Ensemble Medusa: Group Information

Group Info

Ensemble Medusa is an American-Flemish Collaboration founded in 2001, in Ghent, Belgium. The primary interest of all three performers is composition. For that reason, the bulk of their repertoire consists of their own compositions. They do on occasion perform music by other composers such as La Monte Young, Alivin Lucier, and Bruno Maderna. They are the recipients of the 2001 Zeebrugge Prize for Best New Experimental Performing Group. Thomas Smetryns also received that year's Zeebrugge Composition Prize for his work, "Material Test Unit."

The performers are:

Jonathon Kirk (b. 1975) - A native of central Illinois, Jonathon Kirk is a composer, performer, and improviser. His main interests include all forms of musical composition, experimental music, improvisation, live interactive music, real-time DSP, sound installation, multimedia, extended technique, horspiel, soundscape, acoustic ecology, timecube extraction, artificial flat-line, ethnomycology, and creative resonance. His works have been performed in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia. He frequently performs on the euphonium, trombone, bass trumpet, computer, electronics, Udu drum, berimbau, tamboura, and sometimes poorly on the banjo.

Thomas Smetryns (b. 1978) - Thomas Smetryns graduated from the Royal Conservatory in Ghent, Belgium with degrees in performance and composition. His teachers include Ida Polack (guitar), Phillipe Malfeyt (lute), and Godfried-Willem Raes (composition). His works have been performed by ensembles and performers such as Spectra ensemble, Hermes Ensemble, M & M Ensemble, Daan Vandewalle, and Jason Price. For ensemble Medusa, Thomas plays lute, theorbo, piano, percussion, mandolin and guitar.

Brent Wetters (b. 1976) - Brent Wetters was born in 1976, in Northern Michigan. He has degrees from the University of Michigan, Royal Conservatory, Ghent, and Wesleyan University. His primary teachers include Evan Chambers, Richard Barrett, Andrew Mead, Godfried-Willem Raes, Anthony Braxton, Ronald Kuivila and Alvin Lucier. He is also an active writer on the topics of music, literature and politics. For ensemble Medusa, Brent plays melodica, trumpet, flugelhorn, piano, and sheng.

Other temporary and honorary members:

Heleen van Haegenborgh
Wannes Ghyselinck
Jason Price
Karin de Fleyt
Rachael Unite
Mark Nelson
Godfried-Willem Raes
Jonas Pannecoucke
petunia best
Ira Daniel Goldfarb
Chris Dahlgren
Kohei Akio
The Old Guy at Pink Flamingo's
Carrie Best
Michael Lawrence
Frederic Rzewski
Randall Hall
H. Owen Reed
Dominica Eyckmans
Kristof Lauwers
D.J. Timecube