Each fall for 20 years, Stephen Rush has guided students in U-M’s Digital Music Ensemble to produce an interactive media piece that engages passersby near the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. They call it “Gypsy Pond Music.” The concept is based on a long and deep study of labyrinths from a mythological and cultural perspective. Students examine their own definitions of truth, and express themselves through nature, technology, and music. The fall 2013 installation is about interconnectedness. The human heartbeat plays a central role here, as users engage with the piece, pulsating with this living, breathing installation. Rush is professor and interim chair of performing arts technology.

With the Digital Music Experience, he has premiered works by John Cage, Philip Glass, and LaMonte Young, and has recorded with Pauline Oliveros and “Blue” Gene Tyranny. Rush also is a music director in the department of dance and teaches classes in music composition, music theory, and jazz.