From San Antonio, TX. Based in Brooklyn, NY
Website: darianthomas.myportfolio.com
“I believe in music as space. Creating music that listeners can reside within for periods of time to refresh themselves and find catharsis within.”
Biography
Darian Donovan Thomas is a mediaqueer artist, whose work is rooted in exploring the intersectionality of genre, identities (imposed and/or claimed), and artistic medium. To create a body of all-inclusive works that makes every audience member realize they are being spoken to directly and personally is the goal – being at the intersection of multiple identities means being able to speak to everyone.
Darian received his Bachelors in Music Composition from The University of the Incarnate Word, and was a 2018 New Amsterdam Composer Lab Fellow, 2018 SoSI Composer Fellow, and 2019 Banglewood Composition Fellow. He has toured the world with Kazu Makino of Blonde Redhead, and is currently the touring violinist for Moses Sumney.
Work Samples
Fluid (2016) for violin and electronics. Performed by the composer. More information.
“I composed Fluid while meditating on the idea of a body of water interacting with vastly different civilizations over millennia. The piece is explicitly about the Yanaguana river in San Antonio, Texas. The Payaya people gave the river its name, meaning “refreshing waters”. Later Spanish and French missionaries would use the river, and build a university around its origin (the “blue hole”). Later the river itself would become the hub of tourism and commerce in the city – no longer regarded as “refreshing”, but still beautiful and adorned by the best jewelry of markets and restaurants capitalism has to offer.”
Cobalt Aviary | Still Pond (2019) for violin and electronics. Performed by the composer. More information.
“Imagine looking up to a cobalt aviary and hearing various bird songs, then looking down to the reflections of clear blue sky and cobalt birdsong, then back up to the aviary – and eventually past it into the stratosphere.”