Krys Bobrowski
419 North St.
Oakland, CA 94609
(510) 638-4676
krysbobrowski@gmail.com
www.vorticella .com
Performances
2024, The Lab, SF, Simple Actions: The Music of Larry Polansky, French horn
2024 Live Oak Park, Berkeley, Ambient Bird by Wendy Reid, member of the Bird Ensemble
2024, SF MOMA, group show of invented instruments, Gliss Glass and Kelp Horns
2024, Rhythmix Cultural Works, Alameda, CA, Rising Seas, Bart Hopkin Trio, Gliss Glass and Kelp Horns
2024, The LAB, SF, CA, Improvisation Duos, Phillip Greenlief and Scott Amendola + Karen Stackpole and Krys Bobrowski, Gliss Glass and Kelp Horns
2024, UMA Gallery, Oakland, CA, Gliss Glass Gong, duo with Karen Stackpole
2023, Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland, CA, Gliss Glass Gong, duo with Karen Stackpole
2023, UMA Gallery, Oakland, CA, Gliss Glass Gong, duo with Karen Stackpole
2022, Mosswood Sound Series, Oakland, CA, A Synesthete's Atlas, Eric Theise graphics, and Krys Bobrowski, Gliss Glass and Sliding Speaker Instrument
2022, OutSound New Music Summit, Berkeley, Gliss Glass Gong, duo with Karen Stackpole
2021, Sonic Meditation VIII by Pauline Oliveros, video performance, College of San Mateo, CA
2020, Network Music Festival, Birds Without Borders by Wendy Reid, Gliss Glass performer with the Bird Ensemble, international virtual event
2020, Porch Concert, Gliss Glass Solo, Oakland, CA
2020, Bird Haiku by Wendy Reid, Gliss Glass performer, Holy Names University, Oakland, CA
2019, Ambient Bird by Wendy Reid, Gliss Glass performer, Frank H. Ogawa Plaza, Oakland, CA
2017, Mills Music Now: The Center for Contemporary Music 51st Anniversary Concert, premiere of Nereocystis III for vocal quartet, kelp horns and electronics
2017, NYC, one twenty-one, for multiple bassoons, French horn, viola, and percussion, premier with the Flexible Orchestra
2012, UC Santa Cruz, College of San Mateo, Mills College, and Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland, CA, multiple performances of FreeHorn by Larry Polansky, French Horn performer
2011, OutSound New Music Summit, San Francisco, CA, Lift, Loft, Lull, premiere
2010, The Luggage Store Gallery Experimental Music Series, San Francisco, CA, Gliss Glass and Sliding Speaker Instrument, with Gino Robair, percussion
2009, Mills Music Now Concert Series, Mills College, Oakland, CA. Sliding Speaker Instrument Plus Strings, Metal and Leaves and Gliss Glass Solo. Darren Gibbs, Gino Robair, and Theresa Wong, performers
2008, College of San Mateo, San Mateo, CA, Kelptronics, premiere
Roger Marcelo, performer, collaborator
2008, Maker Faire, San Mateo, CA, Kelp Improvisation
2006, Edgetone Music Summit, Oakland, CA, Nereocystis, premiere
2006, Music for People and Thingamajigs, Oakland, CA, Gliss Glass and Violin, Harmonic Slide Duo. Wendy Reid, violinist, Ellen Fullman and Brenda Hutchinson, performers
2005, Bay Inventors, 21 Grand, Oakland, CA, Gliss Glass and Sliding Speaker Instruments
Guillermo Galindo and Luciano Chessa, performers
2004, San Francisco Electronic Music Festival, SF, CA, Gliss Glass Solo, Harmonic Slide, premiere.
