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For the past three days we've been at the Djerassi Resident Artists Program (DRAP) ranch in the San Mateo hills just south of San Francisco and due west from Silicon Valley. Unlike most music festivals where the composers and performers just arrive to play the gig and leave, the Other Minds festival encorporates a weekend retreat at the ranch where they can meet each other and discuss their work.
One of the composers, Dieter Schnebel, was unable to make the trip from Germany (he's 78), so we had him give his presentation via iChat video conferencing from Berlin. It worked great! This was the first time we attempted to do this. It opens all sorts of international possibilities.
German cellist Michael Bach will be performing works by Dieter Schnebel and John Cage using his unique curved bow. He gave a brief demonstration of its possibilities.
Swedish electronic music/video composer Åke Parmerud talked about one of his interactive installation pieces, "Lost Angel". His "La vie mécanique" from 2004 will be shown on Thursday night (March 6).
Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin's piano pieces will be performed by Lisa Moore in the festival.
San Francisco composer Dan Becker's new work, Keeping Time, will be given its world premiere at the Friday night concert.
(Almost) all together, posing for their formal portait. Top row: Keeril Makan, Michael Bach, Elena Kats-Chernin, Dan Becker. Bottom: Jim Newman, founder of Other Minds, Charles Amirkhanian, Morton Subotnick, Wadada Leo Smith, Åke Parmerud.
(Missing were Dieter Schnebel in Berlin, and Frances-Marie Uitti who was nursing a bad back in Berkeley.)
This time the weather was exceptionally beautiful, and everyone had an exceptionally good time. We all learned a lot about each other's music and vision, and we had a chance to hear a lot of interesting pieces.
Concerts are next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in San Francisco. Information is at OtherMinds.org.
Ake Parmerud
Keeril Makan
Elena Kats-Chernin
Wadada Leo Smith
Dan Becker
Mort Subotnick
Michael Bach
Frances-Marie Uitti
Dieter Schnebel
