[COMMISSION] Ashcan Orchestra: New Instruments and New Works

About

Pat Spadine’s Ashcan Orchestra presents a two-part evening of innovative sounds, culminating in the premiere of a collection of electro-mechanical instruments and “Shesings Herself a Littlesong: 6 Psalms of Celebration" for instruments and voice, performed by mezzo soprano Amirtha Kidambi.

The performance will utilize instruments designed from handbells, slide whistles, and other noisemakers interfaced and automated by light, sound, and other sensors using CMOS digital logic chips and mechanical memory. The evening will kick off with new and old pieces that focus on Boolean logic, an algebraic form in which all values are reduced to either true or false. After a brief reset, the instruments be reconfigured to form a chamber ensemble sized music-box with performers using sound and light to steer the new work.

The Ashcan Orchestra is simultaneously the audio-visual outlet of composer Pat Spadine and a collection of toy, re-appropriated, and homemade instruments. A revolving performance ensemble based in New York City since 2007, The Ashcan Orchestra presents new music and rituals in celebration and emulation of the physics and mathematics that bind the known universe.