Joel Davel, Mark Fisher and Pamela Winfrey, performers
2003, Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, Lincoln Center, New York City, NY, Gliss Glass
2003, Musica a Metronom, Barcelona, and Teatro CAM, Alicante, Spain, Oceans in a Box
2002, Garden of Memory, Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland, CA, Gliss Glass and Violin, premiere. Wendy Reid, violinist
2001, Second Wednesdays, Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA, Rock On
2000, Humor y Aliento, Ex Teresa Arte Actual, Sound Art Festival, Mexico DF, Oceans in a Box
2000, Second Wednesdays, Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA, Belfry
1999, Sounds Like Art, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, San Francisco, CA, Gliss Glass
1999, United Berlin Ensemble, Berlin, Germany, Grass Roots, premiere
1998, New Music for Gamelan Concert, Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, Germany,
Playing Rain, Yellow Flower Burial. Jody Diamond, Dan Wolf, composers and performers
1998, Eclat Festival, Stuttgart, Germany, Free Ways, In Between, premiere. Sven Kiebler, pianist
1998, Summer Course for New Music, International Music Institute, Darmstadt, Germany,
Oceans in a Box, premiere. Vocal ensemble Bel Canto
1997, Yogyakarta Gamelan Festival, Java, Indonesia, Yellow Flower Burial
1997, Klang Raum, Stuttgart, Germany, Leaf Speakers, Sound Installation
1997, Electricity Is Your Friend, Group Show, Southern Exposure, San Francisco, CA,
String Quartet –Music Box
1997, Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, Lincoln Center, New York City, NY, On Paper
1997, Garden of Memory Concert, Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland, CA, Playing Rain (installation)
1996, Sound Culture Festival, Marin, CA, Drumming with Feathers
1995, Next Time Festival, Marin, CA, 0002-2000 RPMs, commission, premiere
1995, Headlands Center for the Arts, Marin, CA, Leaf Litter and Leaf Speakers
1994, Bates Festival of New American Music, Bates College, ME, Playing Rain, premiere
1993, The Alternative Museum, New York City, NY, Yellow Flower Burial, Barbara Benary, musician, Rock Her, premiere.
1993, The Downtown Music Ensemble, Weiler Hall, New York City, NY, Drop, Roll and Rock
1993, Headlands Center for the Arts, Marin, CA, Rock On, premiere
1992, Univ. of the Redlands, Redlands, CA, Yellow Flower Burial, premiere, Gino Robair, musician
Music for Dance
2005-1998, Merce Cunningham Dance Company, music by Christian Wolff and John Cage, free improvisations, performed on French horn and electronics with musicians Takehisa Kosugi, Toyoji Tomita, and Christian Wolff
2005, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA
2003, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
2003, Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley, CA
2002, Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley, CA
1998, Palais Garnier, Paris, France
Rune, and Garnier Event no. 602, no. 605, and no. 606
Jan 6th, 9th and 10th
2002, Imagining a Map of the World, dancer and choreographer Evangel King, created live electroacoustic music score, Eighth Street Studio, Berkeley, CA.
Compositions
2017, one twenty-one, for multiple bassoons, French horn, viola, and percussion, commissioned by Dan Goode and the Flexible Orchestra
2016, Nereocystis III: Starlit Circumstances and Bioluminescence, for chamber choir, kelp horn and electronics, commissioned by the San Francisco Bay Area Chamber Choir (SFBACC)
2011, Lift, Loft and Lull, a series of short pieces exploring the sonic properties of metal pipes and plates and the use of balloons as resonators.
2009, Sliding Speaker Instrument Plus Strings, Metal and Leaves, for two original sliding speaker instruments, cello, percussion and small motorized sound sculptures.
2008, Kelptronics, for solo kelp horn and electronics.
2006, Nereocystis, for three kelp horn quartets.
2004, Harmonic Slide, for four sliding speaker instruments and digital multi-track recording.
2002, Gliss Glass and Violin, for two performers, four Gliss Glass instruments and violin.
1999, Grass Roots, structured improvisation for large ensemble, open instrumentation.
1998, Oceans in a Box, for six women vocalists and Gliss Glass instruments.
1998, In Between, for solo piano and live electronics.
1998, Free Ways, site-specific work for seven performers, seven amplified pianos and electronics.
1995, 0002-2000 RPM, for motors and performers playing traditional and homemade instruments.
1994, Playing Rain, for gamelan and electronics.
1993, Rock Her, for four rocking chair instruments, found objects and electronics.
1992, Yellow Flower Burial, for prepared gamelan.
1991, Sisyphus in Suspense, for sculptors, found objects and computer-controlled, motorized spools.
1991, Brass Kissing, for any odd number of brass instruments.
1991, Weave, Unravel, for piano harp and electronics.
1991, Breathe, Blow and Buzz, day-long event for bull kelp horns and any number of performers.
1990, Drop, Rock and Roll, for two performers, two pianos and rocks.
