The Most Dangerous Game

CONTENT WARNING: This piece displays explicit depictions of gun violence and gun culture. Listen with caution.

premiered April 25, 2023 - UF School of Music (Gainesville, FL)

The Most Dangerous Game is a fixed media electronic composition that draws inspiration from Richard Connell's short story of the same title. In Connell's story, the 'game' is played between a hunter and the hunted, which in the composition is between mass shootings and their prey, human beings. Both scenarios have an eerie sense of inevitability, where it's only a matter of time before the hunted falls victim to the hunter.

The composition utilizes audio artifacts from mass shootings that occurred between 2001-2023, along with surrounding media created in response to these events. The piece serves as a commentary on the prevalence of firearms in the United States, highlighting their role not only as inherently violent machines, but also as political scapegoats, obvious arbiters, and inexorable fates.

Through the use of sound and media artifacts, The Most Dangerous Game seeks to immerse the listener in the harsh reality of gun violence and the impact it has on society. It is a sobering reminder of the devastating consequences of firearms and the need for action to address this ongoing crisis.

duration: 10:19