(un) Wired: Dana Jessen
Thursday, October 24, 2024 at 7:00pm
Ring Family Performing Arts Hall
Free and open to the public
Dana Jessen | bassoon, improvisation, electronics
(un) Wired: Dana Jessen
(un) Wired (2024) by Dana Jessen with live-processing interface by Ted Moore
Gentle Stricture by Kyle Bruckmann
Through a Fragile Traverse (2020) by Dana Jessen with video by Eli Stine
Dana Jessen’s (un) Wired is a solo electroacoustic and improvisatory work that incorporates sonic environments and live processing through a custom-made electronic interface created by Ted Moore. (un) Wired is a variational piece, therefore the duration is not fixed. The piece showcases Jessen’s unique musical language while interacting with digital processes and sound worlds that takes the listener through a visceral sonic journey.
Kyle Bruckmann’s Gentle Stricture (2022) draws from the Creative Music Continuum—a piece for improvisers that requires quick, real-time, decisions that shape a span of sonic environments. The fixed electronics offer a backdrop for the improvisers while reflecting Bruckmann’s electroacoustic aesthetic with glitchy synthesizers and industrial soundscapes.
Through a Fragile Traverse (2020) is the result of a collaboration between performer-composer Dana Jessen and video artist Eli Stine. The work travels through unexplored terrain with mesmerizing visuals and other-worldly sounds, all largely informed through themes of vulnerability and impermanence. The piece was produced by Continuum Culture & Arts as part of its Soup & Sound Online program, made possible by public funds from the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and from the Decentralization Program of the New York State Council on the Arts.
PROFILE
Hailed as a “bassoon virtuoso” (Chicago Reader) and 2023 Cleveland Arts Prize winner, Dana Jessen tirelessly seeks to expand the boundaries of her instrument through original compositions, improvisations, and collaborative work with innovative artists. Over the past decade, she has presented dozens of world premiere performances throughout North America and Europe while maintaining equal footing in the creative music community as an improviser. Her solo performances are almost entirely grounded in electroacoustic composition that highlight her distinct musical language. As a chamber musician, Dana is the co-founder of the contemporary reed quintet Splinter Reeds, and has performed with Alarm Will Sound, Amsterdam’s DOEK Collective, the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, and the Tri-Centric Ensemble, among many others. A dedicated educator, Dana teaches at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and has presented masterclasses and workshops to a range of students from across the globe. More at: www.danajessen.com