by Ian Evans Guthrie
Artist Statement
“Tropical Sabbath,” the last part of my piano suite Soundscape Retreats, is not about a particular geographical area in the Tropics nor about a particular Sabbath; I simply liked the title. In fact, the fusion of pan-American and European influences in the work may cause you to do anything but relax!
Dr. Ian Evans Guthrie, an emerging composer, performer, researcher, and collaborator who teaches music classes at Pitt-Bradford, has received the Mile High Freedom Band 2021 Commission, first place in the Noosa-ISAM and Arcady Composition competitions, second for the American Prize, a nomination for a 2020 award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and other accolades for his compositions. Many of his works have been performed publicly around the world by fEARnoMUSIC, the Northwest Symphony Orchestra, Moore Philharmonic Orchestra, VIPA, highSCORE Music Festival, Atlantic Music Festival, Charlotte New Music Festival, and others. His most recent works include Flight for Freedom for band; a fixed media track for dancer Ilana Goldman; tracks for various exhibitions at Venvi Art Gallery (Tallahassee, FL); and the score for the story ballet The Queen of Nori. As a pianist, Guthrie has won awards from MTNA, the Great Composer Competition, and other organizations. He also actively researches the relationship between harmony and rhythmic cells, and his paper Rhythm as Function has been featured at several past and upcoming conferences across the continent.