The Styrous® Viewfinder: 06/01/2013

Last Friday, June 21, I enjoyed a celebration of the summer solstice by attending the Garden of Memory performances at the Chapel of the Chimes crematory and columbarium in Oakland, CA. I know, I hear you saying, "Say, WHAT?!" Well, that's where the event was held and it couldn't have been in a better location.

I love firsts. They say there's a first time for everything and it was two firsts for me. I had never been to the Chapel of the Chimes and I had never attended any of the Garden of Memory performances. Both are incredible!

First the venue. The Chapel of the Chimes is one of the most beautiful and unusual buildings I have every been in. Designed by architect, Julia Morgan, and built in 1928, the Moorish and Gothic-inspired interior is a wonder to behold. It's footprint appears small but the architecture, details and lighting are extraordinary. The spaces range from tiny to huge laid out in a dizzying maze of rooms, corridors, nooks and crannies filled with fountains, statuary, mosaics and stonework. Photos of the Chapel can be seen here.

What was the event? Presentations of new and experimental music and sound constructions by San Francisco Bay Area musician and sound artists. This performance was unusual in that it was not watched/listened to in the traditional theatrical setting. There was absolutely no seating; instead the audience wandered throughout the building to the various locations where the artists were performing. There were over a hundred of them. There was no concept of a start or ending with some of them and they could be listened to for as long as one wished. When ready, one could wander on to the next performer. Because of the confusing maze of the architecture, turning a corner resulted in surprising encounters.

(click on any image to see slideshow)

program site map

photo by Styrous©

The spaces are unique and lent themselves extremely well to the essence of the performances for the event, making each performance an intimate dialogue between the performer and the listener. You might call it, Post-Modern chamber music. There were so many performers in so many locations I was not able to see all of them but this is what I saw and heard.

The first performers the attendees encountered were Jaroba and Keith Cary who did their magic in front of the Chapel.

Jaroba
photo by Styrous©

Keith Cary
photo by Styrous©

Katrina Wreede inside the main entrance
photo by Styrous©

Didier Petit and Sylvain Kassap (on the left) performed with
Xu Fengxia (on the right)

photos by Styrous©

Dean Santomieri (left) and Thea Farhadian (right)
performed duets
photos by Styrous©

Del Sol Quartet

photo by Styrous©

left: Dylan Mattingly right: Wobbly and
and Eli Wirtschafter Thomas DiMuzio
photos by Styrous©

Juraj Kojs

Juraj Kojs
photos by Styrous©

Silvia Matheus electronic sound constructions
photo by Styrous©

Karen Stackpole of Sabbaticus Rex
photo by Styrous©

Larnie Fox and the Crank Ensemble
photo by Styrous©

Laura Inserra
photo by Styrous©

Lucky Dragons
photos by Styrous©

Maggi Payne performed on theremin
and showed visitors how to use it
photos by Styrous©

left: Monique Buzzarte right: Mark Deutsch
on trombone of Sabbaticus Rex
photos by Styrous©

Pamela Z performed her amazing vocalizations
photos by Styrous©

left: Phil Gelb right: Randy Porter

photos by Styrous©

My only regret of the evening was that I was not able to hear and photograph all of the artists and their incredible performances. The reason, I spent too much time at many of the performances and I kept getting lost and arrived too late to see many at the location they were performing because it was too jammed to get into by the time I got there. I guess I'll have to go again next year but I don't think that will really be a problem. I can hardly wait!

Performers I missed hearing or photographing:

    •    Sarah Cahill
    •    Cardew Choir
    •    Luciano Chessa
    •    Beth Custer

• Paul Dresher and Joel Davel
• Elements Trio

• Guillermo Galindo and Sangita Moskow

• Wayne Grim

    •    Henry Kaiser
    •    John Kennedy, Adam Fong and Brent Miller
    •    Stephen Kent

• Living Earth Show

• Miya Masaoka and Larry Ochs

• Amy X Neuburg
• Orchestra Nostalgico

• Tim Phillips
• Dan Plonsey

• Eric Glick Rieman

    •    Edward Schocker
    •    Jason Victor Serinus
    •    Kent Sparling
    •    Benjamin Tinker
    •    Wild Rumpus New Music Collective
    •    William Winant Percussion Group
    •    Theresa Wong

Performer notes with a whole lot of interesting information about them can be found on the Garden of Memory website.

The event was sponsored by New Music Bay Area which was founded in 1994 to celebrate the world of new music in the Bay Area. Its mission is to support and extend the legacy of the Bay Area new music community and its traditions by fostering new works and projects.

Since 1996 New Music Bay Area has hosted The Garden of Memory walk-through concert every June 21st from 5pm-9pm at The Chapel of the Chimes.

Chapel of the Chimes

4499 Piedmont Ave.

Oakland, CA.

510-400-7498

New Music Bay Area is also a supporter of the monthly L@TE concerts at the Berkeley Art Museum which are curated by Sarah Cahill BAM/PFA L@TE.

Links to L@TE events at the Berkeley Art Museum (BAM) that have been featured on the Styrous Viewfinder:

BAMscape @ the BAM
Barry McGee @ the BAM

Ellen Fullman @ the BAM

Terry Riley: PIPE DREAMS @ the BAM
Terry Riley: Encore @ the BAM with Tracy Silverman

Styrous© ~ Monday, June 24, 2013

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The Stroopie Gourmet

Life is terrific! A never ending experience of one great discovery after another. I had my first Stroopwafel at the JABC Open Studios last weekend.

(click on any image to see slideshow)

WOW!

They are a marvelous kind of waffle and caramel sandwich that is pressed á la Italian panini. Oh, boy, that sounds good, sure, but watching them make it is even better. :-)