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I thought that I would spend two or three hours yesterday working my way through my links to update the calendar of events. In fact, after more than a few hours, I had only scratched the surface. I came to two conclusions. The first is that I’ll need to revisit the calendar section weekly, if it’s going to be useful and current. I plan to do that.

The second point is being enforced by many other recent experiences, and it is important. I am becoming convinced that the pool of people actively involved in experimental music is wider and deeper than any of us can imagine.

And now I’ll embark on a strange mission: to prove how much activity is going on, about which I know nothing. I have two pillars on which to build my case.

Until very recently, I didn’t know that…

  • there are no fewer than eight relevant events that I know about this Friday, on three different continents.
  • there are well-curated series going on this season in Ontario, Los Angeles, Charleston, and New York City.
  • the European festivals I already know are only the tip of the iceberg.
  • more events are scheduled for most upcoming Fridays and Saturdays than will fit in a single calendar view.
  • there would be nearly 100 composers on my still-incomplete list.

I wouldn’t have known about…

  • many young and engaged musicians who are stirred up about experimental music, if I had not attended festivals in Germany, Austria, and England last year.
  • the encouragement and practical help that people in this field offer to one another, if I had not thrown myself into it through research, writing, and travel.
  • the amazing thought and work going on among my colleagues, if I did not know them so well that we talk about it directly. (Now see it through, will you? You (pl.) know who you are…)
  • this entire field, if it had not been for some great teaching I had at Northwestern.

If all this is true, then there is a long, winding road ahead, as unpredictable as any experimental event ought to be. I’m using this blog to document my findings (and hopefully some of yours). Yesterday I got a little more altitude than usual, and so today’s post is a pan shot. Not everything is in sight, but I’m loving the landscape.

Max Neuhaus

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I rediscovered Max Neuhaus‘s work yesterday. His website is a treasure trove of ideas, documents, videos, and resources. I can’t stop thinking about the few parts that I’ve explored.

One of his most often-heard works, the Times Square (New York City) installation, often goes unnoticed. He’s perfectly happy to have it that way. Here is one of the available videos about it.

It ran from 1977–1992, and was reinstated in 2002. It is still running today, and will be for the foreseeable future. He has many other permanent installations, too: another in New York, one in Houston, and in cities in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Italy. Neuhaus is also the director of a fascinating online installation, called Auracle. This is the introductory description from the Auracle site:

Auracle is a networked sound instrument, controlled by the voice. It is played and heard over the Internet. To participate, simply launch Auracle in your web browser, join an ensemble, and create sounds with other participants in real time.

One of the many tabs I have open for today’s calendar update is playing music, so I can’t happily turn the sound back on until I’ve dealt with all of them. But once that is accomplished, I’m looking forward to trying out the Auracle project.

Last month I transcribed two interviews for an article on Public Architecture, a firm that practices and facilitates pro bono architecture through what they call the 1% program. I had read about Max Neuhaus’s redesign of emergency vehicle sirens several years ago, but it was fascinating to think about these two similarly brilliant and public-minded projects in relation to one another. I’ve sent the Neuhaus link to the reporter who wrote the Public Architecture story, and she is forwarding it to one of her contacts there. I hope they’ll get in touch. The resonance between their goals is striking, and it could be the start of a fascinating conversation.

Radio broadcasts

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I’ve come across two upcoming radio events of interest. I’ll be adding events that are broadcast over the internet to the calendar with a star, so that you can easily spot them wherever you are.

Tonight in the UK there is a promising tribute to Kagel on BBC Radio 3, that includes a previously-unheard interview with Kagel, a discussion with Christopher Fox, and a performance of Acustica by Apartment House. The broadcast starts at 10:30 UK time, and will be available after the fact as well.

And on October 12, the JACK Quartet will be broadcasting the complete Xenakis string quartets live on WFMU from 10-12pm EST. This program will be streamed online, and it will also be archived on the WFMU website. The JACK Quartet is a remarkable up-and-coming group. They thrive on the wildest and most demanding repertoire.