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👉 Duration: 70 min.
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JUICY (for piano and audiovisual projection, 2010, 10 min, animation assistance: John Edmark) by Jaroslaw Kapuscinski

Fruits and music have a lot in common. Both can be vividly colorful and structurally geometric but even in most formal settings they are never purely abstract. Music is anchored in the body and its emotions, while fruit evokes associations of taste and smell. Their expression is intense yet very direct and appears effortless. Even the simplest melodies or commonest of berries can be intense and sensuous.  The six-movement suite fuses  live piano music with images of fruits that were produced using stop-motion technique on a traditional animation stand. 

The rhythm of video editing and overall flow of imagery is controlled by the pianist using AI enabled program that listens and anticipates her pacing. 

Steven Sondheim Into the Woods arrangement by Andy Akiho with paintings by Camryn Connolly                                                           

A fairytale told by prepared piano.

A prepared piano is a piano that has had its sounds temporarily altered by placing bolts, screws, mutes, rubber erasers, and/or other objects on or between the strings. Its invention is usually traced to John Cage's dance music for Bacchanale (c. 1938), created without room for a percussion orchestra. Typical of Cage's practice as summed up in the Sonatas and Interludes (1946–48) is that each key of the piano has its own characteristic timbre, and that the original pitch of the string will not necessarily be recognizable. Further variety is available with use of the una corda pedal.

Jenny Q Chai being one of the most well-known contemporary pianists internationally, and a student of John Cage’s students, introduced prepared piano to China for the very first time, together with pianist Piotr Tomasz in 2012.

Composer’s note on arranging this piece. Andy Akiho: “the first time i listened to it i loved the concept of Into the Woods—being lost in and confused by the woods, and the consistent and driving rhythms of the opening prologue. i was also intrigued by Sondheim’s innovative and witty use of spoken narrative against his catchy melodies, particularly during each character’s introduction. My goal in re-imagining this pro- logue was to orchestrate each character’s personality with the use of prepared piano—for example, dimes on the strings for the cow scenes, poster tack on the strings for door knocks and narrated phrases, and credit card string-clusters for the wicked witch. My goal was to portray each char- actor’s story and mystical journey using exotic piano timbres in place of text.”

Dr. Chai came across Camryn Connolly’s paintings when she submitted her painting for global warming painting contest accompanying Dr. Chai’s global warming program Acqua Alta, her painting was a prize winner. Among many paintings, Dr. Chai was especially impressed by Connolly’s works and decided to pair her paintings with Into the Woods, to describe the state of our world and our current reactions and situations regarding our environment.

Chenchu Rong percussionist, jazz vibraphonist, composer, arranger. The percussion faculty (Assiocated professor) of Shanghai Normal University. By the US media as “The Music leader of today's music"; World Art Music Maestro Mr. Tan Dun called it "rare music pioneer" Started racing around the world in 2009 and won lots awards; and began as a percussion soloist to start around the world. Including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, Philadelphia Philharmonic Orchestra, Abu Dhabi Art World Summit, Los Angeles Ghat Museum, France Lyon Symphony Orchestra, Dutch Royal Symphony Orchestra, Germany Stuttgart Symphony Orchestra, Italy Tuscany Symphony Orchestra, Holland Rotterdam Symphony Orchestra. In addition to contracting with the world's top groups, in the cross-border, popular, rock elements of the collision is endless. Participated in a variety of large-scale variety show recording, including "China's good song", "I am a singer", "China good voice" US station, "Hang Gai- symphony rock" and other performances.

In addition, Chenchu is committed to the development of Chinese music diversification and the spirit of global music fusion. In the creation and playing, bold innovation, creating a number of new percussion with a bold breakthrough. The combination of music and art to an updated height. And as the youngest planner and promoter of several art festivals. Including the "Music Republic" project art music director, "modern lab global art polymerization program" sponsor, "music legend" project music director, "global music children training program" total planning and so on. Since 2016 she starts to have 4 different kinds of ensembles which contains classical chamber to modal jazz. She starts to create a Chinese traditional concept into these two music genres. And later she starts to bring her music and concepts to different institute and music festivals which got super huge compliments.

