Moonsong

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.14288/bcs.no230.201370

Abstract

Moonsong is a web-based electronic musical composition which is activated by the moon. Partially inspired by Dylan Robinson’s book Hungry Listening, Moonsong is an attempt to create a kind of electronic music that resists extractive listening and makes listeners recognize their own expectations about how music should be available to them. In contrast to typical electronic music recordings, which are unchanging and always available, Moonsong aims to be more like live music, which is tied to a specific time and place. Moonsong is “located” in Vancouver (on the homeland of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm|Musqueam people), and responds to the conditions of the moon as seen from that location at the present moment. Real-time factors such as the phase of moon and weather are woven into the music at various levels.

PLAY SOUNDWORK: https://bcstudies.ubc.ca/soundwork/moonsong/

Author Biography

Walker Williams, UBC

Walker Williams is an eclectic composer from rural West Virginia, whose compositional style runs the gamut from conservative tonality to avant-garde performance art. Walker holds a DMA in composition from the University of British Columbia (UBC), a MMus in composition from UBC, and a BA in music composition from Shepherd University in West Virginia. As a white settler, Walker has benefitted from the ongoing act of colonization in both the United States and Canada, and would like to acknowledge that their upbringing and education has taken place primarily on the homelands of the Massawomeck, Manahoac, and Musqueam nations. Walker’s compositions have been performed throughout Europe and North America, including the US National Saxophone Symposium, the Alba International Music Festival, the Vancouver Sonic Boom Festival, and the Blackstad in Residence program. In 2019, Walker’s Vandalia for string orchestra was selected as the audience favourite at The EAR Classical concert in New York City. 

Gay Pride and Trans-coloured ovoids and spheres flutter across a rainbow backdrop.

Downloads

Published

19-08-2026

How to Cite

Williams, W. (2026). Moonsong. BC Studies: The British Columbian Quarterly, (230), 119–122. https://doi.org/10.14288/bcs.no230.201370

Issue

No. 230 (2026): Summer

Section

Soundworks