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Composer seminar // Rachel Beetz
20.01.2023 - 12:45 til 20.01.2023 - 14:00
Dynjandi, Skipholti 31 - 105 Rvk
The next guest in our seminar series is composer and flutist Rachel Beetz with her presentation Formal / Unofficial / Inner Ear.
How does formal intent affect the sonic outcome of composition? How can we extract values of improvisation into a communicable set of instructions? This lecture examines the compositional approaches of her sound practice on a spectrum from open improvisation through music notation. It will also show how improvisatory practices can be extrapolated into an open-notation musical score, thus transferring/translating the inner ear of her original performance into another’s body. Ultimately, we find that following the inner ear, in any strategy, results in a cohesive sonic relationship among creative works.
As a composer and sound artist, Rachel Beetz explores presence through sound and listening. Her works recreate her deep listening adventures in the wild, exploring hidden worlds of humans, nature, and machines. Combining experimental field recordings and electronically modified flutes, her works examine community, environmentalism, and women’s work through sound, video, textiles, and lighting. Her projects have been featured in concert halls and galleries in Australia, Iceland, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States. She appears on Blue Griffin, iiki, Microfest Records, Neuma, Orenda, and Populist Records. She holds a DMA in contemporary performance practice from the University of California, San Diego. Currently living Los Angeles, CA she teaches flute and electronic music production at Moorpark and Pomona Colleges. In 2023, she is developing a research project on hearing and listening in a series of workshops and interviews for a forthcoming podcast and book.
