Hi, I'm Reilly Spitzfaden! I'm a composer and programmer who likes noise, obsolete media, electronics, and nostalgia.

If this reaches you

My piece If this reaches you is on Apply Triangle's new album Oxalis Triangularis. I was one of the composers selected in the group's call for scores in 2020, and the album came out on April 12, 2024. It's a 3-CD release, and my piece is on volume 2.

Contemporary classical magazine I Care If You Listen did an intervew with the group, and described my piece as having

...a retro-futuristic vibe with electronic samples from distorted fax machines, maritime radios and walkie-talkies...

I also wrote a blog post about composing the piece.

Reach Through

The TaPIR Lab at the University of Toronto commissioned me for the 2023 Composer in Residence Concert. I wrote for percussion quartet, with each performer using the accelerometer/gyroscope data from a mobile phone to trigger and control sounds in Max/MSP.

Here is the premiere of Reach Through at Array Space in Toronto.

Afterimage from

Part of my Eastman PhD dissertation was featured on Score Follower. I composed a set of three pieces using MIDI keyboards and Max/MSP. Some of the keyboard range plays electric piano sounds — in this one, I used Dexed to emulate the classic 80s Yamaha DX7 "E.PIANO 1" sound, with the tuning set to a subset of 19-edo. Other parts of the keyboard play samples or trigger noise synthesizers.

The cellist uses a MIDI foot pedal to control a "wah-wah" effect, shaping feedback between the cello's pickup and a small amplifier.