Musical Ensembles
THE BOY BENEATH THE SEA
1998-2003
THE BOY BENEATH THE SEA is a mixture of music and spoken word, originally conceived as a live multimedia performance, about a boy who leaves his home to live under the sea. Story and voice by Dean Santomieri. Music by Bruce Anderson (guitar), David Kwan (electronics) and Karen Stackpole (percussion).
VORTICELLA
1997-1998
VORTICELLA is a free improvisational ensemble performing on invented and traditional instruments with live electronics.
"...no traditional instruments except a cello and a horn were played. Eva Baumgartner's percussion consisted of camping dishes and telephone bells, among other things. Brenda Hutchinson produced strange sounds with a three-meter long pipe/tube. Erin Espeland contributed unusual sounds to the whole improvisation by treating her cello only occasionally with the bow. Krystyna Bobrowski used—besides a horn—a shell, kelp and an ordinary funnel as instruments. This created, in combination with David Kwan’s electronic sounds—sounds of nature, laughter of children, conversation scraps—a unique untiring sound carpet that was sometimes calm and tender, sometimes loud and threatening...overall, the event deserves to be called extraordinary." ~Martina Zick, Leonberger Kreiszeitung
CIRCULAR FIRING SQUAD
1995-1998
“The live electro-acoustical group CIRCULAR FIRING SQUAD (Eva Baumgartner, Xopher Davidson, David Kwan, and Tim Walters) has made a mysterious and unique CD which was recorded live directly to DAT. The sounds are astonishing and the combinations are original and innovative. Three long sections allow the listener to wander and wonder, like reading a good sci-fi novel, especially since there are no program liner notes….” ~"Blue" Gene Tyranny, AllMusic Review