"Shawnee, Ohio" Part of Duke Performances 2018-19 Season

Back in 2016, Duke Performances was a co-commissioner of the “Shawnee, Ohio” project (along with Wexner Center for the Arts and Contemporary Arts Center). Now, I’m excited to bring “Shawnee” to Duke Performances this October 26 and 27 (2 nights!), as part of their 2018-19 season. What a stunning lineup of artists to be a part of! Find the catalog here.

In the season catalog, I get to share the same page (but not the same stage) as the legendary Emanuel Ax. The only other thing we’ve shared was a piano tuner back in 2003.

North of the Internet Conversation with Jerry David DeCicca

I had the pleasure of a conversation with my friend Jerry David DeCicca for North of the Internet. We talked about whether we care what other people think, what musicians we'd like to play like who make music nothing like our own, and front porch music vs. concert hall music. Find it here, on North of the Internet, a fascinating website of connections, constellations, and design.

A Blade of Grass Orientation in New York City

I spent this past weekend in New York City at the A Blade of Grass orientation. It's hard to believe that I get to be a part of such an amazing cohort of artists and organization. Listening to the artists explain their work -- in prisons and along the border, with food and literature and greenhouses and equine therapy, and in places from Philadelphia to New York to Texas to Puerto Rico to Alcatraz -- was truly an inspiring experience. I can’t wait to see how all of these projects continue to grow and unfold!

Article Published in SoundEffects Journal

I wrote an article for SoundEffects: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Sound and Sound Experience on the Sun Ra/El Saturn Collection, and the Experimental Sound Studio commissions to reinterpret the archival recordings. Many thanks to ESS, Lou Mallozzi, Cauleen Smith, Todd Carter, Damon Locks, and Terri Kapsalis. For fans of: Sun Ra, archival performances, archival homophones, ways of listening, archival authorship, and embodied archives.

Also: here’s a great quote from Amiri Baraka on Sun Ra’s wordplay: “Ra taught that a word is not only an idea, but a sound. It has force and power...and its many meanings manifest at once."

Find the article here.

2018 A Blade of Grass Fellows

I am SO thrilled and honored to be among this year's A Blade of Grass Fellows for Socially Engaged Art. What an amazing cohort of artists. It’s particularly exciting to have been selected as the ABOG Fellow for Contemplative Practice. It really means a lot to me, and I can’t wait to for the project to begin! #ABOGFellows #sociallyengagedart

Here is a link to an ArtNews article announcement.

Short Essay for the Liquid Music Blog

I wrote a short essay for the Liquid Music blog in advance of a performance of "Shawnee, Ohio" in St. Paul, Minnesota. The performance is on March 20, at Macalester College. Read the full essay here.

Interview: Brian Harnetty on "Shawnee, Ohio" for the Liquid Music Series Blog

In this interview, I talked with Mark Mazullo from Macalester College about the "Shawnee, Ohio" project and its upcoming performance for the Liquid Music Series in St. Paul, Minnesota on March 20. Read the full interview here.

"Shawnee Revisited" Opens at Carleton College, Minnesota

"Shawnee Revisited," a sound and 3-channel video installation based on remixed material from "Shawnee, Ohio," opens today at the Weitz Center for Creativity at Carleton College, Minnesota. A counterpart to a Liquid Music series performance in St. Paul on March 20, "Shawnee Revisited" evokes the sounds and images of the town and region, tracing the history of extraction from 19th century mining to today. Generous support from the Weitz Center for Creativity made this piece possible. More information on this installation project can be found here.

Solo Performance at Marshall University

I'll be presenting a solo performance of "Shawnee, Ohio" as part of Marshall University's "Appalachian Narratives: Notes on Identity," on Thursday, February 15, 2018. A Q&A session will follow.

"Shawnee, Ohio" part of 2017-18 Liquid Music Series

So pleased to announce that I'll be bringing Shawnee, Ohio to Minnesota as part of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra's 2017-18 Liquid Music Series. And what a fantastic series it is: expertly curated, timely, and exciting. We will be performing Shawnee on March 20, 2018, as part of the No Fiction Festival, at Mairs Concert Hall at Macalester College, St. Paul. In addition, there will be a related event: a sound and video installation at Carleton College based on Shawnee, Ohio.

