Full Title: the guests did not care anyway/ a vision of ultimate cunt and come/ to this river, to this song of a thousand voices

This three part electronic composition was created as a multi-speaker installation and interactive performance for Electronic and Computer Music in 2008.  The piece contains eight unique simultaneous tracks, and the following is a mix onto stereo left and right.

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With respect to content,  I wanted to make it a retrospective piece, as it was my final performance in university.  The title comes from quotes from three books that coincided with phases and experiences in my development while at school.  The first part is from The Fountainhead, the second is from Howl, and the third is from Siddharta.

The composition is made up of eight tracks to be played simultaneously from different sources.  Form wise, I wanted to make a piece of music that one could actively explore in a space.  I wanted people to wander through a room and hear something different wherever they are. This piece was created for eight speakers, which were placed around the Dorothy Betts theater in GWU, surrounding the audience.

Performance

It was the last performance of the evening and the audience was invited to get up and wander around.  From behind the stage metal was struck during the first part and a red light filled the auditorium.  In the second part, the lights turned blue and an acoustic guitar player sat among the audience seating.  Glowsticks were handed out in a previous performance during the night, and they glowed as audience members wanders the aisles, the stage, or the seats.  For the drum part a synthesizer was played live alongside the speakers. In the final part a group of audience members settled sitting facing each other in a circle in the center of the stage.

Thanks

I am very grateful to those who collaborated and provided support during the piece

Recorded Performers: Karinne’ Hovnanian, Kiran Sarabu, Roshini Mahtani, William Gibb

Live Acoustic Guitar: Jeff Lamoureux

Speakers, setup, and guidance: Steve Hilmy

This was performed on May 1st 2008 as the final piece in the 2008 Electronic and Computer Music Concert in the Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre in Washington D.C.