PRXLUDES: Michigan-based composer Ty Bloomfield on worldbuilding, notation, programme notes, and creating vivid connections

“How else do you think about time and place in relation to the ‘sound world’?”

“I think when we use these terms “sound world”, you have to give them a much longer period of time to get really wrapped up in it. Like a short story or short film. It’s not like a novel where you get really attached to the characters. Or if you walk by someone on the street and say hi, you only have a surface level kinship with them. To really be with them you need to talk to them, ask about their background, see how their life unfolds — maybe for an hour.

Seven minutes is not really a world, and not enough time to really learn anything about anyone, much less a piece of music. It is hard to feel within an entire world when only being asked to pass by for a quick second. It’s like doing a layover in an airport. If you pass through Las Vegas airport, you are not going to say you went to Vegas. I think the same is true with music. You have to get out of the airport, be able to eat the food, walk around, experience everything — and you are not going to be able to do that in that short amount of time.”

VoyageMichigan: Conversations with Ty Bloomfield

“We’d love to hear about how you think about risk taking?”
Many of my works are quite strange and have involved my own risks. Not all of my music is not for everyone, and that is perfectly acceptable. Without taking risks, an artist is bound to fall into a sea of monotony. To me, being adventurous and taking risks, while initially frightening, is the best way to commit to yourself artistically and discover your inner voice. It can be uncomfortable, for sure. I have dealt with this internal battle for a lot of my career. The need to write something “safer” that more people might enjoy has always been a pressure I have been trying to shake. Sometimes, I have fallen for it and created music that is artistically outside of my voice to seek approval from more listeners. Yet, my strangest and most daring works are the main ones that see success. There is always an audience and it’s important to be brave enough to seek them out, even if others are not fully behind your practice.

Third Coast Review: Ear Taxi Festival Continues with the KAIA String Quartet and Soloists for New Commissions from Chicago Composers

“Ty Bloomfield wrote the music… for Cicadian Rhythms, and yes, it is about cicadas—the weird, bug-eyed, decibel-blasting insects. Bloomfield described his composition as being written with a haiku structure in mind. It was the most avant-garde-sounding composition of the evening in a good way… The snapping cello strings and intermittent sliding drone notes, accompanied by melodic passages, served as a fun onomatopoeic sound.”

San Francisco Classical Voice: One Found Sound Resonates Far and Wide

“As for Saturday’s concert…the program will include FLUX//DRIVE by Ty Bloomfield, winner of OFS’s 2024 Emerging Composer Award. The orchestra describes Bloomfield’s music as ‘characterized by its intimate and patient soundscapes, jazzy undertones, hidden melodies, and emotional complexity.’‍

The Sun Times News: Exhibition Helps Incarcerated Artists Build Connections Across Prison Walls

“‘The concert serves as a way to promote both the artwork by the amazing artists in PCAP as well as the project itself by continuing its goal of empowering and uniting with people impacted in our justice system through our shared love of creativity,’ said Ty Bloomfield, one of the concert’s organizers.

Illinois State University: The Professor Russell B. Bedford Scholarship in Music inspires students’ creativity

“Tyler Bloomfield studies music education and music composition at Illinois State University. Bloomfield’s passion for music is evident through the time he took to study composition strategies and write music before beginning coursework for his major…”