“The Electro Acoustic Band marries traditional acoustic instruments with freshly invented electronic ones in a steely, brightly hued jangle.” Newsday.com, 11/17/04

“A powerful vehicle for new music with a decade-long track record of premiering works by celebrated composers such as John Adams, Anthony Davis, Terry Riley, Eve Beglarian, Alvin Curran, David Lang, Ayuo Takahashi and Lois Vierk, among others.” The Contra Costa Times, 11/12/04

The Electro-Acoustic Band was formed in 1993 to address the performing needs of today’s chamber music composers. Consisting of six musicians and two sound engineers, the Electro-Acoustic Band has two defining goals. It seeks to integrate traditional acoustic instruments with the rapidly evolving resources of contemporary music technology, and simultaneously strives to present for diverse audiences an unfamiliar repertory of contemporary chamber music that crosses traditional aesthetic boundaries and styles.

Often collaborating with noted soloists like pianist-composer Terry Riley, contemporary cellist Joan Jeanrenaud, violinist David Abel or pianist Lisa Moore , the Electro-Acoustic Band has a special flair for the visual and theatrical dimensions of contemporary performance. Its repertory is almost entirely commissioned. Since 1993 it has commissioned or premiered works by John Adams, John Luther Adams, Mark Applebaum, Eve Beglarian, Martin Bresnick, Jay Cloidt, Cindy Cox, Alvin Curran, Paul Dresher, Bun Ching Lam, David Lang, Carl Stone, Ayuo Takahashi, Randall Woolf, Anthony Davis, Terry Riley, Lois Vierk, Randy Woolf and Koji Ueno. Upcoming seasons will feature premieres from Roger Reynolds, Mark Grey, Mark Applebaum, Dan Becker, and Richard Einhorn.

Critical Comments for Paul Dresher and the Electro-Acoustic Band

"Paul Dresher is a remarkable musician and thinker... he is out there serving as both a lightning rod and seismograph for his colleagues ... Dresher’s own Concerto for Violin and Electro-Acoustic Band.... is a serious and ambitious contribution to the concerto repertory..."
  —Tim Page, The Washington Post

"... industrial strength music-making.... exciting stuff.... mines Dresher’s gift for lengthy unwinding melodies of unabashed sensuality."
  —Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Examiner

"...The ensemble’s performance, as ever, was a marvel of rhythmic and harmonic precision...."
  —Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle

"...A stunning acoustical spectrum of sounds"
  —Kathleen Husler, American Theater Magazine

"... tantalizing, strikingly original and immensely satisfying ... taken together, the pieces gave an exciting glimpse into the lively state of new American music."
  —Octavio Roca, San Francisco Chronicle