Past Events

Transient Series I.2 (Cover Bands Edition) is likely the only event to conceptually link Ke$ha and Patsy Cline. But both of these inhabitants of the Great American Songbook will coexist this evening: one cut up by R We Who R We (composer-performers Philip White & Ted Hearne) and the other very carefully notated by a computer and played by the all-human Happy Valley Band — with the ghost voice of Patsy herself. And audio-visual artist Alexander Dupuis covers cellular automata with his performance of Conway’s Game of Life.

The Transient Series continues with pieces performed by you, the audience. The compositions range from works for hair combs to experimental vocal rounds (think “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” as minimalist drone music) to conceptual works that challenge what it means to perform, and what it means to listen. The concert is curated by K. C. M. Walker, with a special performance by Chris Peck.

The program of Vibrant Matter explores an alien world of musical material, structure, and form – a synthetic landscape of human and nonhuman agencies where, in the words of philosopher Quentin Meillassoux, “there can be no physics, but only a chronics of things.” Members of Ensemble Pamplemousse, loadbang, and the S.E.M. Ensemble perform solos by John Zorn, Marek Poliks, Jennie Gottschalk, Alvin Lucier, and Timothy McCormack, structured around a series of trio performances of Michael Pisaro’s “harmony series” compositions.

Together contains duos of identical instruments: two violins, two guitars, two snare drums. While in these pieces the two instrumentalists are often treated as a single being, a certain dialogue between them remains inevitable. The program features String Noise (violinists Conrad Harris & Pauline Kim Harris) performing Jürg Frey’s Ohne Titel (2 Violinen), Dean Rosenthal’s Perfect for String Noise, and premieres by Andrew C. Smith and Jason Brogan; and Beau Sievers & Jack Callahan performing music for snare drums by KCM Walker.

The Dream Team, made up of composer-performers Jack Callahan (guitar), KCM Walker (harmonium) and David Kant (saxophone) perform two short sets: the first, music by the ensemble members, Andrew C. Smith, and Craig Shepard; the second, by former composer Jason Brogan.

Alessandra Novaga plays classical and electric guitar. She often works for the theatre and has recently written and played music on stage for the Milan based group Phoebe Zeitgeist for Elena Russo Arman, (Teatro dell’Elfo, Milan) and for Elio De Capitani (Festival Dei Due Mondi, Spoleto). Alessandra has played as soloist and as a member of numerous ensembles, both in Italy and abroad. She is co-founder of the experimental music trio Hurla Janus. She is also a founding member of Spring In Duo (guitar and clarinet) entirely devoted to new commissioned pieces by composers such as Giancarlo Facchinetti, Antonio Eros Negri and Laurent Boutros.