Sam Pluta is composer and sound artist, specializing in the use of the laptop as a performance instrument. Pluta combines electronic soundscapes with acoustic instruments in compositions ranging from solo instrumental works, to pieces for ensemble with electronics, to compositions for large ensemble and orchestra. He has written works for numerous ensembles including Yarn/Wire, Timetable Percussion, and International Contemporary Ensemble. He is a member of multiple improvisation-based ensembles, including a longstanding collaborative history with both Wet Ink Ensemble and Peter Evans. He has toured Europe and the U.S. with these various groups and performed at major festivals and venues, such as the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland, the Moers and Donaueshingen Festivals in Germany, Bimhuis in Amsterdam, and The Vortex in London. Recent events include a Wet Ink tour in Germany, a Peter Evans Quintet Tour of Europe, and an upcoming summer 2015 Newport Jazz Festival Performance. In addition to his ongoing performance schedule, Pluta teaches a wide range of music-related courses at Bennington College and Columbia University, as well as a number of specialty courses at the Walden School, where he serves as the director of electronic music and academic dean.
Sam Pluta
Studios
Watson
Sam Pluta worked in the Watson studio.
Built in 1916 in memory of Regina Watson of Chicago, a musician and teacher, this studio was donated by a group of her friends, along with funds for its maintenance. Originally designed to serve as a composers’ studio with room for performance, Watson was used as a recital hall for chamber music for a…