Aaron Hynds is manager of audio and academic specialist in music production: audio engineering at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
An Indiana-based audio engineer, tubist, and composer, his creative practice is centered on the intersection of technology and live performance, with a specialty in the interpretation of contemporary music. To this end, he remains active as a performer and composer, while working primarily as an instructor and audio engineer in higher education. He previously worked for the University of Kentucky and the University of Nebraska at Kearney.
As an engineer, Hynd’s recent projects include full-length CDs of music featuring the euphonium and tuba (Monkey to the Sky by Robert Benton, 2020, Potenza Music, and Widening Circles by Daniel Rowland, 2023, Mark Custom Records) and recordings of his own work as a solo tuba player specializing in contemporary music (Berserker: New Music for Tuba, Vol. 1, 2021, Breathing Machine Records).
Besides his work as a recording engineer, he also has extensive experience as a live audio technician, with responsibilities ranging from lead audio engineer for multiple theatrical productions in Nebraska and Kentucky to myriad live musical events.
Hynd’s musical background is centered around performance, having performed on the tuba across the United States since 2008. As a specialist in contemporary music, he has performed at events such as the inaugural Omaha Under the Radar Festival, the 2014 International Summer Course for New Music in Darmstadt, Germany, Null Point music series in Buffalo, New York, Constellation-Chicago, and the 2016 and 2017 New Music Gatherings.
In March 2019, he was the featured guest artist for the 2019 UNK New Music Festival, performing several recently composed works for tuba and bass trombone. In addition, he has appeared on CDs with groups such as Ensemble Dal Niente, the University of Wisconsin Wind Ensemble, and the Midwest Hackers.
Besides his work as a performer, Hynds is also a composer and new media artist. Recent premieres include “Bit rot” for tuba and computer (for tubist Daniel Rowland) and “SID 6581” for amplified violin and computer (for violinist Abdel Anzaldua). Upcoming works include “hollow town hums” for xiao, xun, and computer (for Hong-Da Chin) and a work for tuba, live electronics, and live video titled “The ghosts who learned to breathe.”
Hynds earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Music degrees from the University of Northern Iowa and University of Wisconsin–Madison, respectively, before completing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Contemporary Music from Bowling Green State University (the first brass player to graduate from the program since its inception in 2006).
He studied with the following educators, all of whom directly contributed to his musical, intellectual, and personal growth: David Saltzman, John Stevens, Jeffrey Funderburk, Sharon Huff, Thomas Miller, James Culbertson, Steve Schepper, Thomas Barry, Jonathan Schwabe, and Jerome Soneson.
