Christopher Tignor

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Christopher Tignor
Christopher Tignor performing at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, May 5, 2017.
Christopher Tignor performing at National Sawdust in Brooklyn, May 5, 2017.
Background information
Genresexperimental music
post-rock
contemporary classical
electronic music
Occupation(s)composer, violinist, software engineer
LabelsWestern Vinyl, New Albion
Websitehttp://wiresundertension.com

Christopher Tignor (born March 15, 1976) is an American composer, musician, and software engineer based in New York City.[1] A founding member of post-rock acts Slow Six[2] and Wires Under Tension,[3] Tignor is primarily known for his solo work as an electro-acoustic violinist "making computers coexist in harmony with acoustic instruments in a live setting".[1] Tignor has composed and recorded string arrangements for This Will Destroy You,[4] John Congleton,[5] Keith Kenniff, Lymbyc Systym,[6] and more.

Early life and career[edit]

Tignor was born in Morristown, New Jersey. In 1998 he received a Bachelor of Arts in creative writing from Bard College,[7] where he studied with composer Richard Teitelbaum and poet John Ashbery; he continued to collaborate with both after graduating.[8][9] In 2003 he received a Master of Science degree in computer science from New York University, and in 2018 he received a PhD in music composition from Princeton.[10] While living and studying in New York City, Tignor worked as a bike messenger and assistant to LaMonte Young and Mariana Zazeela, in addition to running sound and stage-managing for CBGB's.[11]

From 1999 to 2008, Tignor was sound engineer and then technical director for Music at the Anthology (founded by Philip Glass, Eleonor Sandresky, and Lisa Bielawa), and in 2007, Tignor and The Knights performed the world premiere of Tignor's MATA Commission at the festival.[12][13] In 2007, BYU's Barlow Endowment for Music Composition commissioned Tignor to write a new work for Brooklyn Rider String Quartet;[14] the piece later appeared on the quartet's favorably-reviewed Seven Steps[15] and was performed at Carnegie's Zankel Hall.[16]

Tignor formed post-rock band Slow Six in 2000, expanding the group to nine members by 2007's Nor'easter.[17]

He has given lectures and performances at the SOU Festival in Tbilisi, Georgia,[18] the International Computer Music Conference in Daegu, Korea,[19] the Victor Hugo theater in Havana, Cuba,[20] and numerous other venues. He has also collaborated with contemporary dance troupes,[21] video artists,[22] and poets.[9]

Tignor has worked at Google as a software engineer since 2011,[23] and creates most of the (open-source) software he uses for live performance.[24] He is also a sponsored artist of audio software maker Antares[25] for his application of Auto-Tune as a "chorale" violin harmonizer,[26] and of German tuning fork maker Wittner for his use of the device in performances.[27] In 2022, Tignor released a collaborative album with This Will Destroy You co-founder Christopher Royal King under the name Disassembler.[28]

Discography[edit]

Solo / As Leader[edit]

Release year Leader Title Label Notes
2023 Christopher Tignor The Art of Surrender[29] Western Vinyl
2022 Disassembler A Wave From A Shore[30] Western Vinyl
2019 Christopher Tignor A Light Below[31] Western Vinyl
2016 Christopher Tignor Along A Vanishing Plane[32][33] Western Vinyl
2014 Christopher Tignor Thunder Lay Down in the Heart[34] Western Vinyl
2012 Wires.Under.Tension Replicant[35] Western Vinyl
2010 Slow Six Tomorrow Becomes You[36] Western Vinyl
2010 Wires.Under.Tension Light Science[37] Western Vinyl
2007 Slow Six Nor'easter[38] New Albion
2009 Christopher Tignor Core Memory Unwound[1] Western Vinyl
2004 Slow Six Private Times in Public Places[38] Western Vinyl

Composer / Performer[edit]

Release year Leader Title Label Notes
2016 John Congleton and the Nighty Nite Until the Horror Goes[39] Fat Possum Records
2016 Lymbyc Systym Split Stones[6] Western Vinyl
2014 Alexander Turnquist Flying Fantasy[40] Western Vinyl
2012 Brooklyn Rider Seven Steps[15] In a Circle Records "Together into this Unknowable Night"
2012 Lymbyc Systym Symbolyst[41] Western Vinyl
2011 This Will Destroy You Tunnel Blanket[42] Suicide Squeeze Records
2011 Alexander Turnquist Hallway Of Mirrors[43] VHF Records
2011 Various Artists Five Borough Songbook[44][45] GPR Records "Secret Assignation"
2009 Alexander Turnquist As the Twilight Crane Dreams in Color[46] VHF
2009 Lymbyc Systym Shutter Release[47] Mush Records

