The music of Boston-based composer Richard Cornell deftly explores the nature of art and collaboration, highlighting the latent opportunities for artistic license and interpretation within music. His cross-disciplinary efforts combining visual elements with his works have led to installations, art works in virtual reality, and audio/video projects, one of which is included on his latest album TRACER on Ravello Records.

Cornell’s innovation and ingenuity have led to myriad commissions, and his works for chamber ensemble, orchestra, computer, and soloist have been widely performed domestically and abroad. His collaborative projects have been the focus of international and regional attention, including features in the New York Times and WGBH.

A Boston native, Cornell was trained at the Longy School of Music, the New England Conservatory, and the Eastman School (Ph.D.). Now a longtime member of the Boston University faculty, he has also served on the faculties of the Berkshire Music Center, MIT, and the Longy School.

Albums

Vanguards 2

Release Date: January 13, 2015
Catalog Number: RR7902
20th Century
21st Century
Chamber
Percussion
Piano
Voice
Ravello Records announces the second installment of its compilation series, VANGUARDS 2, presenting a deep cross-section of the label's contemporary and eclectic catalog. The album features performances by the London Symphony Orchestra, pianist Gregory Hall, the McCormick Percussion Group, mezzo-soprano Elaine Huckle, the Kiev Philharmonic Orchestra, Boston Musica Viva, guitarist Alex Lubet, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, and many more in works by contemporary composers including Mary Ann Joyce-Walter, Herbert Deutsch, Walter Ross, Rachel Lee Guthrie, Mark Vigil, Kim Halliday, Andrew May, Mel Mobley, Marga Richter, and others.

Tracer

Release Date: February 26, 2013
Catalog Number: RR7869
21st Century
Chamber
Clarinet
Percussion
String Orchestra
TRACER, a collection of recent chamber works by composer Richard Cornell, explores the nature of art and the collaboration that occurs naturally among artists and the interaction between creator and influence. Comprised of live recordings, this album highlights the performers' instincts to respond to one another, interpreting the music as individuals and as a group, and exploring the intricacies of the works as they are played. This release includes a visual version of Tracer, the centerpiece of the album, which serves as a computer-rendered survey of art and culture that guides and morphs the music to match the viewer's progress through time and space; as the viewer travels among an imagined world, the music responds to the imagery.