Hear Now Festival, Los Angeles, May 2015.
Video performance by pianists Kookhee Hong and Minji Noh.

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watch HYPERVENTILATIONS

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INEVITABLE PATH

06/05/07

The last 6 months have been filled with music and sweat.

My efforts have been focused on the production of the May 10 concert event PERSEE. What an experience. Every time I do something like this I ask my self if the gratification is worth the blood, dirt, and tears required. I always seem to find myself pushing physical and emotional limits on these kind of projects. I came close to the absolute limit this time around. I have been restoring for over four weeks, and am just beginning to feel like my self again.

Why do I do it? Life in many ways would be so much easier as a non-creative professional. Work hard, make money, and play hard. Nice and clean….simple and clear. I admit sometimes I long for that kind of simplicity in my life. I’m just not built for it though, and would be unbearably restless amid a life of convention. So I suppose instead of asking why I do it, I should be asking why I am bulit his way?

One of the ways I have come to recognize my path is it’s winding and uncertain quality. The one thing that anchors me is a certain sense of inevitability, that no matter how many times I try to veer of my path, the maker will eventually put me back on it. I’m not allowed the comfort of certainty, only the option of trusting. I am still learning how to trust…myself, others, and my maker.

And so goes one more step on the inevitable path…D

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