In Defense of Music Technology : Adapt or Die  A digital tsunami has struck the world  and only the technologically evolved will survive A few years ago after an electronic music concert, I found myself defending electroacoustic music to a fellow composer who did not understand why composers in my field insisted on using multimedia in their works. Her companion agreed, and as both verbally snubbed composers who use electronics, I realized that music technology divides even the most knowledgeable of musicians. (Ironically, this composer now also engages in multimedia electronica).   In my mind, there are not composers in "my" field of electroacoustic music and "their" field of strictly acoustic (and presumably better) music.  Electroacoustic composers simply compose for electronics  like they compose for a choir or orchestra, and many can just as easily create a symphony as a computer music piece. Critics have always shunned innovation ,...

Launching a full multimedia production like an opera, film, or concert doesn't require a budget of six figures, hundreds of personnel, and a gigantic venue. If you are willing to go virtual and use the amazing multimedia tools at your fingertips, you can create incredible works of art without breaking your budget. The artist is only limited by technology. Machinima Opera Libertaria: The Virtual Opera Two years ago when I embarked on my modern opera, Libertaria:The Virtual Opera I wanted to create a full-scale opera production. Experience had taught me that just because I created a large-scale work doesn't mean that it would see more than a few live performances in my lifetime. Of course, that has always been a major issue for composers, with most of our famous composers today never enjoying even a modicum of the popularity that they experience in the modern classical music scene. Instead, I decided to use my film school chops and create a feature-length animated opera u...