WEST OAKLAND SOUND SERIES a weekly new music and experimental sound series every sunday presented by new performance traditions and sfSound dresher ensemble studio :: 2201 poplar street, oakland california $10-$25 sliding scale (cash & venmo accepted at door - order advance here) ample parking! please park perpendicular when past the trees on poplar :: late arrivals follow instructions on door to get buzzed in :: sunday september 22, 2024 elliott carter 3x2: triple/double duo/trios monday september 23, 2024 special event: wendy reid ambient bird / brenda hutchinson dailybell sunday september 29, 2024 tiziana bertoncini (it) + thomas lehn (ger) + (oak) reduction orch sunday october 13, 2024 joana holanda + fabio presgrave (brazil) / kanoko nishi + ainie nakamura sunday october 20, 2024 silvia matheus + ric louchard / lisa mezzacappa: music 4 more than a few performance proposals sign up to our mailing list view previous concerts here |
SEPTEMBER 22 2024 7pm $10-$25 |
ELLIOTT CARTER 3x2: TRIPLE/DOUBLE DUO/TRIOS Join sfSoundGroup for an evening celebrating the music of ELLIOTT CARTER, featuring sextets, trios, and duos that span 70 years of his career. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience the creativity and innovation of one of the 20th century’s most remarkable composers. M U S I C I A N S Sam Weiser, violin Monica Scott, cello Kjell Nordeson, percussion Hadley McCarroll, piano Brendan Lai-Tong, trombone John Ingle, alto saxophone, conductor Matt Ingalls, clarinets Diane Grubbe, flutes Tom Dambly, trumpet P R O G R A M Double Trio for trumpet, trombone, percussion, piano, violin and cello (2011, 8m) Triple Duo for flute, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin and cello (1983, 20m) Con leggerezza pensosa for clarinet, violin, and cello (1990, 5m) Esprit rude/esprit doux II for flute, clarinet, and marimba (1994, 4m) Pastoral for alto saxophone and piano (1940, 10m) Sonata for cello and piano (1948, 20m) |
SEPTEMBER 23 2024 6PM to 7:03PM (sunset) A FREE EVENT at Live Oak Park (1301 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley) |
WENDY REID'S AMBIENT BIRD with sfSound & The Bird Ensemble BRENDA HUTCHINSON'S DAILYBELL WENDY REID'S AMBIENT BIRD - Live Oak 2024 is a 44-minute interspecies sonic landscape/ambient environment which reflects a philosophy of connecting with all living creatures and the environment. The ensemble is made up of experimental musicians who blend various approaches - traditional, improvisational, acoustic electronic, and ambient - alongside the natural environment, creating a collaborative and inclusive space where all are welcome to listen, engage and contribute to the evolving soundscape. The structure of this work can be described as a musical process which attempts to reflect nature’s manner of operations: sonic fragments of an African grey parrot (Lulu) become the musical material of a spatially notated score to be interpreted and performed by the musicians within the ambient environment. Contextual in nature, the work allows performers to act according to unpredictable conditions and variables which arise within the musical continuity.In performance, an attempt is made at a spontaneous unforced growing of sound and silence in which emphasis is placed on formation rather than pre-established form, as in the building and shaping of cell-like units in living processes. This site-specific piece, as with its first incantation entitled Ambient Bird 433, pays homage to John Cage’s composition 4’33” (1952). At sunset, BRENDA HUTCHINSON will lead lead everyone in bell ringing, celebrating the equinox. Dailybell, created by composer and sound artist Brenda Hutchinson in 2008, is an ongoing aspirational project based on the premise that something as inarguable as the movement of the Earth can be used as a point of unity and awareness among large groups of people who might otherwise find it impossible to agree. For this work, you will be one of the musicians as well! The precise location of the performance will be just north of the recreation/theatre building, near the creek under the trees. There is no formal seating: stand and watch or wander, sit on the grass, ground, steps, distant picnic tables or bring your own chair/blanket. Special Thanks to Shallon Allen (City of Berkeley), Silvia Matheus (videographer), Phil Perkins (location audio engineer), Edward Morse (technical assistance), and the musicians. M U S I C I A N S Lulu, african grey parrot Wendy Reid, violin Krys Bobrowski, glisglas Brenda Hutchinson, long tube Aurora Josephson, voice Ron Heglin, tuba David Samas, percussion Kanoko Nishi-Smith, koto Ben Davis, cello Tom Dambly, trumpet Matt Ingalls, clarinets Diane Grubbe, flute Brendan Lai-Tong, trombone John Ingle, saxophone |
SEPTEMBER 29 2024 7pm $10-$25 |
TIZIANA BERTONCINI + THOMAS LEHN THE OAKLAND REDUCTIONIST ORCHESTRA TIZIANA BERTONCINI (Italy) and THOMAS LEHN (Germany) have been collaborating since 2002, in duo, in other ensemble, eg. the ensemble]h[iatus and in various multimedia projects. The special feature of the duo is the alchemy created by the meeting of the classical and the electronic instrument. The different nature of sound, the characteristics and histories of violin and analogue synthesizer could recall a friction. Actually, what happens is a sort of mirror game, in which the roles of the instruments are continuously exchanged. BERTONCINI and LEHN move in an abstract territory, their approach to sound is contemporary. Nevertheless their consideration to music is quite classical insofar as based principally on tension/release, rupture, intensity and expressivity in all its facets. Their first duo CD release was highly praised in numerous reviews. The concert concludes with the duo joining THE OAKLAND REDUCTIONIST ORCHESTRA in an improvised set. A supergroup of local musicians with a predilection for lowercase/fricative/reductionist acoustic improvisation that often sounds more electronic than acoustic, this ensemble grows out of a rich tradition of "American reductionist" music that flourished in the late 1990's and early 2000's. Previous projects like Tom Djll's Grosse Abfahrt and The Jack Wright Large Ensemble Eight By Nine document the Bay Area's contribution to the genre. PERFORMERS Hallie Smith, violin Danishta Rivero, voice Cody Putman, bassoon Lisa Mezzacappa, bass Joshua Marshall, tenor saxophone Kevin CK Lo, violin/flute/piano Cheryl E. Leonard, natural-object instruments John Ingle, saxophones Matt Ingalls, clarinets Ron Heglin, tuba Diane Grubbe, flutes Sarah Grace Graves, voice Jacob Felix Heule, percussion Tom Djll, trumpet Kevin Corcoran, percussion Chris Cooper, objects, electronics Supported by Federal Ministry for Arts, Culture, the Civil Service and Sport (BMKÖS) |
PROPOSALS Our focus is on the bay area experimental and new music community, hopefully encouraging crossover among sub-scenes (composition and improvisation; established and emerging; institutional and underground; etc.) We strongly suggest local musicians attend concerts before requesting to perform on the series. Visiting aritsts are also welcome, ideally splitting a concert with local musicians. We are also seeking compositions (in all forms of notation) to be performed by the sfSoundGroup. We have a 92-key (down to a Low F!) 1953 Bösendorfer 7’4” Model 225 Piano (no sostenuto pedal; inside/prepared is OK). The venue hosts a Meyer Sound System, drum kit, additional piano, lighting, and projection equipment. Please send proposals to mattingalls@me.com. |
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