Since moving to Norway in 1981, Rob Waring has been active as a performer, composer, and teacher. He has been a central figure on the contemporary music scene in Oslo both as a classical percussionist and jazz vibraphonist. He has performed and recorded with Kjell Samkopf, Wiese/ Wøllo/ Waring Trio, Espen Rud, Tone Hulbækmo, Octoband, SØYR, Rob Waring Trio, Lars Klevstrand, Metropolitan, Funny Valentine, Elin Rosseland, Jon Larsen, Celio de Carvalho, Misha Alperin, and Jon Eberson. (Go to Discography)
Rob Waring has composed for soloists, chamber and
jazz ensembles, choir, percussion ensemble, various combinations of acoustic
and electronic instruments, as well as purely electroacoustic works. He has
written music for modern dance, film, and children's radio. Some of his music is written
expressly for improvising musicians and he often experiments with the use of improvisation
within large formal structures. Balinese music has been an important source of inspiration
for Rob Waring in recent years. After his first visit to Bali, Rob composed a piece for the
Norwegian percussion trio SISU, entitled "Sikoté Sukán". This was recorded on a CD
(released October, 2003) called "Scratch!". (Go to Discography)
In 2002 he spent four months studying in Bali, and he has
continued to develop ideas for his own music inspired by Balinese principles. This has resulted in a series of works including "Sax Cycles" (for 2 saxophones and electronics), "Braided Streams" (viola, contrabass, marimba), "Jalan Pantai Sari" (quartertone-marimba duet), and "Frekoté Vokán" (guitar duet). (Go to List of Compositions)
Rob Waring was invited
to exhibit his sound installation SONOMATRIX
at the Henie-Onstad Art Center in Bærum, Norway in March - April,
1996 as part of an international exhibit of electronic art ("Electra 96"),
and at the International Computer Music Conference in Thessaloniki,
Greece in September, 1997. Sonomatrix is an instrument which emphasizes
the use of the spatial dimension in music. Computer-controlled diffusion
of sound through 64 loudspeakers enables the creation of musical structures
involving ever-changing patterns of motion. Rob later improved and
expanded the capabilities of the system to enable MIDI-control in live
performance. This was utilized in a piece for Sonomatrix, saxophone,
and MIDI-vibraphone which was premiered in October, 2002 during the Ultima
International Festival for Contemporary Music in Oslo.
The Steninge
Palace Cultural Centre in Sweden opened on June 12, 1999 with the "Steninge
World Exhibition of Art Glass 1999". Rob was commissioned to compose electroacoustic
music especially for this exhibition. The music played continuously throughout
the exhibition period (June 12 - October 17, 1999).
The Rob Waring Trio with
Carl Morten Iversen and Frank Jakobsen was active from 1987 until 2004 and has released 2 CDs: "Secret Red Thread" (1991) and "Synchronize Your
Watches" (2001). Vocalist Solveig Slettahjell is a guest on the last CD. Rob was a member of the experimental and ever unpredictable band SØYR between 1986 and 2006. During that period the band released 4 CDs. (Go to Discography)
Rob is Associate Professor at the Norwegian Academy of Music where he teaches percussion. He has been a guest teacher at academies in Brussels, Berlin, Freiburg, Malmo, and Prague.