The best of both worlds

Greg Bowers is a composer first, and a “computer guy” second.

“Your typical computer guys might not be into Beethoven or Bach; they just want to program and innovate. And that's great because programmers are able to come up with new tools that I can use,” explains Bowers.

“I spent a year in a class learning Csound, a major music programming language,” he said. “Learn that and you can write the code and make the choices yourself.”

Some large institutions have entire computer music programs outside of the music conservatory. Bowers says he is happy at William & Mary because here he has ample opportunities to nurture his traditional music side while also exploring his multimedia, interdisciplinary side.

“I'm not a computer scientist. Part of my job as a composer is to explore the possibilities of technology as they aid in artistic expression,” he said. “Bach did it with pipe organs. I do it with EKG sensors.”