Duane Pitre is an American avant-garde composer and performer. His work often focuses on the tensions between electronic sound and acoustic instrumentation, chaos and discipline, as well as site-specificity and performativity. The composer primarily works with long-tones and utilizes alternate tuning schemes that focus on microtonality, enabling him to explore unaccustomed harmonic intervallic relationships. He has scored works for large string/wind ensembles, string quintet, his own Bowed Harmonic-Guitar Ensemble, and solo performers, among other instrumental configurations..
Pitre has presented his works in NYC at such spaces as Roulette, The Stone, MoMA's P.S.1, Phillips de Pury & Co., St. Marks Church, The Knitting Factory, and ISSUE Project Room (where he was the Spring 2009 Artist in Residence). He has also performed in other cities across the U.S., as well as in Europe. He has shared bills with artists such as Marc Ribot, Tony Conrad, Audrey Chen, Sean Meehan, and James Blackshaw.
Pitre has releases on labels such as Important Records, Trome Records, NNA, and Quiet Design. And in 2010 Pitre will have multiple releases of his work on Root Strata. He's appeared on compilations with artists such as Keith Rowe, Sir Richard Bishop, Tetuzi Akiyama, and Jandek; and he has appeared on soundtracks with Dinosaur Jr., J Mascis, and Animal Collective. He recently curated and contributed a track to a Just Intonation compilation (released on Important Records), alongside Pauline Oliveros, Ellen Fullman, Michael Harrison, Greg Davis, Charles Curtis, and others.
Download CV (240kb PDF)
U.S.
Craig Colorusso, James Ilgenfritz, Brooke Gillespie, Steve Flato, Shannon Fields, Lauren Cecil, Sarah Lipstate, Byron Westbrook, Gene Park, Christopher McIntyre, Isabel Castellvi, Chris Welcome, Amy Cimini, Julianne Carney, Jeffrey Young, Greg Davis, Emily Hilliard, Jesse Peterson, Justin Wood, Emily Dufour, Chris Otto, Alexander Waterman, Lathan Hardy, Kevin Thaxton, Morgan Packard, Casey Block, Frantz Loriot, Toby Aronson, Sara-Paule Koeller, Sequioa, James Jacobs, Tianna Kennedy, Tom Soloveitzik, Evan Rapport, Matty McDermott, Peter Hess, Daphne Carr, Emilie Friedlander, Hannah Kammerer, Michael Fuerstein, Josh Rutner, Veronica Stocker, Zachary Cooper, Annakalmia Traver, Lauren Servin, Christopher Diasparra, Jon DeRosa, Harry Rosenblum, Loren Dempster, Jessica Pavone, Eric Elterman.
France
Thierry Madiot, Silvia Tarozzi, Emilie Friedlander, Cyprien Busolini, Youen Cadiou, Jean Bordé, Deborah Walker, Fabrice Villard, Anaïs Moreau, Marie Tahon, Iván Solano, Pedro Bittencourt.
England
Oliver Barrett, Richard Thomas, Michelle So, James Blackshaw, Edward Brenton, Alys Hewer, Abraham Faure Mennen, Sophie Cooper, Emily Moore, Blue Monsoon, Kathy Hinde, Liam Kirby, Nina Wyllie, Steve Brett, Lea Piontek, Iain Morrison, George McKenzie, Joseph Grounds, Matthew Austin.
Play guitar in The Camera Obscura (of San Diego).
Skateboard professionally for Alien Workshop.