Biography:
Born in Genova, Italy, and raised outside of Syracuse, NY, Sean Penzo is a composer, cellist, and writer known for a wide range of collaborations and compositions. He has held board positions in Ethos New Music Society and The Improv. Collective, among others, and is a co-founder of the Michigan-based non-profit, East Zodiac. Penzo has composed for ensembles which have performed and recorded his music internationally including Sonic Apricity, Akropolis Reed Quintet, and Quartetto Zuena. His most recent writing work has involved writing the libretto for Mateo Wojtczack’s, “Hero’s Awakening”, and the blog, Musician Coop. During his undergrad at SUNY Fredonia, he studied composition with Paul Coleman, Andrew Martin Smith, Rob Deemer, and Jamie Leigh Sampson, and cello with Natasha Farny. After Fredonia, he studied with Keith Fitch and Bryan Dumm in Cleveland, and graduated with a master's in music composition.
Penzo values performance just as much as composition. He enjoys working with live bands and playing the role of a studio musician--often recording remotely for clients of all genres. His recent endeavors have involved working with Shane Patterson, Todd Hobin, Isa Bruder, and The Junk Experiment. Currently based around Syracuse, NY, he regularly performs, records, and premieres works written by other composers.
Born in Genova, Italy, and raised outside of Syracuse, NY, Sean Penzo is a composer, cellist, and writer known for a wide range of collaborations and compositions. He has held board positions in Ethos New Music Society and The Improv. Collective, among others, and is a co-founder of the Michigan-based non-profit, East Zodiac. Penzo has composed for ensembles which have performed and recorded his music internationally including Sonic Apricity, Akropolis Reed Quintet, and Quartetto Zuena. His most recent writing work has involved writing the libretto for Mateo Wojtczack’s, “Hero’s Awakening”, and the blog, Musician Coop. During his undergrad at SUNY Fredonia, he studied composition with Paul Coleman, Andrew Martin Smith, Rob Deemer, and Jamie Leigh Sampson, and cello with Natasha Farny. After Fredonia, he studied with Keith Fitch and Bryan Dumm in Cleveland, and graduated with a master's in music composition.
Penzo values performance just as much as composition. He enjoys working with live bands and playing the role of a studio musician--often recording remotely for clients of all genres. His recent endeavors have involved working with Shane Patterson, Todd Hobin, Isa Bruder, and The Junk Experiment. Currently based around Syracuse, NY, he regularly performs, records, and premieres works written by other composers.
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Artists Statement:
Fundamentally, I’m inspired by people as a composer. Stories of the past, of the present, and dreams of the future inform the subjects of my writing. I like to explore personification in music, creating unique characters out of sound, whether that be for comedic, quirky, tense, somber, or really any emotive purpose. The different stories and interpretations that an audience walks away from after hearing music is so motivating to me. I love how music can serve as a unifier while also presenting an opportunity to demonstrate and share our differences. It can provoke new ideas and changes in perspective for both those who listen to it, and also for those who create it. In a time where differences are often seen as threatening, music offers a salve to what ails us.
In my work as a performer (cellist), I collaborate with artists of various genres - from folk-inspired singer songwriters to pop, jazz, and hip-hop. I find myself combining the performance aspects of my work with the compositional, often writing/arranging/improvising parts for myself and others to play. It’s by working in all these different genres that I’ve come to understand how many different ways a person can approach music. There are so many ways to do what we do and none of them are “correct”. From classical notation, to tabs, to charts, to entirely by ear, the gigs of translating and discussing these different approaches have been some of my favorite (and most inspiring) experiences.
Fundamentally, I’m inspired by people as a composer. Stories of the past, of the present, and dreams of the future inform the subjects of my writing. I like to explore personification in music, creating unique characters out of sound, whether that be for comedic, quirky, tense, somber, or really any emotive purpose. The different stories and interpretations that an audience walks away from after hearing music is so motivating to me. I love how music can serve as a unifier while also presenting an opportunity to demonstrate and share our differences. It can provoke new ideas and changes in perspective for both those who listen to it, and also for those who create it. In a time where differences are often seen as threatening, music offers a salve to what ails us.
In my work as a performer (cellist), I collaborate with artists of various genres - from folk-inspired singer songwriters to pop, jazz, and hip-hop. I find myself combining the performance aspects of my work with the compositional, often writing/arranging/improvising parts for myself and others to play. It’s by working in all these different genres that I’ve come to understand how many different ways a person can approach music. There are so many ways to do what we do and none of them are “correct”. From classical notation, to tabs, to charts, to entirely by ear, the gigs of translating and discussing these different approaches have been some of my favorite (and most inspiring) experiences.