• sethpiece   (mp3 format; 9:52 -- 14.3 Mbytes)

Anna and the gang are planning a going-away party for Seth. It turns out that I will be in New York when it will happen, so I'm very glad I can be there to help with the Seth-sendoff. There is NO WAY I could match the incredible retirement party Seth planned for me, because A) I'm not there any more, and B) Seth is unmatchable.

But I did want to do something to show my deep appreciation for the work Seth did at Columbia. Hey! I'm a composer! I'll write for him a SONG!

Well, not maybe a tin-pan alley tune of dreams, but I did have an idea. The first piece of Seth's that I heard live was titled Darboven Tracings, a commission interpreting the texts of conceptual artist Hanne Darboven. Seth used the structure of the Princeton Art Museum and placed 'performers' at various architectural intersections writing out the texts with pencil and paper. The paper was sonically-enabled (I think) with contact microphones. The result was a subtle, whispery sound that spread throughout the building.

I decided to do an updated version of this piece. I wrote a text describing what Seth has meant to Columbia, the CMC and to me. Instead of pencil on paper, I figured we're now in the digital age and I recorded my laptop keyboard as I entered the text. Then -- of course -- I added processing. The result is a reasonably Cluett-like passage of sound, although it's a shortened version of Seth's usual output. Seth: I hope you like it!

Here is the text I used:

I was really happy when we finally got all the position-approvals and bureaucratic "T"s crossed and "I"s dotted to appoint Seth as the new Director of the Computer Music Center. I had been planning to retire soon, and I was overjoyed when Seth accepted the position. I had worked hard to make the CMC a place of technological and music/artistic exploration, and also to make it a place where people wanted to work. (see this Current Musicology article for a rosey-colored description of what we aimed to do.) Having worked with Seth for several years at the CMC, I knew he was exactly the right person to continue the CMC story.

He took the Directorship and just ran with it, raising money to completely renovate all the CMC spaces and to promote a wide range of projects engaging colleagues from disciplines across the University (and outside!). Student and researcher involvement with the CMC is at an all-time high, and the projects being done are spectacular.

Seth did all this while dealing with massive budget cuts (the last few years at Columbia have been difficult) and pandemics (to be sure, Seth was one of the only faculty members routinely allowed on Columbia's campus during the COVID lockdown; he became the 'go-to' person at the University to help configure and set up hybrid and remote audio-visual systems). He also maintained an intense creative output, with many performances, music/art productions, and scholarly articles to his credit. He is simply extraordinary.

I could write on and on about Seth, his marvelous and supportive 'can-do' spirit, his, well... like I said I could go on and on. Through the years I've known Seth, I've written a fair amount about him and his activities. I think maybe including some excerpts here might be good. Seth has never seen any of these.

So here's a semi-random selection of Seth-descriptions during his time at Columbia:

[Y]ou have an opportunity to hire the best contemporary sound-artist/composer/researcher/scholar that I can name. If you don't take advantage of this chance, you are idiots. Seth is sui generis.

Pieces such as his Forms of Forgetting are often my morning soundtrack, not in an Eno-esque 'ambient music' way, but more as an enhancement to my lived experience. The thought that Seth puts into his subtle compositions makes for a true deep-listening engagement.

Every student who is grappling with music technology at Columbia has worked with Seth -- his abilities to do the technology AND be pedagogically effective in communicating how it works is unsurpassed. A number of our undergraduate students have credited Cluett with 'changing their lives' through his educational mentorship.

In a continually-evolving field such as music technology (Cluett's main area), maintaining a significant research/creative profile is essential to teaching at the cutting-edge. To be sure, this is the kind of research-informed instruction that should be the standard at elite research Universities like Columbia.

Cluett is able to accomplish this mentorship through his stellar artistic and scholarly accomplishments. He leverages his large external profile to gain opportunities for our students that would not otherwise be available to them.

Two years ago I decided to step down as Director of the Computer Music Center (I plan to retire at the end of 2025). I have worked almost thirty years to build the CMC into the exciting hub of creative activity that it is today. I was able to relinquish my position with no qualms whatsoever because Seth was appointed to become the new CMC Director.

The CMC has always been a place of groundbreaking activity, but the level of excitement has considerably increased due to Seth's initiatives.

I'm sure the CMC will continue to do well -- there are many good people out there. Seth was exceptional, however, and his spirit will remain a part of the Center for years to come.

I''m also happy for Seth and Jennifer. The Carnegie-Mellon University position he is accepting and the positions provided for Jennifer are excellent, and I know they will thrive in the CMU supportive environment. I guess I'm lucky that I retired when I did so I don't have to face Seth's departure directly. I certainly look forward to continued collaborations with him as life unfolds.

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DID, SETH CLUETT!!!!!!!