Pocket Gamelan program

Pocket Gamelan Talujon Percussion and Mugiyono Kasido
Pocket Gamelan is a dance and percussion collaboration in which Indonesian and American art and curiosity collide. World-­‐renowned Indonesian dancer and choreographer Mugiyono Kasido joins Talujon Percussion in the creation of a one-­‐act sonic and visual experience using dance, found objects, water, and homemade instruments. With music both from and informed by Indonesia the program traces an archipelago of sounds and ideas. The centerpiece of the program is The Traps, a new and utterly inventive take on gamelan by composer Nick Brooke for ampliGied portable suitcases featuring a new dance by Mugiyono. Talujon also presents a world premiere by Balinese composer I Dewa Alit and works for homemade gamelan instruments by Glenn Kotche, John Cage, and Lou Harrison. With new instruments tuned to the characteristic scales of Indonesia, Pocket Gamelan re-­‐imagines the gamelan as a makeshift and dynamic instrumentarium comprised of the most unlikely parts. The Program
Nick Brooke, The Traps (2014)* I Dewa Alit, Working Together (2014)* Glenn Kotche, Traveling Turtle (2013)+ John Cage/Lou Harrison, Double Music (1941)+ Guerguerian/Talujon, So She Shines (1994) Choreography for The Traps and So She Shines created and performed by Mugiyono Kasido. Talujon and Mugiyono Kasido are also available for workshops, family concerts, and other events that can * denotes world premiere supplement the main program. Please + denotes premiere of original arrangement by Talujon
contact Talujon for details.
www.talujon.org
Nick Brooke & Mugiyono Kasido The Traps For his new work The Traps, composer Nick Brooke has constructed six attaché cases Gilled with intricate miniature glass and metalwork, inspired by the sound effects boxes once employed for live accompaniment to silent Gilms. Brooke’s work, commissioned through the Commissioning Music/USA program, was developed in collaboration with the internationally celebrated, palace-­‐trained dancer and choreographer Mugiyono Kasido, last seen in the U.S. in a solo performance at the 2005 Lincoln Center Festival. Video preview of The Traps: https://vimeo.com/126570628 Nick Brooke mixes musical sampling, lip-­‐synching, and theater into a genre all its own. In his works, vocalists and actors are trained to mimic sampled collages of sound effects, pop songs, and musical ephemera, blurring the line between recording and live performance. His work Tone Test received its premiere at Lincoln Center Festival in 2004 and previews on NPR and in the New York Times documented its innovative aesthetic. Brooke’s instrumental works have been performed by the Paul Dresher Ensemble, the Nash Ensemble of London, Orchestra 2001, Dan Druckman, Speculum Musicae, and New York’s Gamelan Son of Lion. His work has been performed across the U.S. and in Europe, and featured at the Lincoln Center Festival, the Spoleto Festival, and the MATA Series. He has received awards and residencies from the Guggenheim Foundation, ASCAP, the Rockefeller Foundation, Djerassi, and the MacDowell Colony. Originally a clarinetist, he is also an avid instrument builder, thereminist, and researcher of early musical automata. During a two-­‐year fellowship to Central Java, he studied gamelan and collaborated on musical projects with Javanese composers, dancers, and visual artists. He holds degrees in music composition and philosophy from Oberlin, and a Ph.D from Princeton. He teaches at Bennington College. Mugiyono Kasido (Mugi) was born in Jogodayoh village, Klaten, Central Java, Indonesia in 1967. Mugiyono’s choreography ranges through wry social commentary, works inspired by classical Javanese dance, and interdisciplinary explorations. (The son of a dhalang puppeteer, Mugiyono is a vocalist and theater artist as well.) Mugiyono writes about the new work: "Orang takut untuk berhenti, waktu selalu berjalan dan kehidupan tidak bisa ditebak" (translation: "People are afraid to stop, time always ticks by and life can’t be guessed"). In 2005, Mugiyono was invited to perform his solo work The Rumors at the Walker Arts Center and the Lincoln Center Festival. Working from material developed in high-­‐energy improvisations last year, Nick and Mugiyono have created a work that explores a frenetic addiction to change, partly inspired by the ADD of contemporary technologies, and meditates on the culture of the "cut." His works have been performed in Asia, Europe, Australia, the USA, and Africa, and his collaborative projects have included SOME SHINE (Germany, England, Israel, and Indonesia), OR LOCAL (Indonesia, England, the Netherlands, and Germany) and MASK DANCE SYMBIOSA PROJECT (Indonesia and Thailand). For more about Mugi, please visit HERE. www.talujon.org
