Eric Shanfield was born on November 30, 1979 in Hollywood, California and grew up in Orange County; he has lived and worked as a composer in New York City since 1998. After briefly attending the Manhattan School of Music, he studied composition with Elliott Sharp and performed in Mr. Sharp’s Orchestra Carbon, working extensively with leading improvisers at venues such as Tonic and the Knitting Factory. Gradually, however, he became disillusioned with the downtown scene and abandoned performing to concentrate on composition and writing. For the past decade he has rarely allowed his work to be performed or recorded, and only recently has his music begun to be heard once again.
Eric’s music can be broadly categorized into four types or approaches: Algorithmic Process Music, Songs, Cellular Song Cycles, and Symmetrical Variation Forms. For those unfamiliar with his music, Eric recommends Sad Little Breathing Machine, Off the Deep End, Still Morning, and Symphony for Ammi Phillips as indicative examples of each. Unfortunately, as little of his music has been performed, midi renditions and scores of many of these works must suffice in the meantime, but he is working to introduce these pieces in concert and on record; anyone interested in these compositions or commissioning new pieces can reach him at eric@ericshanfield.com.