ess whiteley is a San Diego-based composer, multimedia artist, and performer working primarily with electronics and intermedia. They are interested in cyborg consciousness, computer hallucinations, haunted technologies, ecology, and more-than-human worlds in the context of virtually entangled, post-internet life and the Chthulucene.

whiteley has had works performed at the MATA Festival (NYC), Int-Act Festival (Bangkok, Thailand), Dublin Music Current Festival (Dublin, Ireland), WOCMAT (Hsinchu, Thailand), and the MANTIS Festival (Manchester, UK), among others.

They were the winner of the Riot Ensemble CFS (Liverpool, UK) and Honorary Mention Award recipient at the MA/IN Matera Intermedia Festival (Matera, Italy). Their music has been featured on Pitchfork and The Wire and released on labels including Not Not Fun, Touchtheplants, and 99Chants.

whiteley received their Bachelor’s Degree in Composition from McGill University in Montréal and is currently a PhD candidate in Composition at the University of California San Diego (UCSD). Their mentors have included Roger Reynolds, Marcos Balter, and Michelle Lou. 

The world premiere of their composition Machine Spectre will be performed at MICF by Resident Ensemble Alarm Will Sound.

For more information about whiteley and their music, visit https://esswhiteley.com/