Spacious, colorful, and often quiet, almost to the point of silence, the music of Jon Paul Mayse explores memory, gesture, perception, and the expressive potentials of virtuosity. He has worked with or written for many performers in the United States and abroad, including recorder players Tabea Debus, Charlotte Barbour-Condini, Olwen Foulkes, cellist Sarah Gait, Mousai Quartet, The Hermes Experiment, SoundEnergy, and Temple Preparatory Youth Chamber Orchestra.

Jon uses the writing process to examine larger concepts, such as style and imitation in Tapas for Cello and Bassoon, color and sound in Color Studies for Cello and Percussion Quartet, and faith in Seven Last Words for solo Cello, Psalm for Cello and Choir, and his String Trio. Assembly, for recorder trio, deconstructs a composition and plays with the building blocks.

In his electroacoustic work, Jon employs electronics as an expressive, reactive chamber partner. In Radiance for Bassoon, Max/MSP, and Interactive Lights, the bassoonist controls an installation of stage lights through the sound of the bassoon. His installations explore the perception of space, sound, and color, most notably in Perception Study at the SPACED Festival in London.

Upcoming projects include a String Quartet, a song for Baritone and Piano, and a work for Choir and Ambisonic Electronics.

Jon is also the Founder, Artistic Director, and Chief Technologist of the Live/Wire Ensemble and Opera Company in Philadelphia, which performs and advocates for electro-acoustic music, dance, and opera. Live/Wire produced the American premiere of Zack Settel’s Pacamambo, as well as the world premiere of Carlos Johns-Davlia’s multimedia ballets and chamber music.

Jon holds a Bachelor’s in Music Composition from Temple University in Philadelphia and is pursuing a Master’s in Music Composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London.