This biography describes my various activities which fall in three, at first sight quite different categories. For promotional purposes the biography can be used in its entirety. Use the first paragraph if you need my academic or classical-contemporary profile only. In the case of laptop real-time performance then better use the second paragraph whereas the third paragraph concerns what could be coined my techno music. The last paragraph is optional, and you can get a high-resolution version of the lower image here.

“A composer, performer and producer, Lars Graugaard moves with ease between rigorous academic constructs in notation and concepts, and street-smart methodologies that embrace improvisation and instant musical production. He has a strong academic background with a degree in classical flute performance from The Royal Danish Academy of Music and a PhD from Oxford Brookes University in interactive music. His output since the early 80es covers an intriguing range of musical styles with numerous vinyl, CD and digital releases, together with over 200 score compositions from symphonic, chamber and solo settings, to vocal, performative and multimedia works including three operas.

He is Resident Composer 2018-2020 with Iceland’s Caput Ensemble and he is Visiting Faculty Artist since 2010 at New York University Steinhardt’s Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions. Previously, Lars has been composer-in-residence 2013-15 at the Grup Instrumental de Valencia, Spain and 1996-1999 at Odense Symphony Orchestra. He was Artistic Director 2007-13 of re-new forum for digital art’s annual festival and conference and in 2013 he initiated the record label clang. He has performed all over the world and while he his focus today is on digital performative systems, when the flute was his principal instrument he would record CDs with classical and contemporary repertoire, ranging from J.S. Bach, Rossini and Carl Nielsen through Astor Piazzolla and to Philippe Manoury and Cort Lippe.

In recent years Lars has turned to the computer as his performance device, shaping it into a sophisticated vehicle for interactive and generative music. Performances are always in real-time with procedures written into custom computer code for algorithmic rendering, procedures derived from research into shared musical expressions and emotions. Often, the performances are real-time improvisations with instrumental performers skilled in free improvisation, and as these activities provide a continuous development in applied research in performance and programming, they also produce a constant flow of CDs and digital album releases.

click to open hi-res version

When performing solo laptop music Lars often uses the alias Lars from Mars. Releases under this alias have been forthcoming on Pueblo Nuevo, Chordpunch and clang as well as a host of guest appearances on other labels. This music is frequently grounded by very strong rhythms, in turn combined with quite abstract and experimental sound-worlds. The combination of rhythmic sturdiness and sonic experimentation has much to Lars’ surprise earned him a presence on the dance-floor, proving that constant repetition and slow variation is not a absolute necessity for functional club music – at least not when it concerns the needs of a hyped, late-night crowd.

Lars was professor of interactive music at Carl-Nielsen-Academy-of-Music 1996-2002 and lectured 2000-2005 at Aalborg University’s Medialogy Department. He has participated in several research projects and has held a handful of trusted positions in international music organizations.”