Nicholas Vasallo

Nicholas Vasallo
Born (1979-10-28) October 28, 1979
Origin Oakland, California, USA
Genres 21st-century Classical Music, Experimental, Deathcore, extreme metal
Occupation(s) Composer, professor, sound designer, bassist, vocalist
Instruments Vocals, guitar, bass guitar
Years active 1998 – present
Associated acts Oblivion, Antagony
Website Official website

Nicholas Vasallo (born October 28, 1979 in Oakland, California) is an American composer. In 1997, Vasallo graduated from Monte Vista High School in Danville, California, where he began his musical career as an electric guitarist and vocalist in a hardcore band called Y.F.H. (which later became Antagony). He has been credited as being the father of a genre of extreme metal called deathcore.[1][2] Vasallo has since evolved from a rock musician into an award-winning composer and professor of music. He is best known for his compositions combining heavy metal sounds and aesthetics with experimental classical techniques. He has released three albums containing his compositions with different independent labels. His music is published by Santa Barbara Music Publishers and released by Innova Recordings. Vasallo is of Filipino and Taiwanese descent.[3]

Biography

Vasallo graduated from Diablo Valley College with an A.A. in Music Industry Studies in 2003, and California State University, East Bay with a B.A. in Music Composition in 2007. As a Chancellor's Fellow at University of California, Santa Cruz, Vasallo completed his M.A. in 2009 and subsequently went on to finish his D.M.A. in 2011 as a President's Fellow. His teachers included David Evan Jones, Paul Nauert, David Cope, Hi-Kyung Kim, Frank La Rocca, Jeffrey Miller, Rafael Hernandez, Ken Ueno, and Francois Rose.

He was an Assistant Professor at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona;[4] Lecturer at California State University, East Bay,[5] Gavilan College, University of California, Santa Cruz, and Los Medanos College. Dr. Vasallo is the Director of Music Industry Studies at Diablo Valley College.[6]

Career

As a composer, Vasallo's work has encompassed a variety of genres and projects. Most notably with his extreme metal band Oblivion, deathgrind band Antagony,[7] film music career,[8] and concert music works.[9] Polystylism or Eclecticism has been linked to his compositions[10] which range from electronic, electroacoustic, orchestral, chamber music, solo, choral, and various instrumentations utilizing the overdriven sound of electric guitar.[11] His compositional approach involves mixing disparate elements from Extreme Metal to Taiko, Experimental, Spectral Music, Electronic Music, Algorithmic Music, and various 21st-century compositional techniques. Vasallo is a recipient of the 2010/2011 President's $21k Dissertation-Year Fellowship, the first Arts student to ever receive the honor.[12]

His music has been performed internationally by groups such as Contemporary Music Ensemble Korea,[13] Del Sol String Quartet, San Francisco Choral Artists, Atlanta Schola Cantorum,[14] and Watsonville Taiko.[15] Vasallo models his musical structures on extra-musical phenomenon, including pre-constructed narrative events either created on his own or appropriated. He describes musical ideas and instruments as "complex and surprising characters that exist in reality or imagination."[16] Vasallo's ongoing goal is to hybridize extreme metal with modern classical music. He often designs sound worlds using acoustic instruments with electronic/digital manipulations.[17]

As a performer, Vasallo is active as an bassist and extreme metal vocalist. He is currently the lead vocalist and songwriter for the extreme metal band Oblivion.[18]

Awards

Discography

Studio albums
Year Album details
2007 The Burning
  • Released: 2007
  • Label: Ars Nova Classics (ARSNOVA 0105)[32]
2011 let the machines do it for us
  • Released: 2011
  • Label: Kunaki(PX00ISYXUX)[33]
2012 Monuments Emerge
  • Released: 2012
  • Label: Innova Recordings(innova 821)[34]

References

  1. ↑ No Clean Singing - ANTAGONY – Why you need to know this band…
  2. ↑ Metal Archives Nick Vasallo - Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives
  3. ↑ "Filipino, Taiwanese" Hapa Voice: A Celebration of Multiracial Identity
  4. ↑ "Meet the Maistro: Nick Vasallo"
  5. ↑ CSU East Bay faculty page
  6. ↑ "New Music Industries Director brings wealth of musical experience "
  7. ↑ "Antagony (USA)" Metal Archives
  8. ↑ Nick Vasallo Internet Movie Database
  9. ↑ "Music alum, lecturer 'guest composer' at Feb. 24 Symphony concert" by Diane Daniels, Inside CSUEB News Blog
  10. ↑ "Nick Vasallo: The Burning" by Steve Hicken Sequenza 21
  11. ↑ "The Vertigo Series Part I (LIVE @ CSUEB)"
  12. ↑ "Music student gets $21,000 fellowship" by Bonnie Horgos - Santa Cruz Sentinel (May 28, 2010)
  13. ↑ "Biography: Contemporary Music Ensemble Korea" Pacific Rim Festival
  14. ↑ "California composer Nick Vasallo will center the program." CLASSICAL: Atlanta Schola Cantorum, Piccolo Spoleto
  15. ↑ "Nicholas Vasallo’s 'Antares Rising'" University of California, Santa Cruz News and Events
  16. ↑ YouTube - REDSHIFT - When the War Began (2013). Composed by Nick Vasallo
  17. ↑ nickvasallo.com - ABOUT | NICK VASALLO
  18. ↑ Oblivion Info
  19. ↑ "The American Prize COMPOSER WINNERS: chamber music, 2015"
  20. ↑ "Inverted Space: Washington Composers Forum concert"
  21. ↑ "The 36th Annual TELLY Awards | Winners"
  22. ↑ "C.V. | NICK VASALLO"
  23. ↑ "Nick Vasallo, CSUEB alumnus/teacher, earns 'Music Educator of Year' recognition"
  24. ↑ "Results of the 1st H.M. Gorecki International Composers Competition - Cracow 2012" "H.M. Gorecki International Composers Competition
  25. ↑ "45th Annual Contemporary Music Festival" Indiana State University 45th Annual Contemporary Music Festival
  26. ↑ "2011 Composers Competition Results" Macro Music Composers Competition Winners
  27. ↑ "2010 ACP Idol results"
  28. ↑ "$21,000 President's Dissertation Year Fellowship" by Public Information Office, University of California, Santa Cruz News, June 28, 2010
  29. ↑ "Past Winners" San Francisco Choral Artists New Voices Competition
  30. ↑ "42) Evanescent Revolutions II Nick Vasallo" Vox Novus 60x60 Project
  31. ↑ "CSUEB Choral Composition Competition Winner Nick Vasallo" by Buddy James, California State University, East Bay, Sounds of the Music Department
  32. ↑ "Nick Vasallo: The Burning" Ars Nova Classics
  33. ↑ "Nicholas Vasallo: let the machines do it for us" Kunaki
  34. ↑ "Nick Vasallo: Monuments Emerge" Innova Recordings

External links

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