Born in California in 1952, Grady began composing while still in his teens. After studies with Nicholas Slonimsky, Dean Drummond, Dorrance Stalvey, and Byong-Kon Kim, he produced his earliest compositions. Since meeting tuning theorist Erv Wilson in 1975, he has composed and performed in alternative tunings based on Wilson’s theories, first in 31-tone equal temperament, and eventually in the just intonation resources of Wilson's combination-product sets and meta-slendro. In the early 1980s Grady and filmmaker Keith Barefoot created a number of performances combining live music with silent film. In his 1989 opera War and Pieces, he used film to project stage settings as well as illustrate the inner thoughts of the live performers.
Since 1993 Grady’s work has been connected to the activities of "The North American Embassy of Anaphoria Island", a non-profit organization promoting the culture of this envisioned island, which Grady characterizes as a "visionary geography". He has produced numerous solo and ensemble works and ten shadow plays representing the "traditional" repertoire of Anaphoria...
Despite the fact that the size of his instruments make touring difficult, his work has been presented at Ballhaus Naunyn Berlin (Germany), the Chateau de la Napoule (France), the Norton Simon Museum of Art, the UCLA Armand Hammer Museum, the Pacific Asia Museum, California Institute of the Arts, Pomona College, Pierce College, Villa Aurora Foundation for European American Relations, the Schindler House, Beyond Baroque, the Brand Library, New Langton Arts, as well as numerous live performances on radio. /// more info at http://www.anaphoria.com /// this week's program host: Andy Hosch