(b. 1954, Indiana).
American composer of mostly chamber works that have been performed in Europe and North America.
Mr. Rulon studied piano in Indiana as a child. He studied composition and electronic music with John Eaton, Frederick A. Fox and Bernhard Heiden at Indiana University in Bloomington from 1972–80, where he received his BM in composition and his double MM with distinction in composition and electronic music. He later studied at Princeton University and there earned his PhD in composition in 1995.
Among his honours are First Prize at the National College Dance Festival (1984, for his dance music to Corporate Whimsy), the Harvey Gaul Prize from the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble (1988), finalist in the competition Olympia in Athens (1990), a fellowship grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (1994), a commission from the Fromm Foundation (1995), a commission from Chamber Music America (1996), and the Guggenheim Fellowship (1996).
He is also active in other positions. He served as director of the Electronic Music Ensembles of Indiana University from 1977–80. He then co-founded with oboist Matt Sullivan the improvisational live-electronics duo, later a trio with double bassist William Kannar, First Avenue in New York, New York in 1982, which was later in residence at Princeton University.
He taught as an associate instructor at Indiana University from 1977–80 and later taught at the Thurnauer School of Music in New Jersey from 1989–91 and at Princeton University in 1993–94.
COMPLETE LIST OF WORKS
STAGE:
Corporate Whimsy (dance music, choreography by Bill T. Jones), synthesizers (1 player), percussion, 1983
Self Exacting Archives, actor, synthesizers (1 player), percussion, fixed media, 1995
Disorderly Lullabies (instrumental-theatre work), flute, clarinet, piano, percussion, fixed media, 1995
Still Life with Daniel: the lonely mutant (music-theatre work/cyber opera, libretto by Orlando Ferrand, after Sigmund Freud), 4 actors–voices, MIDI-orchestra, 1997
ORCHESTRAL:
Generations, small orchestra (14 players), 1989
Quantum Mechanics, Lesson I, Ecstatic States, large orchestra, 1989
CHAMBER MUSIC:
SynthObie, synthesizer, 1982
Woodwind Quintet, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, 1982
Momentum I, synthesizer, 1983
Music for String Quartet and Synthesizer, 1983
Two Dances for Oboe Quartet, oboe, violin, viola, cello, 1984
Quintet Too Plus One, amplified ensemble (flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon, synthesizer), 1987
Oh, Rampant Punk!, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano (+ synthesizer), percussion, 1988
Suite, cello, synthesizer, 1988
Arpeggicide, MIDI-ensemble, computer, 1990
A Fragile God, flute, oboe, piano, percussion, 1990
Res Facta, MIDI-ensemble, 1991
Field of Dreams, oboe, bassoon, synthesizer, computer, 1991
The Abstract Coronation, French horn, 2 trumpets, trombone, tuba, piano, synthesizer, computer, 1991
Small Animals Run through My Heart, string quartet, live electronics ad libitum, 1992, revised 1994
Divine Detours, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, percussion, 1993
May I Speak to Henry Sicorski?, oboe, double bass, synthesizers (1 player), live electronics, 1993
Eliade Æterna, violin, piano, 1994
SelfRequiem, flute, oboe, cello, double bass, piano (+ synthesizer), percussion, fixed media, 1994
...I'm Yolanda Vega!... (all players also speak text by Jean Baudrillard), flute, clarinet (+ bass clarinet), violin, cello, piano, percussion, 1997
Division of Labor, flute, clarinet, piano, 1997
Trying to Stay Calm (Concerto), oboe, cello, double bass, piano (+ synthesizer), live electronics, 1998
MessMixExpress, flute, clarinet (+ bass clarinet), violin, cello, piano, percussion, 2000
PIANO:
East Village Rhapsody, 1986
Arpeggicide, Again, 2 pianos, fixed media, 1992
The Luddites' Disclaimer, piano, computer, 1998
ELECTROACOUSTIC:
Entropy, fixed media (4 tracks), 1979
MULTIMEDIA/PERFORMANCE:
Ritual for the Industrial Tribes, 1981
DISCOGRAPHY
Momentum I. C. Bryan Rulon, synthesizer (CBS Records: RMT34293, 1983) (LP)
Music for String Quartet and Synthesizer. (Opus One Music: 117, 1984) (LP)
Two Suns. First Avenue (Newport Classic: NCD60062, 1989) (LP)
Res Facta. New York New Music Ensemble (Centaur Records: CRC 2338, 1992)
Hocus Opus. First Avenue (OOdiscs: 13, 1992)
Divine Detours. New York New Music Ensemble (Princeton: 01CD, 1994)
Arpeggicide. First Avenue (OOdiscs, 1995)
SelfRequiem. C. Bryan Rulon/Musicians Accord (Composers Recordings, Inc.: CRI 729, 1995)