Brett Sroka is a composer, trombonist, electronic musician, producer and bandleader based in Brooklyn, NY. He has a B.A. from the Manhattan School of Music, has been awarded a composition grant from the New York Department of Cultural Affairs and has performed in the US and Europe in a variety of groups. His recordings "Hearsay", from the Fresh Sound-New, featuring Jason Moran and Avishai Cohen, and "Quality Anatomechanical Music Since 2005" by the electro-acoustic experimental group Ergo he leads, have both been widely praised.
Among the films Sroka has scored are: Sara Jordeno's film "Lexicon" made for a surround sound installation at the Muscarnok Gallery in Budapest, Hungary; a short relationship drama by Sohrab Pirayesh called "Windows and Blinds (Apologies and Goodbyes)", ; a disquieting documentary about lawyers working at Guantanamo Bay called "Like Snow Flakes In December" ; "Frying Pan To The Head", a sardonic drama by Catherine Weiss which will appear in the Maine International Film Festival in July 2008; and "Space Times Square" a documentary by media professor Barry Vacker exploring ideas of technology, media, cosmos and nothingness, which has been shown at the 2007 International Digital Media and Arts Association conference and the 2008 Cinema Du Reel Festival at Centre Pompidou, Paris and was the only American film shown at the Student Film Festival at the Communications University of China in Beijing.
"atmospheric...takes full advantage of electronic programming and cross-genre appropriation." - The New York Times
"... has lots of sound sculpture in him. His rather dramatic art music is both texturally rich and compositionally engaging."
- The Village Voice
". . . part of a generation for which Autechre and Sigur Ros are as pressing concerns as Armstrong and Sun Ra. That's certainly evident in the timbral sophistication, spacey contours and slinky grooves"
- Time Out, New York
“Here's a great chance to check Sroka’s dynamic and distinguished ideas in action."
- Flavorpill.net
"...the music that we hear on this release will most definitely take you to a higher level.. Brett Sroka who leads the way with extraordinary trombone playing and computer skills presents a new approach to composition that is absolutely groundbreaking." - Inside Connection Magazine
"Sroka has huge ears and catholic tastes, using these to good effect on this moody and memorable recording."
- Cadence Magazine
C.V.
Film Scores
March 2009 “Worms” documentary short film by Catherine Weiss
September 2009 “Iced Beauty” art film by Laureta Ismailej
March 2008 “Frying Pan To The Head” dramatic short film by Catherine Weiss
• 2008 Maine International Film Festival
June 2007 “Windows and Blinds” dramatic short film by Sohrab Pirayesh
March 2007 “Like Snow Flakes In December” documentary short film by Ari Kaplan
January 2007 “Space Times Square” documentary/art film by Barry Vacker
• http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1378347/fullcredits
• 2009 First Person Arts Festival, Philadelphia , The Arts Bank
• 2009 Living Arts of Tulsa , New Genre Fest XVI, Tulsa , OK
• 2009 Monkey Town , New York City
• 2008 Radar Hamburg International Independent Film Festival, Hamburg
• 2008 Student Film Festival, Communication University of China , Beijing
• 2008 Cinema Du Reel Festival, Paris, Centre Pompidou
• 2008 21st Dallas Video Festival, Dallas , TX
• 2008 Global Temple Conference , Temple University , Philadelphia , PA
• 2007 International Digital Media Arts Annual Conference, Philadelphia , PA
November 2006 "Lexicon", documentary/art film by Sara Jordeno
• 2007 Surround sound installation, Muscarnok Museum, Budapest , Hungary
Recordings
November 2008 Ergo “Multitude, Solitude”, Cuneiform Records
• Trombone, Electronics, Composer
• Produced recording, mixing/postproduction
April 2007 Inlets “Vestibule EP”, Luvsound Records
• Trombone
September 2006 Ergo "Quality Anatomechanical Music Since 2005", Actuator Records,
• Trombone, Electronics, Composer
• Produced recording, mixing/postproduction
• Managed release, distribution and promotion
July 2002 Lettuce “Outta Here”, Velour Records
• Trombone
February 2001 Brett Sroka "Hearsay", Fresh Sound Records
• Composed all material
• Produced recording, mixing
Education
1997 B.M. in Performance, Manhattan School of Music , New York , NY
1999 Thelonius Monk Institute Jazz Colony, Jazz Aspen Snowmass
Awards
2006 “Best Debut CD” - Ergo "Quality Anatomechanical Music Since 2005" All About Jazz-NY
2001 Queens Council on the Arts Grant to compose “Voices I Heard”, a suite using the vocalizations of Queens residents as compositional material.
