by Erich Barganier
Commissioned in 2026 as part of the Portfolio Project.
Program Note
The Dead Dog And Pony Show is inspired by the ecological philosophies of Timothy Morton, as well as an article by Włodarczyk Justyna and Jack Harrison titled “Discordant Harmonies: Interspecies Relations in the United States.” The article centers on interspecies harmony, describing an idyllic ecological symbiosis between animals and humans and quotes the American folk song “Home on the Range” to introduce a uniquely American-utopian vision of environmental harmony. The authors reference Morton, stating that he “proposes touch as a means to co-constitute such [an ideal[ world, where humans and horses may live in ‘mutual vicarious relation,’ for in touching, one cannot help but be touched back.” This string quartet is a musical knee-jerk reaction to this sentiment, as this image of American environmentalism no longer seems sustainable in the current political climate.
Composer Biography
Erich Barganier is a composer and multi-instrumentalist hailing from St. Petersburg, Florida. Barganier began studying composition and theory under Mark Dancigers while attending New College of Florida (B.A., 2014). He was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship in 2014 and taught English at the Belarus State University of Culture and Arts in Minsk while collecting regional folk songs and performing traditional American music across Eastern Europe. Barganier pursued further studies at New York University, studying underJulia Wolfe, Robert Honstein, Joan La Barbara and Tae Hong Park (M.M. 2019). He is a performing member of the electric guitar/clarinet/electronic experimental music duo Shutterspeed Duo with Ford Fourqurean and is an active soloist on the oud and electric guitar. Barganier is currently pursuing a PhD in music composition at Duke University.
