For the past two weeks I’ve had the pleasure of participating in the Sō Percussion Summer Institute, which took place remotely this year. I’m pleased to announce the premiere of my new percussion quartet video piece The Essence Of, which was recorded remotely by four percussionists during the festival.
The Essence Of is the latest in an ongoing series of percussion quartet works called CODEX that bring together my love for numerology, codes/ciphers, 1970s New Age aesthetics, and hi-hats. Throughout the work, players “recite” time-stretched incantations on the hi-hats, approximating vocal formants by manipulating the cymbals’ timbres with the pedal and playing position. Other members of the quartet respond in turn with coded messages that generate slowly-evolving rhythmic material.
Tonight’s live-stream marathon starts at 4 p.m. CT and will feature premieres by other SōSI composers as well as new performances of works by Pauline Oliveros, Louis Andriessen, Kendall Williams, Darian Donovan Thomas, and many more. The live-stream can be viewed above or by following this link.
The Essence Of was performed by Gavin Kitchen, Luciano Medina, Ryan Kimball, and Andrés Morales. Video by myself and Andrés Morales.
