A new format this year for the annual Improvised Music Project Festival (IMPFest) brings student and faculty musicians inside the studio for an intensive week of recording and audio production work with renowned recording engineer David Boucher. Public performances associated with the festival return in 2023.
UW students and faculty from across the School of Music will gather April 25-30 during the IMP Festival week to work with renowned recording engineer David Boucher. Using the School of Music's new mobile recording system, the Los Angeles-based engineer will work with a variety of student and faculty ensembles to document new works, experiment with recording techniques, and teach fundamental recording and audio production skills.
"This is an exciting opportunity for students and faculty alike to work with one of the world's most sought after recording engineers," says Ted Poor, associate professor in the Jazz Studies program and faculty advisor for the festival.
Boucher's credits as engineer, mixer or producer include work with an array of renowned pop and rock musicians including Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Raitt, Rufus Wainwright, and Andrew Bird, among many others. His motion picture soundtrack work includes engineering credits on the "Magnolia" and "Frozen" soundtracks. His recent work includes Disney’s “Encanto” and Pixar’s “Soul,” and albums from The Punch Brothers and Crowded House. Upcoming releases from Andrew Bird, Rufus Wainwright and Randy Newman as well as new films from Pixar, Netflix, Sony, and Disney round out his projects slated for 2022.
"In order to focus deeply on the art of recording, this year's IMP Fest public performances have been cancelled, says Poor. "But we will return next year with exciting guest artists and concerts."