Maggi Payne

Maggi Payne (born 1945, Texas, United States) is an American composer, flutist, video artist, recording engineer/editor, and historical remastering engineer who creates electroacoustic, instrumental, vocal works, and works involving visuals (video, dance, film, slides).

Payne raised in Texas, and attended Interlochen Music Camp and Aspen Music School.

She received her B. Mus.

in applied flute at Northwestern University, studying with Walfrid Kujala, flute, and Alan Stout, Ted Ashford, and M. William Karlins, composers.

She received her M. Mus.

at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, studying with composers Gordon Mumma, Ben Johnston, and Salvatore Martirano.

She studied with Robert Ashley at Mills College, where she received her MFA in electronic music and recording media.

She has collaborated since the 1980s with video artist Ed Tannenbaum, composing several works for his Technological Feets live dance/video-processing performances and built a flame speaker at the Exploratorium in collaboration with Nick Bertoni (1983–1985).

Payne has been a recording engineer at Music and Arts record label since 1981, where she has recorded both contemporary and historical music.

Her video works include Crystal, Io, Circular Motion, Solar Wind, Airwaves (realities), Liquid Metal, Apparent Horizon, Liquid Amber, Effervescence, Cloud Fields, Quicksilver, and Through the Looking Glass. Her films include Orion and Allusions.

Her works involving dance include System Test (fire and ice) and Allusions.

Her works have been choreographed by Molissa Fenley, Wendy Rodgers, Gina Gibney, Gail Chodera, Deoborah Hay, Carla Blank Reed, and Carolyn Brown.

Payne's works are available on Aguirre, Innova, Root Strata, Lovely Music, Starkland, The Label, Music and Arts, Centaur, Ubuibi, MMC, New World Records (CRI), Digital Narcis, Frog Peak, Asphodel, and/OAR, Capstone, and Mills College labels.

She has received two Composer's Grants and an Interdisciplinary Arts Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and video grants from the Mellon Foundation and the Western States Regional Media Arts Fellowships Program.

She has received four honorary mentions from Bourges, one from Prix Ars Electronica, and placed in the Barlow and "Luigi Russolo" per giovani compositor di Musica Elettroacoustica competitions.

She was Co-Director of the Center for Contemporary Music (CCM) at Mills College in Oakland, California from 1992-2018, where she taught recording engineering, composition, and electronic music since the 1980s.

Solo releases:

Compilation albums:

As performer:

Payne has also had works selected and performed on the 60x60 project for the years 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006.

Commissions include National Flute Association High School Soloist Competition 2005, flutist Nina Assimakopoulos, pianist Sarah Cahill, trombonist Abbie Conant, Starkland, composer Annea Lockwood, composer/pianist David Mahler, and the Hartt School of Music at Hartford.