Avaloch 2018

Getting excited to head back up to Avaloch Farm for another season of inspiring chamber music and innovative collaborations. 

Here's the full list of ensembles and composers joining us this season

In addition to learning from all the fantastic groups through osmosis, Avaloch is a key time for developing my own projects.  This year I'm excited for:

• A week workshopping a brand new piece for cello/percussion, and pre-recorded cello/percussion with David Crowell, and then recording the whole kit and kaboodle at Guilford Sound. This piece was commissioned by a consortium of cellists and percussionists coordinated by New Morse Code, and we're super excited to share the final project.
• Returning to Thomas Kotcheff's 8D$ (composed entirely at Avaloch in 2017!) for a premiere at X2's season finale June 30.
• Workshopping new material for NMC and video with composer/performer crush Florent Ghys
• The return of Mike Truesdell+Mike Compitello (aka Mike Drop). This time: Georges Aperghis' Retrouvailles.  
• Workshopping new snare drum music with Amy Kirsten, as part of our Unsnared Drum project. 
• Digging into Robert Honstein's new piece for prepared marimba.  

Stay up to date by following Avaloch Farm on Instagram and FB

Janky Marimba

Super excited for a new piece from frequent collaborator Robert Honstein.  We’ve assembled a consortium of 34 percussionists from around the world, and Robert should finish a brand new prepared marimba solo by June 1.   

Robert and I have been collaborating since 2011, when New Morse Code's first-ever concert featured Patter:

Since then, NMC has commissioned two pieces from Robert, recorded three of his works (one of which we did in three different instrumentations), and spent many hours together at Avaloch Farm.  Robert played at our album release show, and in April, KU's Percussion Group presented what Robert claimed was the first concert dedicated solely to his music!

Our next collaboration is a long time coming.  In preparation for what would eventually become Down Down Baby, Robert and I met up in Boston, took over Maria Finkelmeier's marimba, and recorded a variety of crazy sounds on the instrument.  We hit every part of it, put stuff on top of it, and generally went to town. Robert ended up going in a different way with Down Down Baby—instead of two people on one marimba, we got a piece for two people on one cello—but he kept the samples.

NB: KU Band stand is required for successful performance 

The idea was to expand the sonic possibilities of the marimba without having to add a bunch of additional instruments.  We decided to “prepare” the instrument by laying various items on the accidental keyboard.  Originally, we thought about removing all the black notes from the keyboard, but found that a little bit too restrictive.  In its current configuration, the Janky Marimba (as we’re calling it) allows for access to all the accidentals and naturals on the keyboard.  Some are buzzy, some are clear, and some are muted and dull.  In addition, we’ve assembled. Quite the arsenal of other sounds, including:

• Metal bowl inside tambourine
• 2 roto-tom frames
• small food service container
• 2 jamblocks (higher one not pictured) 
• 3 bottles
• teeny tiny woodblock
• guiro
• small metal shaker

And my personal favorite, the kick pedal-actived IKEA Filur tub, first seen in Robert’s Down Down Baby:

I’m excited for the next chapter in collaboration between Robert and myself.  Stay tuned for information about the premiere and eventual recording!

Stuttered Chant

Honored that I Care if You Listen premiered our video of David Lang's stuttered chant.  I love this piece because it articulates a central tenet of our work together as an ensemble: approach our work together as the flexible collaboration between two people, not just a cellist and a percussionist.   Maybe someday I can afford a bow.

 

Summer is…Over?

The hill…it's always leg day!

It's always bistecca night

Squirrel buster contained

Wine tasting

castle!

Back from an amazing and largely un-blogged summer.  

Fabulous time at Avaloch with Hannah, Tonia, and some of our best friends.  I learned:

• You can make a lot of sounds on a cello, even with poster tack on it
• Marimbas can bloom!
• Rounds are fun
• If you play snare drum you don’t need accompaniment
• Squirrel Busters are an instant win
• Sketch 8D$ was the best of them all
• Yoga hurts, but is worth it
• The Avaloch 15 is real

Thanks to Mike Kirkendoll for having me as a guest faculty member at the Cortona Sessions this year.  We had a blast, with plenty of music, wine, cinghiale, and joy (maybe not in that exact order) to go around.

Looking forward to another exciting year at KU.  I’m excited to welcome some great friends (Triplepoint Trio, Robert Honstein, Matthew Barnson, and the Yale Percussion Collective), play TWO (not just one) performance of JLA’s Inuksuit, pre-release our little album, and represent Jayhawks at the annual PAS gathering in Indiana.  KUPG has another epic year planned, so stay glued to this space.  

Bresnick@70

Hannah and I were honored to be a part of Martin Bresnick's 70th birthday celebration at National Sawdust last month.  He was and is one of the most influential mentors in my life, and it was a joy to hear more of his eloquent remarks.  Songs of the Mouse People is based on Kafka's last short story, about a community of mice and their diva Josephine.  Mouse People has been a NMC staple since our first "want to play something together?" emails, and I'm proud to keep playing softer, softer, softer.