Works by OU School of Music Faculty Member and Alumnus Nominated for Grammy Awards
University of Oklahoma School of Music faculty member Christina Giacona and OU master of music graduate Patrick Conlon (’13) recently had their album, “Cube of Light,” nominated for first-round consideration for the 64th Grammy Awards in the categories of Best Alternative Music Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.
Composed and recorded by Giacona and Conlon, “Cube of Light” features several current OU School of Music faculty and staff members and former students as backup musicians in a 41-minute post-classical visual album that has each of its nine sonic movements paired with a contemporary dance video.
Centered around the idea of artistic reflection and the journey of light through space, time and consciousness, the work is, according to its producers, influenced by the sounds of modern classical composition, Daft Punk’s album “Random Access Memories,” Muse, Animal Collective, the Stranger Things soundtrack, and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.
“Christina and Patrick are wonderful musicians and colleagues, and have contributed so much to the musical life of the Norman and Oklahoma City communities over the years,” said OU School of Music director Roland Barrett.
Giacona is a lecturer on Native American, world and American popular music and also serves as an affiliate faculty member for the Department of Film and Media Studies, Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences. Conlon is a composer, violinist and the assistant director of the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma.
The duo has co-founded the album’s producing company, Onyx Lane, a full-service music production company for media, film and live entertainment with a focus on composing, recording, producing and mixing music for film scores and classical ensembles.
“We are thrilled at their continued success and the outstanding work they are doing with Onyx Lane, and we urge everyone to take a listen to this fantastic recording,” Barrett said.
Listen to “Cube of Light” and learn about the project at Onyx Lane’s official webpage.
The 64th Grammy Awards first-round voting process, happening between Oct. 22 and Nov 5, will determine the nominees for the annual Grammy Awards, which will be announced on Nov. 23. The 64th Annual Grammy Awards take place on Jan. 31, 2022.
Christina Giacona and Patrick Conlon discuss their album, “Cube of Light,” with OU students in the School of Music.
This article was originally published by the Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts.
Article Published: Wednesday, November 17, 2021