Compositions
Sculpture Installations
Bio
Day Marvel is a composer, sculptor, installation artist, Max programmer, and programmer of microtonal synthesizers just old enough to be somewhat affordable without the vintage price tag. She knows how to program her Yamaha DX7iiFD, well enough that the act of programming is familiar and comfortable, like speaking with an old friend. Her bedroom is filled with guslis from the former USSR satellite countries that do not like to hold a pitch, so she retunes them regularly to an ever-changing list of tuning schemes, sometimes preparing them with Blu-tack for inharmonic resonances. She has a storage unit filled with disassembled organ pipe sculptures, and one and a half microtonal pianos—similarly, her living room is rendered cluttered with musical sculpture-instruments made from steel and iron. In her free time, she hunts edible mushrooms, writes poetry, and lifts weights. She is afraid to spend too much time programming Max, as she could easily fall into a rabbit hole of all-nighters spent patching. She already dreams about patch cables enough.
She graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Professional Studies in Music Business from Berklee College of Music, and graduated with a Master of Arts in Music Composition from the University of Iowa. She is currently an ABD PhD candidate in music composition at the University of Minnesota, where she studied with Dr. Sivan Cohen Elias. She has four years experience as a teaching assistant at public universities teaching Theory I, Theory II, Graduate Theory Review, and Introduction to Digitial Arts (an undergrad course in video and audio art with Scratch, Arduino, Max, and electronics). Her just intonation string quartet has been premiered by JACK Quartet, and her chamber music with electronics work will be premiered by Talea ensemble in May as part of the Twin Cities New Music Festival. She is a member of, and regular presenter at, the “Microtonal University” lecture series run by the American Festival of Microtonal Music (AFMM), and her synthesizer piece “Collective Healing Ritual” has been released in an AFMM compilation of electroacoustic and synthesizer music.
Selected List of Works
Integration of the Self as a Fiction of Persistence- 2026 - 7 min - for bassoon and viola in quarter tones, percussion, and fixed media - to be premiered by the Talea Ensemble at Twin Cities New Music Festival in May 2026
Collective Healing Ritual - 2026 - 16 min - fixed media based on the Yamaha DX7iiFD synthesizer tuned to 22 EDO with a guitar pedal board - premiered at the “Microtonal Lecture” series by American Festival of Microtonal Music in April 2026 and released as part of a compilation by American Festival of Microtonal Music
The Elephant-in-the-Room Project, choreographed by Meghan Morgan - 2025 - for bassoon in 128 8th octave overtone tuning, two percussionists playing The Elephant-in-the-Room mixed metal sculpture-instrument, and four dancers - premiered by University of Minnesota New Music Ensemble: Claire Yamamoto (bassoon), Abra Arora (percussion), Aarush Bothra (percussion); and Junah Miller (dancer), Dylan Peterson (dancer), Angelina Pizarro (dancer), Ashli Salokar (dancer) for a performance in Minneapolis, MN and selection of the video recording as part of the American Festival of Microtonal Music Concert #157
Iranian Mythical Creatures,co-composed with Niloufar Shiri - 2025 -for two performers with abstract puppetry, live video, and live electronics - premiered at the University of Minnesota Multimedia Arts Concert
Internal Song- 2025 - 2 min - for mountain dulcimer tuned to 36 EDO - not yet premiered
The Mississippi River - 2024 - 9 min - for percussion on the Metal Carousel steel sculpture-instrument and live electronics with performer - premiered by University of Minnesota New Music Ensemble: Aarush Bothra (percussion) and Jacob Frost (live electronics) in a series of concerts in Minneapolis, MN and the “Oh My Ears” festival in Phoenix,
Sketches and Echoes- 2024 - 13 min - for organ and live electronics with performer - premiered by Emily Roth (organ) and Day Marvel (electronics) at Northrop Auditorium at the University of Minnesota
The Praying Mantis - 2024 - 10 min - multimedia sculpture installation with recorded audio loop played via transducer attached to sculpture - premiered at University of Minnesota Advanced Sculpture course
The Dragonfly - 2024 - 5 min - multimedia sculpture installation with recorded audio loop played via hidden wireless speaker inside sculpture - premiered at Second Shift Studios in St. Paul, MN
Inside the Metal Carousel - 2023 - 10 min - steel sculpture installation with fixed media in 8.1 surround plus the 10th track played via transducer on the sculpture - premiered in the University of Minnesota Electronic Music Studio concert
Eclipses - 2019 - 4 min - for just intonation string quartet - premiered by JACK Quartet at the University of Iowa in April 2019
Penumbra - 2019 - 4 min - for just intonation string quartet - not yet premiered
Tied-Untied — 2018 - 6 min - for dancer and computer vision electronics with performer - choreography by Jeremy Klein - premiered by dancer Jeremy Klein and electronics performer Day Marvel at the 24-24 Concert at University of Iowa
Tour en L’Air - 2018 - 10 min - for dancer and computer vision electronics with performer - premiered by dancer McKay Bram at the University of Iowa Composers’ Workshop, and performed by dancer Dominique Jones at the Society for Composers International concert at the University of Iowa
The Glacier- 2018 - 10 min - for laptop orchestra - premiered by the Laptop Orchestra of the University of Iowa (LOUi)
Avian Syncopy- 2016 - jazz album co-created with Kelly Mason, including nine of my original compositions for drums, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, electric keyboard, piano, violin, and trumpet
original compositions include Overture, Cycle Trio, Flamenco Moondog, Fred’s Jive, Opposition Research, Pembrokeshire, Reich’s Gymnopedie, Viennese Waltz, and Zumbro Two-Step
Meditations - 2011 - 6 min - for recorded electronics based on the 29 EDO piano harp sculpture-instrument — premiered at Rochester Community and Technical College concert — honorable mention in the UnTwelve International Microtonal Music Competition