This event is part of "Everyday Experimental," a series drawing inspiration from commonplace activities and inconsequential sounds of the everyday.
Born in New Zealand, Annea Lockwood’s work ranges from sound art and installations to text-sound and performance art to concert music. Performed by performed by Lois Svard and Olivia Block, Ear-Walking Woman, for prepared piano and adventurous pianist, is an open-ended exploration; the piece determines which “tools” are used in each section, and the pianist is asked to listen closely to the sounds created by each action. The piece was commissioned by Lois Svard, and is dedicated to her.
Well-known as a champion of American experimental music, pianist Lois Svard has commissioned, premiered and recorded well over a dozen works, including works by Robert Ashley, Alvin Lucier, “Blue” Gene Tyranny, William Duckworth, Elodie Lauten, Kyle Gann, Jerry Hunt, and Kirk Nurock. Her DVD of Annea Lockwood's Ear-Walking Woman, released by Innovera Studios, has been called "fascinating," "irresistible," and "a superb way to experience Lockwood's work." Svard has recorded for Innovera Studios and Lovely Music, Ltd.
Svard has performed throughout the US and in Europe. Her performances celebrate the avant-garde in piano music, whether in the music of Franz Liszt in the nineteenth century, or in more recent works using multimedia, prepared piano, digital keyboard or microtonal tunings. Svard currently combines her twin passions for the piano and the study of the brain in an exploration of the applications of current research in neuroscience to the study and performance of music. She has presented results of her work at both neuroscience and music conferences in the U.S., Germany, and, most recently, Beijing, China. Svard holds a doctorate in piano performance from The Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University.
Olivia Block creates original sound compositions for concerts, site-specific multi-speaker installations, film, and performance. Her compositions often include field recordings, scored segments for chamber instruments, and electronic textures. She works with chamber ensembles, using both notation and improvisation techniques, and performs partially improvised compositions for inside-piano and electronics. Her recording with Greg Kelley is forthcoming from Erstwhile Records.