BIO:

Jacob Charles was born 1987 in New Mexico, USA. He graduated from Texas A&M University, studying composition and computer music under Dr. Jeff Morris. He finished his studies in Japan under the guidance of Dr. Martin Regan where he studied traditional Japanese performing arts and composition.

After graduating, Jacob moved to China, studying guqin performance. He was awarded a 4 year scholarship to pursue advanced studies in guqin and composition at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing. He studied qin under guqin master Zhao Xiaoxia, and composition with Professor Ye Xiaogang. Jacob has held solo recitals for guqin in both Beijing and Shanghai, and has been invited across China to share his guqin music. Beyond traditional works, he also performs his own compositions for the instrument. Jacob previously held a lecturer position at the Central Conservatory of Music, teaching a doctoral course on the relationship of American music and literature. He is currently an instructor of theory/composition at FaceArt Institute of Music in Shanghai.

Dr. Christoph Kirst is Assistant Professor for theoretical neuroscience at the University of California San Francisco and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory studying the mechanisms underlying flexible brain computation and function. He studied mathematics and theoretical physics at the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Berlin and Göttingen and obtained a PhD in theoretical physics from the Max Plank Institute for Dynamics and Self-organization.

Dr. Kirst started to play piano at the age of 10 and studied classical percussion with Andrea Schneider in Germany starting at the age of 12. He performed with many different classical orchestras including the 'Junges Philharmonisches Orchester' of Germany and youth orchestras of Lower Saxony and Bremen as well as professional orchestras, including the NDR Radiophilharmonie Hanover. He was part of many contemporary and percussion ensembles, including the percussion ensemble of the music academy of Hanover, the contemporary "Ensemble Daniel Ott,”

Sean began studying piano, violin, and composition at age five, as well as conducting at age nine. He is currently an eleventh grade student at the High School Affiliated to the Shanghai Conservatory, majoring in conducting. Aside from engaging in school-wide performances and events, Sean has been actively participating as a conductor and pianist at several international music festivals, such as Calgary Philharmonic’s Morningside Music Bridge, Interlochen Center for the Arts, and The Walden School’s Young Musicians Program etc. He has performed in several renowned venues such as New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall, Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall, and the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center. He also took on the role of a vocal and chamber coach at Shanghai Symphony Orchestra’s MISA festival.

Ziyi Wang, Young percussionist.

She studied under the famous young percussion player Chenchu Rong,  and have a good percussion foundation, good at western percussion, combination percussion, national percussion of various styles of different types of percussion. In 2019, she started experimenting with multiple percussion styles, including dramatic percussion, improvisation percussion and theater percussion. Under the guidance of Teacher Chenchu Rong she tried different percussion styles and variations, and more perfect combinations of timbre and technique, music and space, sound and art. While in school, she joined the Percussion Ensemble of Shanghai Normal University, ChuChu belief Vibes and ChuChu Improvising Vibes for performance. She Won the first prize of Youth Ensemble of Philharmonic orchestra in percussion competition held by IPEA, the authoritative percussion competition in China.

Acting experience:

She acted in the 90th anniversary and grand Opening of Cadillac Shanghai Concert Hall: "Return" Tan Dun concert with Shanghai Opera House Symphony Orchestra

World art and music master Tan Dun producedlive music "a drop of water on the ceiling" series performance

Symphonic rock · Bach cosmic Tan Dun, Hanggai Band and Suzhou Symphony Orchestra.

Special performance by Shanghai Children's Art Theater: Baby Do re mi -- Looking for interesting sounds

Track List

Jaroslaw Kapuscinski Juicy (12) 

Andy Akiho Into the Woods (9) 

Annie Gosfield Brooklyn, Oct 5, 1941 (5) 

—Intermission—

World premiere Jacob Charles (11)

Steve Reich Clapping Music (5)

Andy Akiho Synesthesia Suite 

Murasaki purple (7)

Orange (5)

Beige （8）

Red (8)