Ancel Fitzgerald Neeley
Ancel ‘Fitz’ Neeley is a composer and percussionist from Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, Michigan who writes solo, chamber, electronic, and multimedia works. His music is inspired by cinematography, screenwriting, and the intersection of technology and nature. Fitz’s works often experiment with text as a means of exploring the familiar and unfamiliar facets of human connection and communication. Fitz is the artistic director and one percussionist of FLYDLPHN, a mixed chamber sextet based in southeastern Michigan dedicated to commissioning and electro-acoustic performance. He also performs with his percussion and multimedia duo VIRID, and percussion trio Brain Pocket both of whom support the creation of new works by young, living, and underrepresented composers. As a part of VIRID, Fitz is a co-producer of the concert series VIRID and Friends through Oz’s Music Store in Ann Arbor. VIRID and Friends hosts 5-7 guests bi-annually for intimate showcases of contemporary classical and electronic music.
Key Jack by Michael Beil
Session Description:
My compositions before Key Jack were increasingly radical about the separation of sound, sound production, and movement to produce sound. This way of working reflects the process of increasing virtualization of actions and “avatarization” of people that we have experienced for decades. The temporal and spatial separation of personality and appearance, of action and perception.
In creating the “spectacle concert,” it was therefore natural to take the consistent step of omitting the instrument on stage. Thus, in Key Jack, a pianist performs without a piano. Before the first performance of Key Jack in Belgium in 2017, I was worried that the piece might overwhelm or even provoke the pianist or audience. I have discussed the necessary fingerings and facial expressions with many pianists, and rarely has the response to a piece been so unanimously positive. Long live the Avatar, who helps and protects us, but also confuses and inspires us.
In creating the “spectacle concert,” it was therefore natural to take the consistent step of omitting the instrument on stage. Thus, in Key Jack, a pianist performs without a piano. Before the first performance of Key Jack in Belgium in 2017, I was worried that the piece might overwhelm or even provoke the pianist or audience. I have discussed the necessary fingerings and facial expressions with many pianists, and rarely has the response to a piece been so unanimously positive. Long live the Avatar, who helps and protects us, but also confuses and inspires us.
Session Category:
- New Music/Research
Date:
Thursday, November 13, 2025
Time:
3:00 PM
Location:
Room 120
Session Type:
New Music/Research Presents
Session Format:
Live
