Transparent yet complex, both radical and traditional, Cindy Cox’s compositions synthesize old and new musical designs through linked strands of association, timbral fluctuation, and cyclic temporal processes. Many of the special harmonies and textural colorations are inspired by the natural world, ecological processes, and the concept of emergence, as in her piano trio La mar amarga, the octet Cañon, and the string quartet Patagón. Her pieces also frequently make use of technology in collaboration with UC Berkeley’s Center for New Music and Audio Technologies, such as Pianos, written for keyboard sampler/piano, large ensemble and live electronics recently premiered by Gloria Cheng and the Eco Ensemble.
Cox is also very active as a pianist; she has performed and recorded her Sylvan pieces, Hierosgamos, Seven Studies in Harmony and Resonance, and The Blackbird whistling/Or just after. The newer texted works, such as Singing the lines, The Other Side of the World, and Hysteria evolved through collaboration with her husband, poet John Campion.
She has received numerous awards and commissions. She has been a Fellow at the Tanglewood and Aspen Festivals, MacDowell, and the Civitella Ranieri and William Walton Foundations in Italy. In Fall 2017, she was appointed to a Fulbright Senior Professorship in American Culture in The Netherlands, hosted by the Amsterdam Conservatory and the Utrecht School for the Arts.
Recent performances have taken place worldwide. Her music has been performed by notable ensembles. Notable interpreters include David Milnes, Gloria Cheng, Lucy Shelton, Oni Buchanan, Ann Yi, Laura Carmichael, and Jenny Q. Chai. Cindy Cox is presently a professor and chair of the Music Department at the University of California at Berkeley.
