Who am i?

My name is André DeGrenier, and I am a sound artist, improvisor, and programmer.

When thinking about music, I am often attracted to the complexity and phenomenological aspect of sound. How one processes sound, and how they interpret it. Whether it is a song they hear at a concert, a track they listen to on the internet, or even just sounds in nature that we hear everyday, everyone experiences these events differently. As a composer, improvisor, and performer I have always wanted to work on creating meaningful sounds that are relatable, yet still new for the listener.

It is impossible to exactly recreate any sounds we have heard, as they will always be unique based on a multitude of factors: one’s current emotional state at the point of digestion of the sound, the physical environment one is in, the technology or absence of technology that is used to listen, and the current state of the performer or creator. Those are merely just a few of the seemingly infinite number of factors that come into play when we are processing sound. But as an artist there is always meaning in trying recreate these meaningful sounds. The search for recreating these meaningful events is what creates a drive for me towards creativity and hopefully working on innovation. Through technology, we can enter a realm that, at times, seems beyond comprehension. Moving more into the programming world, the use of technology allows for quick experimentation, that allows for continued development.

In my work as an improvisor I focus on the intersection between acoustic instruments and technology, specifically the interaction between drum set and electronics. I began going down this path soon after starting my studies at the Peabody Institute. Initially the passion for improvisation came from solo drum set and electronics, with pieces such as srucT and assidoscatei, however, now my time is mostly spent improvising with other musicians, for example, the Duo project.

Thinking of the collection of all these sounds and how they interact with each other is how we can begin to create meaningful events in time. But, conveying this meaning to others is a difficult task. The associations that one creates are personal and can play a role in determining how one processes these events. Through the development of one’s own syntax, we can begin on the journey of expressing our own meaning through sound.