CHRISTOPHER OTTO
Christopher Otto is a composer and violinist living in the Bronx, New York. He studied composition at the Eastman School of Music and mathematics at the University of Rochester.
As a founding member of JACK Quartet, he has performed contemporary music throughout the world and premiered works from composers such as Chaya Czernowin, Catherine Lamb, Georg Friedrich Haas, Tyshawn Sorey, Philip Glass, and John Zorn. JACK's recordings include the complete quartets of Iannis Xenakis and Helmut Lachenmann and albums of the music of John Luther Adams, Clara Iannotta, Du Yun, Cenk Ergün, Dan Trueman, Zosha di Castri, Caleb Burhans, Marc Sabat, Amy Williams, Jason Eckardt, Horatiu Radulescu, and Elliott Sharp.
He has also performed with groups such as Ensemble Signal, The Cellar and Point, Alarm Will Sound, Talea, International Contemporary Ensemble, Theatre of Eternal Music String Ensemble, Ne(x)tworks, and The Knights. He has premiered and recorded numerous chamber works by John Zorn and performed as a soloist in Zorn's violin concerto Contes de Fées. He has also performed the violin solo in Brian Ferneyhough's Terrain with Ensemble Signal.
Since 2004 his compositions have focused on exploring new harmonic possibilities in an expanding universe of just intonation. JACK Quartet has been a laboratory for some of these experiments, performing several of his quartets with electronics. He has also written several pieces for the unique family of eight proportional violins designed by luthier and researcher Carleen Hutchins. While in residence at the University of Washington, he composed for an ensemble of instruments designed by Harry Partch.
Along with rag′sma, Otto’s other recordings include his violin octet, for which he recorded all eight violin parts, and his violin duo, which was recorded by Erik Carlson. He wrote an article on his violin octet for "Arcana VII,” an anthology edited by John Zorn. His work also includes installations, including a 36-hour piece for sine tones with violin. In addition to these compositions, he has arranged several medieval and Renaissance pieces notable for their rhythmic and harmonic complexity for JACK Quartet.