Sound Installations and Invented Instruments
2021, Aeolian Day: Celebrate the Sound of the Wind, group show, Gallery Window, Center for New Music, SF, CA
2019, Spirit of Invention III, group show of invented instruments, Gliss Glass and Kelp Horns, Richmond, CA
2016, Sliding Sonorities, solo show, The Window Gallery, Center for New Music, SF, CA
2014, Aeolian Day, Soundgarden, installation and public program for the Oakland schools, collaboration with Brenda Hutchinson, Oakland, CA
2009, Handcrafted Technologies – Balloon Resonances, installation, performance and open studio event, Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA.
2006, Listen: Making Sense of Sound, collaborated with a team of exhibit developers, physicists, artists and museum researchers to develop a large-scale listening exhibition for the Exploratorium.
2004, Sliding Speaker Instrument, original electroacoustic instrument designed for solo or multiple performers, concert works and installations.
2000, Belfry, site-specific installation; large school bell and electronics, collaboration with Mark Fisher and Darren Gibbs.
1998, Gliss Glass, original instrument made of large glass vessels, valves, tubing and water; designed for solo or multiple performers, concert works and installations.
1997, String Quartet - Music Box, interactive sound installation; string instruments, small motors, variacs and loudspeakers.
1997, On Paper, interactive sound installation, electronics and paper instruments.
1997, Playing Rain, interactive sound installation, gamelan, water drips, vases, and electronics.
1996, Drumming with Feathers, interactive sound installation, paper drums, sampler and electronics.
1995, Leaf Speakers, interactive sound installation, tape loops, leaves and electronics.
1995, Leaf Litter, interactive sound installation, leaves used as mallets, triggers and sound sources.
1993, Rock On, interactive sound installation, rocking chairs and electronics.
1991, BIMA, interactive sound installation, gongs, springs, natural materials, found objects, cloth,
wood, computer-controlled motors.
Improvisation
2011, For the Birds, duo with Brenda Hutchinson, horn, kelp horn, electronics. Opening of Joanna Poethig’s mural: Humming With Life, Civic Center Post Office, San Francisco, CA
Vorticella, an electroacoustic improvisation ensemble.
1999-2018: Krystyna Bobrowski, horns; Erin Espeland, cello; Brenda Hutchinson, long tube; Karen Stackpole, percussion. 1997-1998 Eva Baumgartner, percussion; David Kwan, electronics.
2011, Vorticella with guest Christian Wolff, Tom’s Place, Oakland, CA.
2011, OutSound Festival Benefit, Numi Tea House, Oakland, CA.
2010, Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland, CA
2009, Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland, CA
2006, Simms Series, Musician’s Union Hall, San Francisco, CA.
2004, ACME Observatory, The Jazz House, Berkeley, CA.
2003, Meridian Gallery, San Francisco, CA.
2003, Delta Venus, Davis, CA.
2002, Tuva Space, Berkeley, CA.
1998, Barracke Theater, Berlin, Germany.
1998, Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, Germany.
1997, Kommotion, San Francisco, CA.
1997, The Lab, San Francisco, CA.
1997, Hotel Utah, San Francisco, CA.
Garden of Memory, Walk-through Event, Chapel of the Chimes, Oakland, CA.
2011, improvisations with Karen Stackpole and Brenda Hutchinson.
2007, improvisations with Karen Stackpole and Erin Espeland.
2006, improvisations with Karen Stackpole, Gliss Glass and gongs.
2005, improvisations with Darren Gibbs and Guillermo Galindo, Sliding Speakers.
2004, improvisations with Brenda Hutchinson.
1999, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. San Francisco, CA.
Viniculum Symphony, by Beth Custer, experimental instruments and orchestra.
1998, Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, Germany.
AMM, played French horn and electronics with Eddie Prevost, Keith Rowe, John Tilbury and Schloss Solitude ensemble.
1997, WIM (Workshop for Improvised Music), Zurich, Switzerland.
Improvisations with Gino Robair, percussionist, French horn.
1995, San Francisco Jazz Festival, San Francisco, CA.
Cecil Taylor Improvisation Orchestra, played French horn with Cecil Taylor and his ensemble.
1990, Thornhill School, Oakland, CA.
Anthony Braxton Ensemble, played French horn with Anthony Braxton and his ensemble.
