Barry Seroff Bio

Born: July 4th 1978

Died: TBA

School: Aaron Copland School of Music

Private Study:

Michael Laderman, Petina Cole: Flute

Bern Nix, Joe Giglio: Guitar

Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin: Shakuhachi

Barry Seroff was born in Flushing, Queens on July 4th 1978. His earliest musical memories include creating rainstorms on his parents piano by banging on the low keys while flashing the lights on and off while his best friend tinkled on the high notes, as well as writing song parodies from the persona of his stuffed animals. More serious musical training began at the age of ten, when his parents made him play flute. This study progressed until thirteen, when he discovered the electric guitar. The flute found its way into the closet where it stayed for the following seven years, during which time Barry studied rock guitar privately and wrote songs for his assorted bands. At the age of twenty, Barry discovered the music of Rashaan Roland Kirk, leading to a rebirth of his interest in the flute. It was at this point that Barrys study of music took a much more serious turn. He enrolled in the Aaron Copland School of Music where he studied classical flute. He also began composing more serious music, including a string quartet (based on the ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ changes) some flute music, and a Wind Quintet (titled Special Agent Rex Hallowby vs. the Argnot Warriors of the Rub al Khali). It was also around this period that Barry became involved the New York improvised music scene, leading to performances and recordings with the likes of Merry Fortune, Marc Ribot, William Parker, Daniel Carter, Bern Nix and many more.
After a few years, Barry’s interest grew to include Zen philosophy. It was this interest that led him to study Shakuhachi with Grand Master Ronnie Nyogetsu Reishin Seldin at the Kui-Sui-An Dojo in Greenwich Village. The radically different musical approach used by the East started to creep into both his composed and improvised music, adding a strong interest in tone color. He currently performs with the rock/improv group 'Little Ricky's House of Chanklettas' with Joe Mapplebeck and Gerry Touhy, and is working towards his Masters at Queens College.

Current in progress works:

Democracy: The present instrumentation is two percussionists, acoustic and electric bass, guitar, two flute/saxophone and two vocals (soprano and tenor). This began as a 4 movement setting of Blake's A Marraige of Heaven and Hell, but is developing into a concert length complex of songs culminating in the aforementioned piece. It keeps changing instrumentation and text that its hard to tell where it will end up. The connective tissue is the concept of democracy as a cultural as opposed to a political force, best spoken by Blake: "Everything that lives is Holy".The texts, mostly Quaker, biblical, Blake and Whitman, are not arranged programmatically per se, but trying to create dramatic arc without being preachy. Not easy.