Source: Wayward Music Series.

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve been considering how we can most directly assist the artists who inhabit our particular niche of the Seattle music community.

With the Chapel closed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Wayward Music Series now moves from the concert hall to the living room. In place of our usual ten monthly concerts, Nonsequitur is curating and commissioning ten Seattle artists each month to create a series of streaming audio sessions of exclusive material. Many of these will be essentially “live” performances recorded at home for this occasion. Others may create a mix of pre-recorded material that has not been previously released elsewhere.

These tracks are available to stream at no charge on SoundCloud via the links below, and will be promoted like our concerts via our weekly e-newsletter, our Facebook group, and our Twitter feed. The artists retain all rights to their recordings. We strongly encourage you to visit their web sites and purchase their recordings or contribute to their personal crowdfunding campaigns.

This series will continue for as long as we are unable to use the Chapel for performances.

artists’ web sites and offer further support by purchasing their other works.

#42: Susie Kozawa
Composer/improviser/sound artist Susie Kozawa uses a variety of toys, found objects, and homemade instruments to explore the acoustics of the Chapel.

#43: Naomi Siegel
“Gestation” is an extended improvisation for trombone and electronics exploring and expressing Naomi Siegel’s current state of expectant motherhood.

Source: Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.

In place of the 10-day festival, we are working on producing a variety of programming across a number of online and broadcast platforms, to take place during what would have been hcmf// 2020’s opening weekend (Friday 20 – Sunday 22 November). Further specific announcements about the programme will be made later in August.

In the meantime, we’re pleased to announce that the Israeli-American composer Chaya Czernowin, who we had announced as hcmf// Composer in Residence for 2020, has accepted the festival’s invitation to become Composer in Residence for hcmf// 2021. We’re looking forward to working with Chaya on a wide-ranging exploration of her work, including new commissions.

hcmf// set up a COVID-19 fundraising project to help fund five £1,000 commissions for five UK-based artists to create a 15-minute work to be presented at a future edition of the festival. The open call for proposals attracted over 200 responses and you can find out about the successful artists here. In partnership with Riot Ensemble’s Zeitgeist initiative, we have commissioned solo works from six artists for members of The Riot Ensemble, which will be premiered online during hcmf// 2020 through Zeitgeist’s online space, with the first live performances at hcmf// 2021.

Source: ISSUE Project Room.

ISSUE is pleased to announce upcoming streamed Fall, 2020 commissions, opening with a 360 degree video presentation of electronic music pioneer Laurie Spiegel’s piece A Harmonic Algorithm 2011 coordinated in collaboration with composer and artist Seth Cluett (9/10). The stream will also be followed by a conversation between Spiegel, Cluett, and multi-instrumentalist composer and historian Tara Rodgers discussing the collaborative process around the piece and in celebration of Spiegel’s 75th birthday.

The season also sees streamed commissions from 2020 Artists-In-Residence including vocalist, composer, and performance artist Holland Andrews’ Seraph (Muthertongue) (9/19), a vocal and electronic performance that expresses a wordless, melodic language. Composer and performer John McCowen premieres Mundanas for Duo (9/24), a performance of compositions with clarinetist Madison Greenstone. Writer and performer Justin Allen presents three works: GUITAR with S*n D. Henry-Smith, BASS with Taja Cheek, and DRUMS with Savannah Harris (10/1, 10/8, 10/15), co-presetned with The Chocolate Factory Theater.