Internet and Video Projects
2021, Sonic Meditation VIII by Pauline Oliveros, Video, College of San Mateo, CA
2004, Accidental Scientist: Music, collaborated with a team of web developers, physicists, artists and musicians to design online exhibits for the Exploratorium website, 2005 MUSE Bronze Award.
Recordings
2025, Gliss Glass Gong, Krys Bobrowski and Karen Stackpole, forthcoming
2004, SFEMF 2004, compilation CD
2000, Humor Y Aliento, Ex Teresa Arte Actual, compilation CD
1994, Simple Harmonic Motion, soloist for Horn by Larry Polansky, Artifact Recordings, CD
1992, Yearbook '90-'91, compilation of improvised music, Rastascan records, CD
1992, Lou Harrison: Gamelan Music, gamelan performer, Music Masters Classics, CD
Panels, Public Programs, Curated Events
2024, Audio Engineering Society (AES) San Francisco Panel – Experimental Music Discussion and Performance, Center for new Music, SF, CA
2024, UC Santa Cruz, Colloquium: What is the Sound of Cooperation?
2022-24, College of San Mateo, Careers in Music Technology Lecture Series, host and curator
2022, Window Gallery, Center for New Music, Curator for Orchestra Obscura, group show of invented instruments by young sound artists, SF, CA
2010, Meet the Makers, panel with Macarthur award artist, Walter Kitundu, and Stanford professor, Ge Wang. Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA
2007, On Maker's Culture: A Conversation, panel with art curator Christine Kristen (LadyBee) of Burning Man and editor Dale Dougherty of Make Magazine. Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA
2006, Making Instruments, Making Music, panel with circuit benders, Chachi Jones, Tom Koch and moderator Marc Weidenbaum. Maker Faire, San Mateo, CA
2004, Tuning In, public program on the art and science of instrument building, co-presented with Bart Hopkin and Leroy Williams. Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA
1994, Compose Yourself, lecture series. Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA
Artist Residencies
2009, Playful Inventive Exploration (P.I.E.), Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA
1997-1998, Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, Germany
1993, Headlands Center for the Arts, Marin Headlands, CA
Articles and Reviews
2023, The Bay Area's Most Unique Music Festival Takes Place at Chapel of the Chimes, SF Gate
2022, Making Waves: On the 2022 Outsound New Music Summit by Philip Greenlief, ARTFORUM
2011, Sequenza21, Let’s Ask Krys Bobrowski
2001, Electric Ladyland, Electronic Musician Magazine
1999, Composer’s Notebook: Grass Roots, Leonardo Music Journal (LMJ 9)
1997, Yogyakarta Gamelan Festival, Leonardo Music Journal (LMJ 7)
Arts Organizing
2022, Orchestra Obscura, Curator, Center for New Music, SF, CA
2004-07, San Francisco Electronic Music Festival, steering committee member
2004, The Sonic Series, co-curated and organized five public programs, Exploratorium, SF, CA
1992-present, College of San Mateo Electronic Music Concerts
Teaching, Lectures and Professional Experience
1993-present, Music Department, College of San Mateo San Mateo, CA.
2005-present: Professor, tenured
2001-2005: Assistant Professor
1993-1999: Adjunct Instructor
· Teach courses in electronic music, sound design, audio for visual media, improvisation and fundamentals of music (4-5 courses per semester)
· Developed the electronic music program curriculum to include multimedia courses and multiple track options
· Manage the electronic music lab facilities
· Serve as coordinator (chair) of the music department
2001-04, Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA.
· Designed interactive sound and listening exhibits
· Built prototypes and assessed exhibits on the museum floor
· Developed public programs exploring different modes of listening
· Assisted with facilitating and curating the artist residency program
1999-present, San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI), guest lecturer, Art and Phenomena, Thomas Humphrey instructor, one class per semester, Exploratorium, San Francisco, CA
2003, 2004, California College of Arts, guest lecturer, Sound Art, Oakland, CA
1995, San Francisco State University, guest lecturer, Sound Art, San Francisco, CA
1992, SFAI, guest lecturer, Computer-controlled Motors and Kinetic Art, San Francisco, CA
Professional Association
1992-present, Frog Peak Music Collective, affiliate composer
Education
MFA, Electronic Music and Recording Media, Mills College, Oakland, CA, 1992
Thesis: Interviews, Women in Experimental Music.
Composition studies with Larry Polansky.
BA with Honors, Music and Computer Science, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 1987
Composition studies with Christian Wolff.