Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts Presents a Sonic Delights Festival

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Press Contact:
Lon Bouldin, 917.370.1002, lon@venturespr.com

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts Presents a Sonic Delights Festival

— In the Garden of Sonic Delights —

SUNDAY, JULY 20, 10AM-8PM

Electro-acoustic Performances, Insightful & Informative Discussion Panels,

Guided & Self-Guided Walking Tours, and More…

 

One-Day-Only Showing of Two Additional Sound Artworks:  Rainforest IV and Sisyphus 2.0 

 Katonah, NY (Summer 2014) – On Sunday, July 20, 10AM to 8PM, Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts will present a Sonic Delights Festival – a day of events celebrating its major open-air sound art exhibition, In the Garden of Sonic Delights (Sonic Delights). Led by the exhibit’s Curator and Artistic Director Stephan Moore, Sonic Delights features site-specific artworks commissioned by Caramoor and created by established and emerging sound artists around the Caramoor grounds and across Westchester County. The daylong celebration will feature public discussions, tours, and a concert of forward-thinking music by prominent sound artists. In addition, Caramoor will expand the exhibition’s offerings with a one-day showing of two additional sound art pieces, David Tudor’s Rainforest IV and The Nerve Tank’s Sisyphus 2.0.  The Sonic Delights exhibition will remain open through November 2, 2014.

Sound artists featured in the Caramoor portion of the exhibition are Laurie Anderson, Bob Bielecki, Betsey Biggs, Eli Keszler, Annea Lockwood, Francisco López, Stephan Moore, Scott Smallwood, Suzanne Thorpe, Trimpin, and Stephen Vitiello; while works by Ranjit Bhatnagar, Aaron Taylor Kuffner, John Morton, Bruce Odland, and Ed Osborn will also be open at Caramoor partner sites across Westchester County (see gardenofsonicdelights.org for full details).

HIGHLIGHTS – SONIC DELIGHTS FESTIVAL

1:00PM – RAINFOREST IV LECTURE/DEMONSTRATION

At Caramoor’s Tapestry Hedge, John Driscoll and Phil Edelstein of Composers Inside Electronics will be discussing the historic installation, Rainforest IV, demonstrating the physics and technology of its workings, and talking about its place within the history of sound art.  A question and answer session will be included.

3:00PM – PANEL DISCUSSION WITH SONIC DELIGHTS ARTISTS

Also at the Tapestry Hedge, moderator Carol Parkinson, longtime Executive Director of Harvestworks (a venerable New York City institution that supports new & experimental music, sound art, and video production) will lead a panel of Sonic Delights artists to discuss their work, the recent proliferation and practice of sound art, and to offer a question and answer opportunity for the audience.

5:00PM – CONCERT, SPANISH COURTYARD

Completing a full day of sound art experiences, an evening concert will feature the quartet, Volume VI, and pianist Vicky Chow performing the work, Surface Image, a composition by Tristan Perich for piano and 40 speakers with electronics. Volume VI is a quartet that includes two Sonic Delights artists – laptop artist Stephan Moore and electro-acoustic flutist Suzanne Thorpe.  The group also features electro-acoustic harpist Shelley Burgon and turntablist Maria Chavez.

ABOUT – RAINFOREST IV and SISYPHUS 2.0

Rainforest IV (1973) is an electro-acoustic environment conceived by the late composer/performer David Tudor and realized by Composers Inside Electronics, a group of composers/performers dedicated to the composition and live performance of electronic and electro-acoustic music using both software and circuitry designed and constructed by individual composers.  Rainforest IV is an exploration where the audience is invited to move freely among the sculptures and listen directly to the objects. To date, Rainforest IV is one of the most performed contemporary music works, performed over 150 times in more than 40 locations worldwide.

Sisyphus 2.0 (2013) is an interactive sound sculpture created by NYC theater company The Nerve Tank. The piece is a 6-foot steel sphere that makes sound, which changes as the sphere is rolled around.  A hands-on interactive piece, the audience will be able to “play” it like a huge instrument.  The work was premiered last year in midtown Manhattan as part of an Arts Brookfield production.

ABOUT – CARAMOOR CENTER FOR MUSIC AND THE ARTS:

Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is a performing arts center located on a unique 90-acre setting of Italianate architecture and gardens in Westchester County, NY. It enriches the lives of its audiences through innovative and diverse musical performances of the highest quality.  Its mission also includes mentoring young professional musicians and providing educational programs for young children centered around music. Audiences are invited to come early to explore the beautiful grounds, tour the historic Rosen House, enjoy a pre-concert picnic, and discover beautiful music in the relaxed settings of the Venetian Theater, Spanish Courtyard, Music Room of the Rosen House, and the magnificent gardens. To learn more, visit caramoor.org.

In the Garden of Sonic Delights will be open starting June 7.  Exhibition hours will be Thursday-Sunday, 10AM-3PM. Admission is $10.00 (children 12 and under are free), including all-day access to the Caramoor grounds for the exhibit, picnics, and walks.

In the Garden of Sonic Delights is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

 

 In the Garden of Sonic Delights is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

 

 

In the Garden of Sonic Delights is supported by New Music USA, made possible by annual program support and/or endowment gifts from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Francis Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts, and Anonymous.

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