Composer and bassoonist Katherine Young writes acoustic and electro-acoustic music, often using flexible forms and expressive notations for specific aims. Her works have been performed throughout the U.S. in independent productions and by groups such as the FLUX Quartet. For ensembles varying in size from solo to 20 people, Katherine’s compositions include works for piano solo; percussion trio; a septet for trombone, 2 electric guitars, 2 contrabasses, 2 percussionists, with electronics; and a duo for typing pianist and live electronics.
As a bassoonist, Katherine improvises, performs new music, and plays with rock bands. Katherine is a founding member of the contemporary chamber music collective Till by Turning. She has toured with Anthony Braxton and is a member of his Falling River Quartet. She performs regularly in Architeuthis Walks on Land, her duo with violist Amy Cimini. With the trio Civil War, she has released two recordings on the Longbox label, When Fact Threatens Belief (2005) and The Brutality of Fact (2006). Her project slyo with bassist Nat Slaughter investigates sight-specific performance. Other projects past and present include: Wilde Turkey; flutist and instrument-builder Michael Pestel’s ensembles; duo for bass, bassoon, and electronics with Jonathan Zorn; British Jason Ajemian’s Who Cares How Long You Sink; projects with Andrew Lafkas and Bryan Eubanks; Chicago-based band Roommate; piratical crew The William Young; and British OG punks the Nightingales.
Katherine studied bassoon performance and comparative literature at Oberlin College and Conservatory. Working with Anthony Braxton, Ron Kuivila, and Alvin Lucier, she completed her composition masters at Wesleyan University and now lives in Brooklyn, New York.