The Avant Music Festival 2016 is upon us! With events held from February 20th to March 5th, attendees can experience the full breadth of artistic expression in the uninhibited caverns of The Wild Project, at 195 E. 3rd St. in Manhattan. Since its founding in 2010 by Randy Gibson and Megan Schubert, the Avant Music Festival has fulfilled its pledge to be a "platform for contemporary American composers to experiment with long-form concerts and the full programmatic experience of their work." It is within this setting that maverick vocalist Joan La Barbara will be performing John King's "Mini-Operas" series with fellow vocalist Gelsey Bell on February 27th.
Joan La Barbara, who for over 40 years has been exploring the intellectual aspects of singing, is a must-hear powerhouse of vocal technique. She is drawn to innovative pieces, award-winning composers, and most of all, she relishes in reshaping and broadening our perception of the human voice.
Her performances this year will include three 20-minute micro-operas by John King. One of them, a piece called "A-R-S", is based on a personal maxim of the late composer John Cage (which was originally a quote from Anand Cooaraswamy... who was quoting Thomas Aquinas... who was quoting Aristotle). Another micro-opera, "Ping", is based on a 1966 Samuel Beckett work. And lastly, La Barbara will take part in the world premiere of "What is the Word?" (another Samuel Beckett text, the writer's last work). The piece was commissioned by Avant with a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts.
This week, Classicalite had the opportunity to speak with Joan about some of these works, the role of the Avant Festival, and her career at large.
CL: Speaking briefly to a field for which you're widely recognized, what have you found to be the most rewarding part about extended vocal technique: the performance or the development?
JLB: Both … and all. I have delighted in the initial discovery and have been pleased over the years to guide other singers in using these techniques. I have also tried to transmit some of the vocal gestures to instrumentalists in my compositions. I am now trying to further their use in many forms of vocal compositions, including opera.
CL: Would you have any suggestions to composers who have never before worked with, but would like to work with, extended vocal technique as a compositional tool?
JLB: Listen to my recordings. Listen to recordings of music from around the world. Find what intrigues you. Find a way to translate that into your own compositions. Be true to the music in your mind. Do not imitate; find a way to make these sounds works in your music, make them your own.
CL: Finally, in light of your recent John Cage Award accolade--for which you have Classicalite's sincerest congratulations--do you have any off-the-cuff plans you'd like to share for all that glowing prize money, whether personal or academic?
JLB: Thank you very much! I was surprised and incredibly honored to receive the 2016 John Cage Award from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts. It is, as you may know, by nomination only - one cannot apply for this award, so I was more than delighted. I plan to use the award money to pay musicians and do recordings to help me further my work on an opera inspired by the life and work of American sculptor/visual artist Joseph Cornell and British author Virginia Woolf. It is exhilarating to be able to pay performers and not have to wait to see whether a grant application comes through! I feel honored and blessed!
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