Eric Wubbels: being time

The Mivos Quartet was in residence at EMPAC to develop and perform a new work for string quartet and electronics by American composer Eric Wubbels. Titled being time, the work explores the psychological experience of time through aural effects. Using a ring of eight loudspeakers specifically positioned in the room, the piece builds on Maryanne Amacher’s pioneering work with otoacoustic sound, deploying high sine waves to create vivid psychoacoustic illusions. These electronic sounds blend with the acoustic sounds of the string quartet, fusing them together into a tangled, sonically complex knot. The Mivos Quartet is devoted to performing the works of contemporary composers and presenting new music to diverse audiences, appearing at such venues as the Guggenheim Museum, Kennedy Center, Zankel Hall, MoMA, the Stone, Issue Project Room, and Roulette. Eric Wubbels is a composer, pianist, and executive director of the Wet Ink Ensemble, a New York collective devoted to creating, promoting, and organizing adventurous contemporary music.