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Abstract Glass Building

Ex Machina

Piano in the

21st century

A visually immersive program featuring six world premieres written for the piano and two genre-crossing new  collaborative works 

EX MACHINA  is an interdisciplinary and multimedia project exploring the complex connections and relationship between technology and humanity through visual art and music. Evolving technology has been changing our lives, including how we experience arts and music. The title, Ex Machina, or From the Machine, reflects on humanity's creativity and struggle of identity in this fast changing world.  As a starting point, the piano is a musical machine with which I create sound stories to evoke ideas and emotions. In this project, we will explore the machine’s multifaceted meanings artistically, musically, and philosophically.

Collaborators

Program

 

Act I

Atomic Pulse

Crystal Prelude No. 1 (solo piano)

Cryoacoustic Orb Installation Video

Reena Esmail, composer

Lee Weisert and Jonathon Kirk, sound installation designers

*Clinamina (piano and electronics)

Lee Weisert, composer

Prelude Feux d'Artifice

Claude Debussy, composer

New work by Liliya Ugay

Act II

Organic Machines

*Collaborative Composition

Suzi Analogue, beatmaker

Clara Yang, composer/piano

*Improvisation (solo piano)

Clara Yang, composer/piano

*Analogue Confession (solo piano)

Peter Askim, composer

*Collaborative Composition

Yvette Young, composer/electric guitar

Clara Yang, composer/piano

Act III

Synthetic Souls

*RoboDream (solo piano)

Phil Young, composer

*Think that's you - a personality software recognition software toccata (solo piano)

Allen Anderson, composer

*Drones (solo piano)

Stephen Anderson, composer

Postlude

Hoyt-Schermerhorn (piano and electronics)

Christopher Cerrone, composer

Clara Yang, piano/electronics
Xuan, new media artist

*Commissioned work

Total time: approx. 60 min

Program would be modified for all-solo piano concerts