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Smith, Steve (May 8, 2009). "Sounds Both Eclectic and Electric". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  2. ^ "This Will Destroy You, Slow Six and A Far Cry". WQXR. Q2 Music Live Concerts by Q2 Music. February 15, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  3. ^ "Video premiere of Christopher Tignor's "The Will And The Waiting"". The Wire. July 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  4. ^ "Tunnel Blanket – This Will Destroy You | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  5. ^ "Christopher Tignor | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Smart, Dan (February 18, 2016). "Lymbyc Systym - "Split Stones"". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  7. ^ "Bard News". Bard. March 2014. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  8. ^ Teitelbaum, Richard (October 2016). "Improvisation, computers and the unconscious mind". Contemporary Music Review. 25 (5–6): 497–508. doi:10.1080/07494460600990026. S2CID 146295056. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  9. ^ a b Piepenbring, Dan (March 18, 2014). "John Ashbery Reads "A Boy"". The Paris Review. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  10. ^ Tignor, Christopher. Listening through popular music. ISBN 9780355626483. Retrieved December 13, 2020 – via Princeton University Library.
  11. ^ Jensen, Fred (September 1, 2016). "Christopher Tignor preps new LP, premieres video for "Arrow In The Dark"". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  12. ^ Kozinn, Allan (March 23, 2007). "Classical Music/Opera Listings". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  13. ^ "A Little More Knights Music". MATA Festival. March 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  14. ^ "2007 Winners". The Barlow Endowment for Music Composition at Brigham Young University. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  15. ^ a b Tsioulcas, Anastasia (February 5, 2012). "First Listen: Brooklyn Rider, 'Seven Steps'". NPR. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  16. ^ Kozinn, Allan (November 3, 2011). "Playing Melancholy Music, And Having Fun With It". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  17. ^ "Slow Six: Nor'easter". AllMusic.com. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  18. ^ "კრისტოფერ ტინორის კონცერტი თბილისში | ვიდეო | Rustavi2". Rustavi2 (in Georgian). Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  19. ^ "Concerts – ICMC 2018". icmc2018.org. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  20. ^ "Portal Cubarte – Christopher Tignor ofrecerá concierto en Casa Víctor Hugo / Por: Maritza Mariana Hernández". cubarte.cult.cu (in Spanish). Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  21. ^ "History from old site (archive) | Anemone Dance Theater". anemonedance.org. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  22. ^ "Christopher Tignor and Tristan Perich". National Sawdust. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  23. ^ "Systems and methods for throttling incoming network traffic requests". Google Patents. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  24. ^ "Commissions & Premieres". Premiere Commission, Inc. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  25. ^ "Christopher Tignor: Risk and Reward". Ableton.com.
  26. ^ Tignor, Christopher (2018). ""Chorale" Violin Harmonization: A Practical, Compositionally-based System for Generating Live Harmonies". International Computer Music Association. 2018: 333–338. hdl:2027/spo.bbp2372.2018.063. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  27. ^ "#3894: With Christopher Tignor". newsounds.org.
  28. ^ "Disassembler ~ A Wave from a Shore". March 8, 2022.
  29. ^ "Christopher Tignor ~ The Art of Surrender". A Closer Listen. September 23, 2023. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  30. ^ "Disassembler Drops Their Debut Album 'A Wave from Shore'". March 16, 2022.
  31. ^ "2019 TOP 10". Textura. December 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  32. ^ Cummings, Raymond (November 19, 2016). "Essential New Music: Christopher Tignor's "Along a Vanishing Plane"". Magnet. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  33. ^ Gioia, Ted (January 14, 2017). "The 30 Most Intriguing Musicians of 2017". The Daily Beast. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  34. ^ "ACL 2014: Top Ten Modern Composition". A Closer Listen. December 19, 2014. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  35. ^ Kaye, Ben (October 5, 2012). "New Music: Wires Under Tension – "The Light Behind Your Light Is Changing" (CoS Premiere)". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  36. ^ Sheridan, Molly (March 22, 2010). "Sounds Heard: Slow Six – Tomorrow Becomes You". New Music USA. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  37. ^ Weingarten, Christopher (November 16, 2010). "Download: Wires Under Tension, "Mnemonics In Motion"". Village Voice. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  38. ^ a b Powell, Mike (January 14, 2008). "Slow Six: Private Times in Public Places / Nor'easter". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  39. ^ "John Congleton / The Nighty Nite: Until the Horror Goes". AllMusic.com. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  40. ^ Burnett, Joseph (June 13, 2014). "Alexander Turnquist: Flying Fantasy". The Quietus. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  41. ^ Powell, Austin (September 28, 2012). "Lymbyc Systym: Symbolyst (Western Vinyl)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  42. ^ Smith, Zach (February 16, 2012). "15 Strings Attached". Decibel Magazine. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  43. ^ "Christopher Tignor: Credits". AllMusic.com. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  44. ^ "Various Artists: Five Borough Songbook". AllMusic.com. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  45. ^ Kozinn, Allan (January 15, 2012). "A Score of Ways to Serenade a City". The New York Times. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  46. ^ "Alexander Turnquist: As the Twilight Crane Dreams in Color". Textura. September 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  47. ^ Powell, Austin (November 27, 2009). "Lymbyc Systym: Shutter Release (Mush)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
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