She Dances Naked Under Palm Trees - out on First Hand Records
I'm over the moon to be part of Sarah Cahill’s newest release, "The Future Is Female - Vol.2 THE DANCE", out today on UK's First Hand Records. This album includes my piece, She Dances Naked Under Palm Trees commissioned by Sarah and sumptuously recorded and produced by Matt Carr at St. Stephen's Church in Belvedere, Tiburon. What a gift it has been to bring this piece to life with Sarah!
Other Minds Festival 26 @ The Great Star Theater in SF
photo: ebbe roe yovino-smith
Guillermo Galindo & Raven Chacon
What a joy to kick of Other Minds 26 with these beautiful souls! Backstage with Raven Chacon, Guillermo Galindo and Mari Kimura at the historic Great Star Theater in Chinatown. Deepest gratitude to Charles Amirkhanian, Blaine Todd, Liam Herb, Joseph Bohigian, Mark Abramson, Jacob Felix-Heule and all the folks working behind the scenes at Other Minds for a terrific festival. Deep thanks also to Giacomo Fiore and San Francisco Classical Voice for this write up about the Other Minds 26 opening night performances.
Flatlands - a film about redlining in West Berkeley
My short film, Flatlands, is now up online as part of Thingmajig.org’s Redline Redefined project - an ongoing artistic exploration of the effects of the US Federal Government’s redlining policies of the 1930’s. Many thanks to curators Edward Schocker, Erica Lee, historian Richard Schwartz, and all the participating artists who are beginning a discussion that I know will continue to be amplified. Check out all the projects here in this interactive map of the East Bay.
On the airwaves at Other Minds Radio
Take a listen here to tracks from Practicing Sands and Harbors (with Ellen Fullman), included in Other Mind’s radio broadcast “Music for Celebration”, in anticipation for the upcoming Other Minds 26 Festival. Hosted by Ed Herrman with music by Lou Harrison, John Cage, Henry Threadgill, Kui Dong, and many more…
Practicing Sands - on The Wire's Resonance FM playlist
Thanks to Chris Bohn for including “Wrong Bird” from Practicing Sands on The Wire’s September playlist of Adventures in Sound and Music. Take a listen to the full program here. Photo: Clockwise from top left: Otaco; Mali Obomsawin by Abby Lank and Jared Lank; Theresa Wong in The Wire 439 by Nicholas Albrecht; Peter Brötzmann in The Wire 345 by Ronald Dick
Practicing Sands - on the BBC airwaves
Tuning in now to BBC Late Junction and thrilled to have Practicing Sands included in Jennifer Lucy Allan’s playlist with lots of other great new music. The show will be up for a short while after it airs…
Journey To The Core - on "15 Questions"
This interview is an extension of a recent feature I did for 15 Questions, entitled “Tools of Creation - The Cello”. In “Journey To The Core”, you can read about the nuts, bolts, and clothespins of making Practicing Sands. Deep gratitude to editor Tobias Fischer for including me in this rich online resource.
Practicing Sands - out on fo'c'sle!
Practicing Sands is officially out! Thank you to all the folks who have supported this album and especially to all the people along the way who have helped in developing this work, including Civitella Ranieri Foundation for time and space way back in 2012, to Fred Frith for continually inspiring and giving ears to this project, to Myles Boisen for the artful mastering and guidance on the mix, and to Maggi Payne, Adria Otte and Sean Meehan for recording technique tips during the thick of lockdown in 2020. Take a listen and purchase your digital download or CD at focslemusic.com
Other Minds Podcast
My conversation with Joey Bohigian is up now on the Other Minds Podcast, where I talk about the importance of physicality in performance, just intonation, genetic memory, and my new album Practicing Sands. I’m looking forward to being a part of this year’s festival lineup at the Great Star Theater in SF! More info at otherminds.org
Tools of Creation: The Cello - “15 Questions” Interview
Thanks to Tobias Fischer for this insightful interview on the cello and my inspirations, influences, and the infinite resources of this wooden box I play…check it out at 15questions.net
The Secret of Growth - NakedEye Ensemble at Temple University
In case you missed NakedEye Ensemble’s recent performance at Temple University, here’s a video of The Secret of Growth, my audio-visual ancestral altar. Catch the entire concert here, including works by Rusty Banks, Richard Belcastro, Zack Browning and Frederic Rzewski.
Sound/scapes at the Asian Art Museum SF
Here are video documentations of my Sound/scape performances at the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. The June performance is inspired by the works of Filipino-American artist Carlos Villa. The July performance, In the Cave of Guanyin, is inspired by the Chinese manifestation of Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of Compassion. The final Sound/scape, Skipping Stones and Speaking Pines, is performed with Kanoko Nishi-Smith and takes inspiration from the paintings and brushwork of Uragami Gyokudo, Tokuyama Gyokuran, and Chiura Obata. Deep thanks to Janet Oh, curator, Jenny Chu and Steve Kaye for video, and Norman Teale for the audio recordings.
Practicing Sands - review in The Quietus by Jennifer Lucy Alan
Many thanks to Jennifer Lucy Allan for including a review of Practicing Sands in “Rum Music for August” - check it out at thequietus.com
Practicing Sands - preorder out on fo’c’sle
Practicing Sands, a solo album for cello and voice, is available for preorder and officially releases on September 14th! Available as CD/digital at: focslemusic.com
She Dances - @ Center For New Music
A beautiful evening of music last night at the Center for New Music performed by Rose Hegele and Sarah Cahill which included my piano piece She Dances Naked Under Palm Trees and an evocative rendition of Aida Shirazi’s Albumblatt. Here in good company with Sarah, Rose and Pamela Z!
In The Cave of Guanyin @ Asian Art Museum SF
Thanks to everyone who came out last night for my second Sound/scape performance at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco! What a treat to turn Samsung Hall into a listening cave honoring the deity Guanyin. Photo by Sarah Cahill.
The 3rd Floor presents Theresa Wong & Friends
June 24th and June 25th shows have been cancelled due to covid exposure. Please stay tuned for postponed dates in the future!
Interview in San Francisco Classical Voice
I’ve shared some of my ongoing work as an inaugural Sound/scape performer at the Asian Art Museum in this interview with Iris Kwok: www.sfcv.org
Sneak peak of Sound/scapes in the works at the SF Asian Art Museum
Here's a sneak peak at what I've been up to at the Asian Art Museum in preparation for three performance 'Sound/scapes' this summer on June 16, July 14, and August 18. Many thanks to curator Janet Oh and videographer Matthew Pendergast for the fantastic teamwork on this video. More info here
Guest on Nia Li's podcast "Walk Me Through"
In celebration of AAPI Heritage Month, I recently had a wonderful conversation with Nia Li, host of the podcast "Walk Me Through" about composing "Memories To Light" with Danny Clay, a montage of home films showcasing the everyday lives of Asian Americans. We also talk about our shared experiences of searching for self-knowledge and understanding about our Chinese-American heritage.
Listen on:
Spotify
Apple