Kala Pierson is an American composer and media artist based in New York where she studied at Eastman School of Music. A co-founder of the new music group Alarm Will Sound, she is a self trained multi-instrumentalist in Persian traditional music.
Having taught at Fordham University in New York, Pierson now co-directs Summer in Sombor, an innovative composition seminar held each year in northern Serbia as well as pursuing international collaborative projects.
For Pierson, the aerodynamic simplicity of the silver mace reflects the changing usage and meaning of this ceremonial object. Initially a weapon of brute force it evolved into a symbol of royal and civic power. This idea of streamlining, and forward motion is evoked using recordings of metal strings from various instruments which are then processed and layered ending in sustained, streamlined tones.