Ian Antonio · David Cossin · Matthew Gold · Tom Kolor
Michael Lipsey · Matt Ward
Described by the New York Times as an ensemble possessing an "edgy, unGlagging energy," Talujon has been mesmerizing audiences since 1990. Talujon is thoroughly committed to the expansion of the contemporary percussion repertoire as well as the education and diversiGication of its worldwide audience. Over the past 20 years, Talujon has commissioned dozens of new works for percussion. Recent Talujon commissions include works by Alvin Lucier, Henry Threadgill, Ralph Shapey, Wayne Peterson, Julia Wolfe, Ushio Torikai, Louis Karchin, Eric Moe, Steve Ricks, and Chien Yin Chen. Based in New York, the group’s performances have included collaborations with Steve Reich, James Tenney, Chou Wen-­‐chung, The Brooklyn Philharmonic, Meredith Monk, and Tan Dun at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Concert Hall, Symphony Space, The Kitchen, and the Knitting Factory. Talujon has appeared in universities and concert halls throughout the US, and at such festivals as Taipei's Lantern Festival, BAM's Next Wave Festival, Muzik3 Festival, Chautauqua, Festival of New American Music, and a recent European tour with Steve Reich and Bang on a Can. For the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts series, Talujon developed the program "A World of InGluences," which incorporates Talujon group compositions featuring homemade instruments and traditional instruments. The group has also given master classes/workshops at institutions such as the Juilliard School, Stanford University, University of Virginia, State University at Buffalo, Harvard University, and the University of Oregon.
www.talujon.org
Technical Needs 6 overhead mics and boom stands Power strips for ampliGier and lights 4 plexiglass bowls Gilled with water, pedestal, lighting unit inside the pedestal 12 music stands All percussion instruments provided by Talujon Tech specs for The Traps Talujon plays six stand-­‐alone attaché cases, each with a 1/4 inch out that are transmitted wirelessly to a mixer. The attaché case instruments do not produce sound that the players can easily hear, so monitors as well as ampliGication are needed. Requirements: * 2 wireless systems with guitar-­‐to-­‐wireless converters Each instrument uses a guitar cable-­‐to-­‐wireless converter (Sennheiser, and Shure are extra cables that can be provided). Four of the wireless systems (Audio Technica) are provided as part of the performance. The other two wireless systems must be rented or borrowed. * 12 channel-­‐mixer with onboard or external EQ and compression. A small digital mixer such as the Yamaha O1V is ideal as it is compact and has scene memories. * Full house reinforcement, including subwoofer(s), with stereo panning. The preferred position of speakers is low, even placed on the stage, not on stands. The performers sit on the stage, so low speakers gives a “realistic” imaging and also helps the performers monitor themselves. Because of the dispersion of the performers across the stage, ideally there would be a third speaker in the middle of the stereo Gield, to give more panning options. * on-­‐stage monitors as requested by the performers. The house speakers can also double as monitors as there are no feedback issues with the instrument design. www.talujon.org
Contact Info Mary G. Madigan, Promotion Partner Madigan New Music [email protected] 917-­‐535-­‐1221 Michael Lipsey, Talujon Percussion [email protected] 516-­‐708-­‐6936 Matthew Gold, Talujon Percussion [email protected] 917-­‐673-­‐4455 www.talujon.org