An American composer based in New York, Annie Gosfield mines the boundaries between improvisational music, electronics, and acoustic sound. She has collaborated with Laurie Anderson, Derek Bailey, Fred Frith, and Ikue Mori, among others, and released four records on John Zorn’s Tzadilk label. According to the New York Times, “her high-energy, imaginative scores blend acoustic and electronic elements and have a propulsive, aggressive drive tempered by haunting, poetic and lyrical interludes.”

The Academy’s Paul Fromm Composer in Residence, Gosfield participated in a roundtable discussion and performed at AAR’s American Electronics in Rome event, which featured two concert sessions with multiple live musicians and DJ sets. Held at the Villa Aurelia in November, the event celebrated the legacy of avant-garde music at the Academy and marked the fiftieth anniversary of performances on the Syn-Ket, one of the first portable electronic music synthesizers, at the Academy’s music studio. Gosfield’s special guest for her performance was the noted British avant-rock percussionist Chris Cutler.