ICEBERG New Music Presentations and Workshops
June 24, 2017 -- Crosstown Arts
"Contemporary Classical" and “Indie Rock”: Beyond the Quotation Marks
Talk by Jonathan Russ
10-11 a.m., Crosstown Concourse, Central Atrium, free
Jonathan Russ will be discussing the relationship between new classical music and indie rock over the past twenty-five years. After a survey of recent collaborations between indie and classical musicians, Jonathan will discuss the issue of genre as it applies to interactions between these two colliding musical worlds.
Mindful Listening Workshop
Led by Drake Andersen
11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., meet at the reception desk in Crosstown Concourse’s Central Atrium
Free
A workshop in which participants move through a series of Pauline Oliveros-inspired sound/meditation exercises designed to attune participants to the sounds around them and develop a richer vocabulary for describing them.
Crossroads of a Century: American Music, 1945-1960
Talk by Alex Burtzos
1-3 p.m., Crosstown Concourse, Central Atrium, free
The volatility of American society during the decade of Vietnam and Woodstock was reflected in the turbulence of musical production by American artists. Both classical and popular artists challenged the status quo through their work: however, the trajectory of the decade was towards the legitimization of popular styles and the marginalization of concert music. This presentation will explore the highly influential music of this watershed era in music, including brief introductions to folk music, minimalism, serialism, progressive rock, bebop, electronic music, and more.
Sound Scavenger Hunt
Led by Drake Andersen
3-5 p.m., meet at the reception desk in Crosstown Concourse’s Central Atrium
Free
In two sessions, participants search for sounds that meet certain criteria (i.e. “high, short, loud” or “low, short, soft”) and record them with portable recorders. The sounds will then be used to create an online “sound” map that lists the sounds’ qualities, source, and location, allowing anyone to download the sounds to use in a creative project.
Beauty Starts Where Habit Ends
Talk by Yu-Chun Chien
5-6 p.m., Crosstown Concourse, Central Atrium, free
“Beauty starts where habit ends” is a famous quotation from German composer Helmut Lachenmann. The perception of beauty is connected with a variety of aesthetic experiences. Composition, in relation to the mechanism of hearing, does not mean merely writing music; it is viewed as a network of experiences, expectations and habits. In other words, composition is a social activity in which the communication, response and interaction between the players and listeners are as important as the sound material. The composer expressing himself through music means entering into the relationship with the listeners’ surroundings. Meanwhile, it means confronting all kinds of reactions and questions posed by the society. Regardless of the positive or the negative, it offers a chance of an aesthetic experience. In her presentation, Yu-Chun Chien will offer an aesthetic adventure of beauty which has not been destroyed by habit.