NEW MUSIC THURSDAYS
JULY 20, 2006, 8PM
($6-10 sliding scale, no one refused for lack of funds)

RESERVE NOW (pass/show):
reservations@me-di-ate.net
(Reservations strongly encouraged. Aconfirmation email will be sent; List open till 6:00 PM day of show; pay at show: guarantees seating, must claim ticket/pass by 8PM show date or seat will be given away to waitlist walk-ins)

**Please bring love letters to be used in one of the pieces**

Curated by Alan So
Albert Ortega
Stefan Smuvoliz & Viviane Huele
Alon Nechustan featuring Damon Smith

I AM SOUND explores the experiences where the audience becomes an integral part of sound production. LA Artist Albert Ortega’s Village Array creates a sound installation allowing participants to fully immerse themselves into sound-emitting enclosures, for the head, hands, and ears. Canadian electronic and vocal duo of Stefan Smuvolitz and Viviane Huele transforms words into improvised music using audience love letters and texts with proprietary software that manipulate sounds and music in real time. Special guest Damon Smith performs New York composer Alon Nechustan's Dark Forces 3, an improvisation between electronics and live double-bass while the audience manipulate sound travels.

See:
SF WEEKLY

ALBERT ORTEGA (Performer)
Albert Ortega, a Los Angeles native, instrument builder, and situationist, considers his immediate surroundings as the primary energy in which to capture, blend, and release sound using environmental instruments / instrumental environments that are modified with each performance. His sound practice explores the tactile relationships of the body with objects among other bodies negotiating their presence within a space. He has installed/performed both solo and collectively at various Underground / Experimental / New Music venues, festivals, residences, and outdoor spaces such as The Museum of Jurassic Technology, Villa Aurora, Field Effects 4, SCI-Arc, CEAIT Festival 2003,Sonorities 2005, and Knitting Factory. He is a recipient of the American Composers Forum Subito grant and the Maybeck Studio award. www.resontropic.com

STEFAN SMULOVITZ/VIVANE HOULE (Performers)
Stefan Smulovitz and Viviane Houle seamlessly combine the infinite possibilities of voice and computer in an exploration of beauty and chaos. Together, they weave through a terrain of free improvisation, improvised songs and unearthly soundscapes to immerse audiences into another world, and creating unforgettable concerts in surround sound. Stefan Smulovitz transforms the laptop into an instrument using his custom software Kenaxis. He is renowned for his “quicksilver ability to morph and manipulate sound via digital technology� (Georgia Straight). He is a performer on both laptop and viola, and has created over 40 live scores for film. As a prize-winning composer, his electro-acoustic works have been installed at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles and his composition “eleven� premiered with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in April 2006. Musical maverick Viviane Houle is a vocalist and composer who defies categorization. With her drop dead gorgeous voice, Viviane captivates audiences wherever she performs, from the opera house to the concert hall to the most intimate of jazz clubs. She has performed with Vancouver Opera, the Vancouver Symphony and Standing Wave Ensemble and has released a CD of original songs and improvisations with Existential Angst Party. www.kenaxis.com

Damon Smith (Performer)
Double bass improviser Damon Jesse Smith started music in 1991on fender bass and lead several punk/art rock combos until 1994. Damon then sold the fender bass and concentrated solely on double bass and free music. His music is rooted in the tradition of "free jazz", working with the orchestras and small ensembles of alto saxophonist Marco Eneidi. Damon's live and recorded efforts focus on continuing and expanding the possibilities of the double bass and "instant composition." His instrumental study focuses on classical technique and etudes, while using jazz as reference for pizzicato tone. Damon performs as a soloist to large orchestra to everyhting in between. He has collaborated with dancers, actors and poets and has performed in festivals in Berlin, Italy and across the US. www.balancepointacoustics.com

ALON NECHUSHTAN (Composer)
Alon Nechushtan is a New York-based composer and musician. His compositions have been performed in over 30 countries including Japan and South Africa and his work has been commissioned by ensembles in the United States, his native Israel and Europe. Alon has collaborated with visual artists and composed music for films, modern dances and theater. He studied music theory and composition in Jerusalem and received his Masters of Music in composition and improvisation from the New England Conservatory.

ALAN SO (Curator)
Alan So has been creating and supporting innovative art for over 10 years. He believes art is a cultural revolution and catalyst for enlightenment-- one that evokes thought and inspires action. He pursues this revolution with intense fervor giving people progressive ideas and tools to better live, think, and interact with the world around them, one mind at a time. An accomplished artist and a professional designer, this advocate of art intersects his many abilities to become producer, organizer, curator, programmer, promoter, director, and founder of MEDIATE NETWORK, a forum for diverse artists to create and disseminate works to a world in desperate need of innovative ideas. With MEDIATE, he has conceived of and produced such projects as The.ME.Project and Project>Soundwave, bringing together artists from around the globe and organizing exhibitions and events Online, in New York City, the San Francisco Bay Area and his native Canada. www.me-di-ate.net