Saturday, October 5, 2019

Music for 150 Carpenters at the Berman Museum, October 26, 2019


I am honored to be a part of this upcoming performance of composer, sound artist, and sculptor Douglas Henderson's epic Music for 150 Carpenters at the Berman Museum of Art, October 26, 2019. I will be assisting Doug in teaching the piece to a team of "lead carpenters," who will then conduct their crews in two performances of the work. It should be a lot of fun.

I interviewed Doug back in 2009 ahead of the Brooklyn premiere of Music for 100 Carpenters, and he provided plenty of insight into his compositional and recording processes. You can check out the interview here.

From the Ursius College website:

In celebration of Ursinus College’s 150th anniversary, the Berman Museum of Art’s 30th anniversary, and the many individuals who have collaborated in the building of our remarkable institution, the museum will present a special performance piece by Douglas Henderson titled Music for 150 Carpenters.

Based on Henderson’s Music for 100 Carpenters, first conducted in 2009 in Brooklyn, this site-specific, multimedia piece will include a 30-minute live performance, where the audience will sit in the middle of the Main Gallery. Surrounding them along the perimeter will be 150 carpenters, consisting of not only professional, regional carpenters, but local artists, museum professionals, Ursinus faculty and staff, and of course, students. Henderson will compose an immersive sound performance featuring 150 workers, 150 sawhorses, 150 hammers, and some 10,000 nails, working in unison to create a unique score. Under the guidance of job supervisors, the sounds of construction will become waves of tonal murmur throughout the gallery. Tool belts, sweat, and lunchboxes will also be a part of the score that celebrates the college’s anniversaries with pomp, while acknowledging the diverse sources of physical and intellectual labor that are at the core of every academic and art institution.

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