The Creative Music Guild’s Extradition Series will present its fall 2017 concert on Saturday, October 21, dedicated to composer Pauline Oliveros (1932–2016) as we approach the one-year anniversary of her passing. The concert will feature seven intimate works of 20th- and 21st-century experimental music, performed by a cast of outstanding regional musicians:

~ Antoine Beuger, “Cantor Quartets” (2003): A 15-page score, with each page containing four lines of seven notes each, “Cantor Quartets” is performed as a round, with four performers entering sequentially as the performer before them finishes a line – meaning each page begins as a solo, them becomes a duo, trio, and finally quartet. The ensemble is free to play as many pages as they choose, in any order. The piece will be performed by Lee Elderton (clarinet), Mike Gamble (eBow guitar), Andre St. James (bass), and Evan Spacht (trombone).

~ Christopher Hobbs, “Two Compositions, 21 May 1969 (No. 2)”: One of the many “performance rites” devised by Cornelius Cardew’s Scratch Orchestra, this text-based composition gives almost no indication of how the music should or will sound. Instead, it provides a simple structure of visual cues that signal performers to play “for a short time.” In the resulting spaciousness, the music appears as blooms in a desert – short, bright moments that are all the more remarkable for their rarity and contrast with the stillness all around. The piece will be performed by Sage Fisher (harp), Mike Gamble (nylon-string guitar), Gina James (voice), Dana Reason (piano), Andre St. James (double bass), Alyssa Reed-Stuewe (voice), Bonnie Singer (voice), and Marion Van Namen (voice).

~ Pauline Oliveros, “Two for T” (date unknown): Another intimate duet, in which each player is asked to combine directions provided by the composer into a new, individual score. In performance, the challenge involves reconciling the sometimes competing imperatives of these individual scores to create a harmonious whole. The piece will be performed by Catherine Lee (oboe d’amore) and Matt Hannafin (percussion).

~ Gordon Mumma, “7/5 a Pauline Oliveros” (1978) and Tom Johnson, “Chain II / Chain III” (1967): Gordon Mumma’s piece is a small gem, taking less than two minutes to perform. Tom Johnson’s pieces are flow charts for creating spontaneous music. For this performance, pianist Dana Reason will play the pieces sequentially, using the notes and chords of the Mumma composition as raw material for navigating Johnson’s structures – essentially creating a deconstruction and reorientation of Mumma’s etude.

~ Daniel Brandes, “A Dwelling Place for You” (2014): A simple, intimate work scored for two singers, who are asked to immerse themselves in the experience of singing to and with each other, accompanying themselves with the sound of natural objects – dry leaves, water, pebbles, etc. The piece will be performed by Blanca Stacey Villalobos and Lara Pacheco (voices, objects).

~ Dana Reason, “Folded Subjects: Olive Rose” (2017): Composed for the recent “Still Listening” tribute exhibit honoring Pauline Oliveros, “Folded Subject: Olive Rose” asks performers to reinterpret a piece of written music by folding the pages in various ways and actualizing a number of simple directions, revealing alternate paths into the music. The piece will be performed by Lee Elderton (soprano sax), Mike Gamble (guitar), Catherine Lee (oboe), Andre St. James (double bass), and Evan Spacht (trombone).

The Extradition Series is a quarterly concert series presenting composed and improvised New Music and works from the 20th-century experimental tradition. The series is directed by Matt Hannafin and presented by the Creative Music Guild.

Saturday, October 21, 2017
Doors open at 7pm, music starts at 7:30pm
Leaven Community Center, 5431 NE 20th Ave @ Killingsworth, Portland, OR
Admission $5 – $15 sliding scale (door sales only)