Maggi Payne

Who is Maggi Payne?

Maggi Payne is a composer, flutist, video artist, recording engineer/editor, and historical remastering engineer who creates electroacoustic, instrumental, vocal works, and works involving visuals.

Payne raised in Amarillo, 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 and M. William Karlins, composers. She received her M. Mus. at the University of Illinois at Urbana, 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. 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, Liquid Metal, Apparent Horizon, Liquid Amber, Effervescence, Cloud Fields, and Quicksilver. Her films include Orion and Allusions. Her works involving dance include System Test and Allusions. Her works have been choreographed by Molissa Fenley, Wendy Rodgers, Gina Gibney, Gail Chodera, Deoborah Hay, Carla Blank Reed, and Carolyn Brown.