"American Winter" 10-Year Anniversary Score

To celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the release of American Winter on Atavistic Records, I've made a score for the piece. It includes transcriptions of all of the different voices sampled. I still love these field recordings from the Berea Appalachian Sound Archives, and am thankful for being given access to them. Look for a collection of more Berea recordings in 2018, called The Night Is Drawing Nigh, on Dust-to-Digital! And, check out the score here.

Columbus Monthly Feature Article

Many thanks to Mya Frazier and Columbus Monthly for a thoughtful and in-depth article on Shawnee and recent performances of the "Shawnee, Ohio" project.

Click here to read the full article.

Feature Article in Columbus Monthly

A feature article on "Shawnee, Ohio" was published in the February 2017 issue of Columbus Monthly. The article is an in-depth and thoughtful investigation of the project and live performances, and my history as a composer who works with sound archives. It's a great honor!

Two 2017 Compilations

I am happy to be a part of two compilations this year:

The first, "Notes from Sub-Underground," is a compilation of music and sound made from over 50 artists. ALL proceeds are being donated to the ACLU. Find it here.
 

The second is Aquabear Legion's All-Ohio Vinyl Compilation, featuring 23 bands. Find it here!

Live Video at Wexner Center and Tecumseh Theater of "Shawnee, Ohio"

Live performance and Q&A excerpts are from the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, Ohio (October 27, 2016), and the Tecumseh Theater, Shawnee, Ohio (October 28, 2016).

Performers:
Jeremy Woodruff, Flute and Tenor Saxophone
Katie Porter, Bass Clarinet
Anna Roberts-Gevalt, Banjo and Violin
Liz Fisher, Violin
Jocelyn Hach, Viola
Jan Van Voorhis, Cello
Aaron Michael Butler, Vibraphone
Brian Harnetty, Piano and Electronics

Sound/Video Production:
Keith Hanlon, recording engineer, live sound engineer
Kevin Davison, videographer, video editor
Scott Austin, live sound engineer, Wexner Center for the Arts

Special thanks to: 
Charles Helm, Wexner Center for the Arts
John Winnenberg, Sunday Creek Associates

Photos of Live Performances at Wexner, CAC, and Shawnee

Above and below are photos from three recent performances. From top to bottom: Wexner Center for the Arts (October 27-8, 2016, photos by Kevin Davison); Contemporary Arts Center Cincinnati (November 3, 2016, photos by Asa Featherstone); and the Tecumseh Theater, Shawnee (October 29, 2016, photos by Kevin Davison).

"Elevator Pitch" at Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati

Drew Klein and I rode up the 6 floors of the Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati this past week. In that time, I had to explain what is at the heart of "Shawnee, Ohio," which we were performing that week in the CAC's black box performance space. We did it in one take!

Art Makes Columbus Statement →

I wrote a few words for Art Makes Columbus about working as a composer here, and on the upcoming premiere of "Shawnee, Ohio" at #theWex next week. Read here or click through to their tumblr:

I grew up in Westerville, and my parents have deep family roots in southeastern Ohio, in Perry County. My favorite memory from childhood is walking in my grandfather’s orchard in Junction City, picking and eating apples until my stomach hurt. In 1998, I moved to London to study music composition. After finishing, my teacher there encouraged me to come back to Ohio; he thought I might thrive better here than anywhere else. Even though I wanted to stay in London, I knew that he was right, so I moved back. I never forgot his advice. I’ve often felt pretty lost since then. Slowly, I built a creative voice here. I started working with local and regional sound archives, and the communities connected to them. In 2010, I began to visit, record, and write about Shawnee, a town in Appalachian Ohio, where my mom’s family emigrated to as coal miners in the 1870s. I did a lot of listening––to people and places––and made a piece called “Shawnee, Ohio” that traces the history of mining and energy extraction in the region. Now, I am performing this music for audiences in Ohio (including in Shawnee) and around the country. I feel compelled to honor the voices of the people that have lived and worked in Shawnee, to share their stories, and to add my voice in solidarity to those working as stewards of their own places.

Listen to an Excerpt of "Neva" from "Shawnee, Ohio"

A short promotional excerpt by Claudia Esslinger of "Neva," for the upcoming world premiere performances at the Wexner Center for the Arts (October 27-28), Shawnee (October 29), and Contemporary Arts Center Cincinnati (November 3). "Neva" is from the forthcoming 2017 album "Shawnee, Ohio," on Dust-to-Digital Records. "Shawnee, Ohio" is co-commissioned by the Wexner Center for the Arts, Duke Performances, and Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati. "Shawnee, Ohio" is a project of Creative Capital.