Daniel Swilley (b. 1980) is a German-American composer of acoustic and electroacoustic music based in Cedar Falls, IA. His music and research have been presented at festivals and conferences such as June in Buffalo, SEAMUS, Toronto Electroacoustic Symposium, Understanding Visual Music Symposium, NoiseFloor, New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, Electronic Music Midwest, Studio 300, Audiograft, Electroacoustic Juke Joint, College Music Society, as well as Society of Composer’s Inc. Swilley holds degrees in composition from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (DMA), Georgia State University (MM), and Valdosta State University (BM). His composition teachers have included Tayloe Harding, Mei-Fang Lin, Heinrich Taube, Stephen Taylor, Sever Tipei, Robert Scott Thompson, and Scott Wyatt. Swilley is an Assistant Professor of Music (Composition, Theory, and Technology) at the University of Northern Iowa.
Recurring focal points for Swilley’s work are notions concerning intersections of art, science, mathematics, algorithmic process, and perspective. Illustrating this, recent commissions include: Pulse Geometry for percussion duo (Arx Duo), based on several geometric shapes and their use in various works of visual art; Cicadoidea Perspective for clarinet and electroacoustic music (clarinetist Yi-Wen Chen), based on the life cycle/events of cicadas; Paranoiac-Critical Variations for orchestra (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Symphony Orchestra), concerned with the musical interpretation of Dali’s paranoiac-critical method as well as six of Dali’s paranoiac-critical works; Increment for clarinet and percussion (Devil May Care Duo), structured using several iterations of a mathematical scheme; and Alchemy of Angels for chamber orchestra (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign New Music Ensemble), based on the gestural shapes present in Dali’s work The Angel of Alchemy (1974). Swilley’s recordings include: In Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the University of Illinois Experimental Music Studios (1958-2008) (Absolute Zero), Measures of Change (Pathfinder), and Violet (Aurai.) His scholarly interests include electroacoustic music analysis, computer-assisted algorithmic composition, composing with MIR feedback, laptop performance, as well as educational technology.
Swilley is a member of BMI, College Music Society, Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States, and Society of Composers Inc.
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Daniel Swilley (b. 1980) is a German-American composer of acoustic and electroacoustic music. His music and research have been presented at festivals and conferences such as June in Buffalo, SEAMUS, Toronto Electroacoustic Symposium, Understanding Visual Music Symposium, NoiseFloor, New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival, Electronic Music Midwest, Studio 300, Audiograft, Electroacoustic Juke Joint, College Music Society, as well as Society of Composer’s Inc. Swilley holds degrees in composition from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (DMA), Georgia State University (MM), and Valdosta State University (BM). His primary composition teachers have included Heinrich Taube, Sever Tipei, Robert Scott Thompson, and Scott Wyatt. Swilley is an Assistant Professor of Music (Composition, Theory, and Technology) at the University of Northern Iowa.