Biographies




James Westwater

For over 30 years, James Westwater has been performing symphonic photochoreography as a guest artist with symphony and chamber orchestras across North America and abroad, including those in Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Saint Louis, Minneapolis, Baltimore, Dallas, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Seattle, Saint Paul, Houston, Washington D.C., Vancouver B.C., Singapore and more than 150 others.

Symphonic photochoreography, an original art form created by Westwater, is the fusion of live symphonic music with multi-image projected photographic essays that are choreographed in ways that reflect the qualities and character of specifically selected classical compositions. The photography used in these pieces is typically his original work, however, some projects draw upon historical archives or submitted photography.

His intent with photochoreography is not to develop a visual language to interpret the meaning of a composer's score, but instead to meld the strengths of two art forms in an attempt to communicate his thoughts and feelings on a wide range of subjects, while helping orchestras share the beauty of live classical music with today’s more diverse and visually oriented audiences.


Westwater at work in a rain forest.
(Photo by Brooks Westwater)

His first performance piece, set to Vaughan Williams' Symphony No. 7, Sinfonia Antarctica, was premiered by the Columbus Symphony Orchestra in 1973, and was supported by the National Geographic Society and the National Science Foundation. The National
Symphony Orchestra premiered his second piece, Wilderness Suite, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C.

In addition to creating over 50 community-based pieces for orchestras of all sizes, Westwater has worked on numerous major photochoreography commissions during his career. One commission for the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra involved three new visual pieces where he set his photography to Haydn’s Symphonies Number 6, 7 and 8. Another commission, a tribute to John Lennon, was created for Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra for a concert tour ending at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The Eternal Struggle, a recent commission set to Copland’s Lincoln Portrait for the Orlando Philharmonic and Akron Symphony Orchestra, captures the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln and the Civil Rights Movement through hundreds of historic photographs. Shortly thereafter, Westwater created Portrait of Singapore for the Singapore Chinese Orchestra to celebrate the cultural diversity of the island nation.


Shooting in the American Southwest
(Photo by Eric Smith)

Westwater is now working with his son-in-law, photographer and multimedia artist Nicholas Bardonnay. Aside from their busy concert schedule, their recent commissions include Grand Canyon Country, a new piece set to Grofé’s Grand Canyon Suite for the Tucson Symphony Orchestra and The Phoenix Symphony to mark Arizona’s state centennial, and a major new work set in Europe for two large international orchestras.

Twice a National Endowment for the Arts Resident Artist, Westwater has performed for the National Academy of Science and the World Congress of Local Government. He photographed in Alaska with the Byrd Polar Research Center and in Antarctica as the National Science Foundation's Artist-in-the-Antarctic. He is a past fellow of The Explorers Club and a recipient of the Antarctic Medal. Westwater earned his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University with studies in philosophy, art history, educational development, cinema and multimedia. He now resides in Utah, close to the mountains, deserts and canyon country he loves.

Please visit WestwaterArts.com to learn more.
map




Westwatera has performed with the
principal orchestras of Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Washington DC, Minneapolis, Dallas, Saint Louis, Baltimore, Milwaukee, Detroit, Cincinnati, Saint Paul, Indianapolis, Houston, Portland, Denver, Columbus, Rochester, Buffalo, Salt Lake City, Vancouver (Canada), Singapore and over 150 more >



sFor repertoire, booking and
more information:

 Westwater Arts
877-ARTS-WEST (278-7937)
WestwaterArts.com
info@WestwaterArts.com

©1997-2012 WestwaterArts.com
All Rights Reserved

Nicholas Bardonnay

Nicholas Bardonnay is a photographer and multimedia artist. He joined Westwater Arts in 2011 as a full-time collaborator with his father-in-law, James Westwater.

So far, Nicholas has contributed to several new photochoreography productions and worked with orchestras in Dallas, Singapore, Boulder, Orange County, Omaha and other communities on more than a dozen Westwater Arts concert performances.

The London Photographic Association as well as galleries in Los Angeles, Portland, Hong Kong and other cities have exhibited his fine-art photography.

Nicholas’ first self-produced photochoreography piece, Ghosts of the Mist, is set to works by Mahler, Górecki and Sibelius. Most recently, Nicholas and James created a new photochoreography piece for the Tucson Symphony and Phoenix Symphony that highlights the remarkable Grand Canyon region.

Nicholas has an interdisciplinary degree in Visual Arts and Social Sciences from The Evergreen State College. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Erin.