Mark Enslin: Composer and More...!
I hope that a tradition will emerge from this reporting of small venue musicales, whether in NYC or elsewhere. Specifically, I hope to begin introducing the musically-interested world to regionally disparate composers and musicians.
About a month ago, I had the privilege of meeting Mark Enslin, an extremely talented composer and wonderful individual who lives and works in Champaign-Urbana, IL. Mr. Enslin works at the School for Designing a Society, and utilizes many of his talents in his position(s) there. He is a "composer, performer, actor, activist, organizer, and teacher"...and much more. We met at a House Party given by "What a Neighborhood!" (Vita and Ishmael Wallace) in Morningside Heights, and the two pieces performed were by Mr. Enslin. One was a solo piano piece with spoken accompaniment, performed by Susan Parenti (also of the School for Designing a Society), called "Unentitled," which was an absolutely fantastic work of about half an hour, and had audience participation linked to its performance--it was a musical event + performative art event. The second work was a piece designed for a "one-man-band" consisting of some 17 instruments, including such "invented" instruments as the "UtterBot," which can create a range of almost infinite pitches and inter-pitches through modulating the water level in the instrument. It also included an instrument called the "Trombrella," as you might imagine--a trombone + umbrella. These were both pieces that will long be remembered by the audience, and we hope that Mr. Enslin continues his excellent craft, as his work was much enjoyed by all. And it is surely a craft that made many of those present think more creatively and constructively about music, sound, and art itself.
No comments:
Post a Comment