New York, NY
Born 1957, St. Louis, Missouri
The social/cultural context of my work can best be viewed through the 1996 opera Dennis Cleveland which I composed and directed. In this work, I attempt to explore the deeper underlying aspects of a society glued to the tube. After a lot of research I was led to the conclusion that the talk show ritual was simply a replacement of ceremony previously associated with religion. The themes of religion and social order are also prevalent in the operas Failing Kansas, inspired by Truman Capoteâ?™s In Cold Blood, and The End Of Cinematics, which questions corporate-driven entertainment. All of these works share a common thread; that of repetitive ritual and its reasoning in our society. The need for the ritual, in my view, connects everyone in a profound way. Far from dismissing the talk shows, I found myself excited by the notion of creating meaningful dialog from popular sources. It is the idea of working in a current cultural environment and finding creative ways to question that environment that drives my work. I also believe that this approach insures a kind of social relevance that is fueled by a commitment to society, regardless of where the society is headed.
1979 Schillinger System of Music Composition, New York
1978 B.F.A. in Music and Filmmaking, Kansas City Art Institute Conservatory of Music, University of Missouri, Kansas City
Composer and Director (www.mikelrouse.com)
2000 Funding, digital film and chamber orchestra work; premiered at The Screening Room, New York, 2002; recorded on Orchard, CD & DVD.
2000 cameraworld, digital media project incorporating surround sound, feature-length film and video for home entertainment systems; recorded on Exitmusic, CD
1999 return, collection of songs based on samples from Book One, nine string quartets; premiered on NPRâ?™s "New Sounds," 1986; recorded on Exitmusic, CD
1997 The End of Cinematics, opera commissioned by Brooklyn Academy of Music to premiere at Eclectic Orange Festival, Costa Mesa, California, 2003.
1996 Dennis Cleveland, opera staged as television talk show; premiered at The Kitchen, New York; filmed as documentary by Australian Broadcasting Company and aired nationally, 2001; performed in Lincoln Center's New Visions series, New York, 2002; recorded on New World, CD.
1995 Failing Kansas, opera based on Truman Capote's In Cold Blood; premiered at The Kitchen, New York; recorded on New Tone, CD.
1994 Living Inside Design, collection of extended spoken songs; premiered at Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Rome; recorded on New Tone, CD.
1993 Soul Menu, premiered by Mikel Rouse Broken Consort, The Kitchen, New York; recorded on New Tone, CD.
1984 Quorum for electronic drum sequencer; premiered as music score for Vespers, choreographed by Ulysses Dove, and performed by Alvin Ailey Dance Theater, New York, 1997; film of work aired on PBS's Great Performances Dance in America series; recorded on Club Soda Music, CD.
2001 Meet the Composer New Residencies Grant in Ruston, Louisiana
1997 Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust commissioning grant
1995 Meet the Composer/Reader's Digest commission
1991 New York State Council on the Arts grant
