Seth Woods, Cellist

Sunday, March 22
Admission: $10/5 students, $10 minimum
Showtime: 8pm
reservations are recommended

"I am writing you from a far off land..."

This project is intended to present the cello from yet another angle: The challenge for me was to find works that utilized vocal and percussive traditions and use those as inspiration for the rest of the work. In the end I found composers that were able to give the cello life. I want to be able to hear the cello kick, scream, punch, seduce, cry, yell for sanctuary and "sing" to the gods. The works of Mikael Karlsson, Chinary Ung, Christos Hatzis, Marie Incontrera and Joan Jeanrenaud all embody this motif. The works draw from cultures as diverse Arabic, Cambodian and African. Yet with such differences they are all able to share rich traditions in communicating through voice.

The production is then taken further with the live video interaction from artist Destiny Palmer along with still photo slides. To go further, a great deal of the show is escalated with electronic overlay with delay, reverb, heavy thunder of pizzicato, haunting drones and vivid visuals which all come together to deliver a product of classical-meets-rock- and –electronic. Palmer creates a visual palette only for a few of the pieces in a montage of the world as we see it. It tells the stories of lost hope, uplifting spirits, confusion, seduction, the passing of close ones and the memories that live on. This coupled with the music of the listed composers creates a world language with which everyone is able to understand and take something from.

Chinary Ung- Khse Buon for Solo Cello
Mikael Karlsson- Comet Home
Christos Hatzis- In the Fire of Conflict (US Premiere)
Marie Incontrera- Playing in the Caves

links:
www.myspace.com/sethwoodsmusic
www.myspace.com/excommunities
www.hatzis.com

Photograph by Miranda Lichtenstein.