Fluency of Trees @ Roulette
photo: Peter Gannushkin | downtownmusic.net
Deep thanks to Roulette Intermedium and the folks who tuned in and came to hear ‘Fluency of Trees’. Special thanks to Jenny Lai of NOT for the sartorial magic, multidisciplinary artist Lauren C Klein for radical haircare and to Peter Gannushkin for capturing these images so eloquently. More photos at downtownmusic.net and video of the performance here at Roulette’s expansive online archive.
‘Soundless’ @ The Geffen Contemporary, LA
With Lawrence English, Jana Juhl, Yann Novak, Robert Takahashi Crouch, and Ellen Fullman (photo: Ed Patuto)
Deepest thanks to Robert Takahashi Crouch and Jana Juhl of Fulcrum Arts, Lawrence English, Amelia Charter and Alex Sloane of MOCA LA, Richard Bugg of Meyer Sound and everyone who came out to our shows last weekend in LA! What an incredible week!
‘Soundless’ @ La Biennale Toulouse
With Ellen Fullman at théâtre Garonne, Toulouse (photo: Gerome Blanchard)
Many thanks to Camille Mathon of La Petite for presenting “Soundless” at the riverrun festival for the Biennale Toulouse. We’re deeply grateful to GMEA and the crew at théâtre Garonne for finessing all technical details so beautifully and for making us feel so welcomed, especially Alberto Burnichon, Nicolas Sarris, Franck Lopez, Vincent Domenchini and Prune Lalouette.
Túyshtak in The Quietus
Túyshtak, for 8 Bb clarinets, is included in Jennifer Lucy Allan’s Rum Music for September. Take a listen and read the review at: thequietus.comhequietus.com
Sounds of Sant’Andrea, Venice
Eternal gratitude to Paolo Rosso of Microclima and Q aka Kyoo Lee for organizing my workshop and concert back in May on the island of Sant’ Andrea in Venice, as part of the ESTUAR Series. This former military island where remains stand from the 1500’s is now a vibrant sounding ground of cultural and artistic exchange.
Fabrica visit on Italian ClassTVModa
In May I got to reconnect with Fabrica Research Center in Treviso Italy, where I spent a year as a young designer from 2001-2. This fellowship was pivotal in launching me into my current practice in experimental music and performance. Check out this video profile on the Italian channel ClassTVModa, covering my return visit as part of Fabrica’s 30th Anniversary programming curated by Artistic Director Carlos Casas. (photo: Joe Habben)
“Túyshtak” is released
Túyshtak is out today! A piece for 8 Bb clarinets, performed by Jeff Anderle. Listen on all streaming platforms or download on bandcamp. All proceeds until 6/30 from bandcamp will go towards the Native California Research Institute. Special thanks to Jeff Anderle and Helia Music Collective for commissioning this piece in 2022.
2024 Guggenheim Award
I'm over the moon and so honored to be a 2024 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellow and so indebted to my teachers, supporters, and fellow adventurers who have supported me along the way!
Peninsula Women's Chorus premieres "Night Into Dawn"
Peninsula Women’s Chorus will present the world premiere of “𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗮𝘄𝗻,” the newly commissioned work written by 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗮 𝗪𝗼𝗻𝗴, PWC’s 2023-24 Composer-in-Residence and dedicated to the community of Lahaina. Tickets at: pwchorus.org
Composers Now with Annie Gosfield - video online
I’m honored to have been a guest along with Jessie Cox and Carl Stone on Annie Gosfield’s ‘Composer Curator’ video, presented by Composers Now. Checkout the interviews - now archived online.
Residency at The Stone
What a huge joy to be back in NYC and reconnect with folks after a long pandemic hiatus! Thanks to everyone who came out to join us at The Stone. Photo by Heike Liss: Fred Frith, Carla Kihlstedt, TW, Nava Dunkelman
Tzadik albums now streaming
News here that Tzadik, the music imprint founded by John Zorn, is now available on streaming services. Take a listen to The Unlearning, a record I released in 2011: twenty-one miniatures for violin, cello and two voices, inspired by Francisco Goya’s Disasters of War etchings. All too relevant today, these images make me wonder - will we ever unlearn?
Soundless in Australia
Thank you to the amazing crew at Art Gallery of New South Wales and to everyone who came out to hear Soundless - a new work created with Ellen Fullman for Long String Instrument, cello, electric guitar and electronics. So grateful to Lawrence English for bringing us to AGNSW in Sidney and the Powerhouse in Brisbane.
Invisible Jukebox Archival Picks
Thanks to Marc Masters of The Wire for including my Invisible Jukebox with Ellen Fullman in his top 10 archival picks! Read more at thewire.co.uk
Celebrating Pride on KALW
Take a listen to this 2 hour program of Ellen Fullman and I celebrating Pride with Sarah Cahill on Revolutions per Minute, KALW. We share our music along with conversations on songs, tuning, poetry, and composers who have influenced us.
Live at Grabinski Point, Bologna - out on Impulse Response
Out today - a recording of Fluency of Trees performed live at Grabinski Point in Bologna. A truly special encounter back in February thanks to Stefano Pilia, Matilde Piazzi, Michele Bonifati, Giulio Stermieri, Liviana Davi, SIlvia Tarozzi and Impulse Response. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Michele Bonifati, Artwork by Dario Martorana. Listen/download at impulseresponse.bandcamp.com
Review of Practicing Sands
“Practicing Sands is a poignant document of a very strange time, and one that blurs the boundary between creation and reception, between performer and listener and between personal and collective experience. What is more, it is simply good, experimental music.” Thanks to Nick Ostrum for this review of Practicing Sands in the Squid’s Ear - read the full review here.
Upcoming trio with Haruka Fujii and Kanoko Nishi-Smith
I’m very excited for this first time performance in trio with Haruka Fujii (percussion) and Kanoko Nishi-Smith (bass koto). We’ll be playing an evening of improvised music at Spruce Street Concerts, a house concert series in Berkeley curated by Harry Bernstein. To reserve a seat, email: harry@fullplatemedia.com. Tickets are $30, payable in advance of the concert via PayPal (to harry@fullplatemedia.com) or Venmo (@harry-bernstein). Join us on May 27th at 8pm!
New piece up on Assemblage Manifesto
Here’s a solo piece I made for cello and 2 electric guitars for Brandon Locher‘s “Ongoing Solo” series, which will be part of a larger music and visual art series “Assemblage Manifesto”. assemblagemanifesto.bandcamp.com
Composer-in-residence with Peninsula Women's Chorus
I’m very pleased to share that I'm the 2023-24 Composer-In-Residence with Peninsula Women’s Chorus, led fearlessly by Anne Hege. Upcoming this May 6th and 13th in the SF Southbay, PWC’s Radiance Ensemble will be performing “To Burst To Bloom”, setting 6 poems by the 12th Century Taoist Sun Bu’er, which I originally composed in collaboration with Vajra Voices. I’ll also be performing on cello for other pieces of this fantastic program. Stay tuned for a newly commissioned work for PWC coming in 2024! Concert info here