The Georgia State University School of Music is pleased to welcome Brent Milam to the faculty as a Lecturer in Music Theory. After more than a decade as a visiting lecturer in music theory and composition at Georgia State University, he joins the Georgia State faculty in a full-time position. Milam is also the co-founder and artistic director for Terminus Ensemble of Contemporary Music and the SoundNow New Music Festival.
“We are thrilled to have Professor Milam join us as Lecturer in Music Theory. He brings to the classroom an enthusiasm for teaching that is palpable, “said Dr. Chester Phillips, Director of the School of Music.
Brent Milam has performed and recorded with numerous jazz, blues, funk, and new music ensembles. As an academician, he has taught composition, classical and jazz theory, counterpoint, post-tonal analysis, aural skills, orchestration, jazz and choral arranging, and computer music for various music schools. He has also composed original music for concert performances, stage productions, independent films, art installations, jazz and popular music ensembles, and commercial recordings. Milam’s commissioned work has been performed nationally, won multiple contests, recorded by professional ensembles, and described as “outstanding,” “lovely,” and “hinting at deeper things” in periodicals and online reviews.
Milam’s research interests include generalized pitch transformations, the systematic analysis of sonority, and the sonification of complex natural phenomena to produce generative musical processes.
As a result of his work, Milam collaborates with professionals in various scientific disciplines, including physics, astronomy, and biomaterials. It enhances the understanding of natural phenomena by musical means, provides aural pattern recognition methods that augment data analysis, assists the visually impaired, and creates novel structural relationships for musical expression.
In addition to conducting residencies, masterclasses, giving invited lectures, and presenting his research at multiple universities, professional conferences, and public institutions, Milam has published articles on his research endeavors, served as editor and reviewer for music and scientific publications, and written a chapter for the book “Mathematical Music Theory” on his novel generative processes.
In 2019, Milam spoke at the International Conference of the Mathematics and Computations in Music in Spain on his pedagogical activities converging art and STEM disciplines. He developed an annual Mathematical Music Composition Workshop to partner university music and mathematics students on projects incorporating mathematical music composition culminating in performances and subsequent presentations at the Georgia State Undergraduate Research Conference each spring. Following the conference in Spain, Milam was invited to join the Scientific Program Committee of SMCM. In June 2022, he will serve as co-organizer and host for the 8th Biennial International Conference on Mathematics and Computation in Music to be held at Georgia State University.
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