LIAM R. MARCHANT
Liam R. Marchant utilizes techniques and tools from a variety of sources to create works that authentically represent his story and vision. From progressive rock and jazz to early works for the saxophone, he finds inspiration from the works of Frank Zappa, Egon Wellesz, Fela Kuti, Obo Addy, and modern composers and ensembles such as Buke and Gase, Chris Potter, and Sō Percussion. Liam has researched indigenous music practices from the Volta and Greater Accra region of Ghana as a fellow at the Center for Digital Inquiry and Learning at the University of Idaho Library. Although awarded with the Gilman Grant and various research support from the University of Idaho, his travel plans to Ghana have been halted by COVID-19 and insurgency within isolated parts of the country. Nonetheless, he hopes to investigate the musicological effects of historical colonialism and neocolonialism on indigenous music practices. This research would have rippling effects into the broader pedagogy of music analysis, theory, and composition.
His work has been premiered by The Decho Ensemble, The University of Idaho Wind Ensemble, and University of Idaho String Orchestra. He has studied with Patrick Jones, Vanessa Sielert, Horace Alexander Young, Scotty Stepp, and Matt Olson in his saxophone education. He has worked under the direction of Dan Bukvich, Mark Thiele, and Vern Sielert. He currently studies composition with Ruby Fulton. He actively participates in University of Idaho saxophone quartets, jazz bands, and combos while integrating his own work into the group's performance goals.
Liam is also an active member of The Sultry Swines. He thrives off of collaboration and sees music as an opportunity to share and exist within a sound-world rather than dictate one. In the Summer of 2021, Liam founded the ensemble Pumice Pocket which has been a staple of weekly enjoyment for the Moscow public at various venues around the downtown area. With their debut EP released in January 2022, they are in production of their first full length album.
In addition to his composition and performance work, he also collaborates with librarians and archivists to further enhance the information and resources available in the Lionel Hampton, Leonard Feather, and Maria Mancini Collections at the University of Idaho Library. He is partnering with various Ghanaian centers to develop an interactive archive of traditional music from Akan, Eʋe, Ga-Adangbe, and Mole-Dagbɔƞ areas. He also had the unique opportunity to contribute to the digital archiving of George Russell’s scores for the Library of Congress at the Russell estate in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Liam lives by the notion that everyday individuals want to hear music from around the world, they just don’t always know what to put in the search bar. And when they do search for music around in distant corners of the globe, they are met with the popular music of the day rather than the traditional styles. Liam hopes to take his compositional, archival, and performance aspirations around the world to ultimately grow closer with his global community.
