Photos by Jason Smith
For Kevin Swenson, a PhD candidate in composition at the University of Iowa, music is a way to interact, respond, and engage with the world. Now in his third year, Swenson has found himself in a new role as the Music Composition Teaching Assistant in the Dance Department. Here, he creates soundscapes and collaborates with faculty and student choreographers to add musical dimension to their dance creations, bringing new meaning to the idea of “music in motion.”
Swenson’s musical journey into composition began during elementary school in Yuba City, California, where he enjoyed doodling compositions in empty lines of staffed paper after school. He went on to earn an undergraduate degree in composition from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, CA, before earning his master’s degree at Syracuse University. Drawn to Iowa by the opportunity to study with Dr. Jean-François Charles—a renowned expert in computer-based music composition using Max/MSP programming—Swenson has taken his craft in experimental directions, integrating sound and technology in ways that make him a perfect fit for his role in the Department of Dance.
Under Dr. Charles’ guidance, Swenson has created installations with Yamaha Disklavier pianos, combining piano sounds with object-oriented programming.
“The computer is my creative partner,” he says. He uses digital technology to transform conventional sounds into something entirely new—layering playful transpositions, exploring spatial acoustics, and creating interactions between computers and live performers.
“When I started as a TA in the dance department, I didn’t expect the role to be so hands-on,” Swenson says. He now composes for key performances like the department’s annual Dance Gala event, working closely with choreographers to understand and bring their visions to life. His responsibilities range from collecting music to creating entirely original compositions.
He recently collaborated with Assistant Professor Stephanie Miracle on her Dance Gala piece called “since we have come this far how do we get back?”—which puts dancers on the stage with tiny robots. He recorded mechanical sounds from robots at the Iowa Advanced Technology Laboratories, which were engineered by Professor Deema Totah in the UI College of Engineering and designed by Jinann Abudagga, an Iowa City West High School senior who started on this project as a summer intern in the Robotics and Assistive Devices Lab and was later brought on as an official consultant, designer, and coder for the robots. Swenson’s recordings were played as transitions between the movements of the piece’s score by Terence F. Clark and John Arndt.
“It was surreal,” he says. “I’d never worked with sounds from a 3D-printed robot before, and I was glad to add something new to the performance.”
Swenson’s contributions go beyond sound alone. He often serves as a creative bridge between music and movement, collaborating with dancers and choreographers to realize their vision. “Many dancers come with a strong sense of what they want in their soundscapes,” he says. “It’s exciting to help translate these ideas into a musical structure they can dance to,” Swenson reflects. “They may not have formal musical training, but their intuition for narrative challenges me to think in new ways.”
Despite a seemingly clear trajectory, Swenson emphasizes the reality behind the creative process. “People often say, ‘do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life,’ but that’s not true,” he reflects. For Swenson, inspiration is not a spark but a discipline. “You don’t wait for it; you show up and work.” His modesty belies his talent, yet his words resonate with the passion and dedication that have shaped his career.
With his dedication to interdisciplinary art, Swenson is a vital part of the University of Iowa’s creative community. His work in both the School of Music and the Department of Dance is an inspiring example of how music, when freed from convention, can help create immersive, unforgettable experiences for audiences and artists of all kinds.