Wild Beast Concert Series: Voices and Echoes

CalArts, The Wild Beast - Open Door Concert

MUSIC: Curated by Aki Onda, the opening concert of the 2012-13 Wild Beast Concert Series presents pioneering Japanese artists renowned for their unique, interdisciplinary approaches to sound-based practices: Akio Suzuki, and the duo of Gozo Yoshimasu and Otomo Yoshihide. The performances will span an array of artistic disciplines including literature, sound art, conceptual performance, and improvisation—all converging around a theme of highly personalized, experimental approaches to sound perception, production, and presentation.

Sound artist Akio Suzuki will perform on a range of unique instruments including an ancient stone flute (iwabue) passed down through his family for many generations, and Analapos—an instrument he invented in the 1970s that creates echoes through the acoustic transmissions of a spiral cord stretched between two metal cylinders.

Experimental poet Gozo Yoshimasu will perform works utilizing his unique “vocalization” style of recitation, which relies upon a highly rhythmic delivery and intense vocal modulations. Yoshimasu will perform in collaboration with Otomo Yoshihide, an experimental guitarist/turntablist and leading international figure in the fields of contemporary noise and improvisation.

The Voices and Echoes tour will span five venues: Time-Based Art Festival (Portland, OR); The Wild Beast at CalArts (Valencia, CA); Vancouver New Music (Vancouver, BC); Nameless Sound (Houston, TX); and two performances at ISSUE Project Room (Brooklyn, NY). In addition to six performances, the touring musicians will also present workshops and lectures.  Read more

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The "Voices and Echoes" North American tour is organized by ISSUE Project Room and Aki Onda. The project is supported by the Japan Foundation through the Performing Arts JAPAN program and Asian Cultural Council.