Imaginary People
(Gelsey Bell: Voice, Cristian Amigo: Guitar, Miguel Frasconi: Glass & Electronics
Started as an informal meeting of friends, Imaginary People have evolved into practitioners of new and experimental song forms. Influenced by a wide variety of traditions, their music strives for the unimaginable.
Gelsey Bell is a singer, songwriter and scholar. Her music has been presented at the Vital Vox festival, the BEAT festival and the SITE festival, and is a core member of Varispeed and thingNY. She recently performed at NYLiveArts in the critically acclaimed BELL by Yasuko Yokoshi.
Cristian Amigo is a composer, guitarist, producer and educator who has written avant-music for chamber ensembles, orchestra, opera, theater, and film. He presently directs The Gotham Roots Orchestra and Kingdom of Jones, and is composer-in-residence at INTAR Theater.
Miguel Frasconi is a composer and improvisor specializing in the relationship between acoustic objects and musical form. His work was recently featured in the Leonardo Music Journal (#22; Acoustics) and in 2012 The New York Times called his CAGE100 festival “one of the best observances of John Cage’s birthday.”
9:00
NewBorn Trio
Katie Down: Glass, Winds, & Strings, Jeffrey Lependorf: Shakuhachi & Flutes,
Miguel Frasconi: Glass & Small Instruments
Formed specifically to perform in Kosovo on their day of independence NewBorn Day, Katie Down, Jeffrey Lependorf, and Miguel Frasconi joined forces to become the NewBorn Trio. This unique ensemble combines handmade and found glass instruments, traditional asian flutes, plucked strings, and odd sound-making objects to evoke unimaginable musical textures.
Katie Down is a sound artist, composer, performer and sound designer for theatre, film, and dance. She performs on a wide range of instruments and leads the infamous ukulele group The Ukuladies. She has taught and performed extensively throughout Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and South Africa.
Jeffrey Lependorf is composer of operas and chamber music, as well as a certified master of the shakuhachi, the traditional Japanese bamboo flute. His music has literally been hear around the globe: a recording of his music was launched into space aboard the space-shuttle Atlantis and remained aboard the space station Mir.
Miguel Frasconi uses electronics and an instrumentarium of glass objects to create music from a uniquely imagined tradition. His glass instruments are struck, blown, stroked, smashed and otherwise coaxed into vibration. Miguel’s music is on New Albion Records and soon on Tzadik. He presently teaches at Bard College.
Satoshi Takeishi curates
