Cole Ingraham

Composer, Performer, Programmer, Educator

Originally from the San Francisco bay area in California, American composer and multimedia artist Cole D. Ingraham holds a B.M. in Music Composition from the University of the Pacific, an M.F.A. in Electronic Music and Recording Media from Mills College, and a D.M.A. in Music Composition from the University of Colorado at Boulder. He actively performs and teaches electronic music, creative programming, both solo and as part of the international network laptop quartet Glitch Lich. His aesthetic involves experimentalism, noise, drone, and all things abstract. Currently Cole is living in Shanghai, China and teaches music composition and theory at FaceArt Music InterNations.´

One of his primary focuses for the past five years has been tuning systems other than the current standard in Western music. With a particular interest in just intonation (the harmonic relationship between frequencies found in nature) Ingraham’s music employs many “notes between the notes” in a very sonorous manner. These tunings however are impossible to achieve on many standard instruments with fixed intonation. Therefore he primarily works with instruments with some pitch flexibility. In addition to existing instruments, Ingraham has build a number of original instruments. These include the Pentachord: a 1.5m, bowed instrument with 5 piano strings, and the Overtone Bonang: a percussion instrument consisting of a series of tuned aluminum disks.

Beyond the realm of acoustic instruments, he regularly writes software instruments and systems to realize his musical ideas. These range from stand-alone programs, to custom synthesized instruments and effects, to novel analogue and/or digital interfaces for controlling the software. Particularly of note is a custom app for the iPad called Un:Limit. This is a multitouch interface with a variable number of “virtual strings” and visual guides to aid in locating various tunings. The app also responds to the amount of surface area the performer’s finger is covering, adding an extra level of expression control. Un:Limit has been used in a number of performances of works written both specifically for it and those originally for other instruments.