Grantee News & Event: Bowerbird’s “Forest Speech”

Forest Speech and Piano

Friday, March 6 @ 8:00 pm

Community Education Center
3500 Lancaster Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19104

General Admission tickets: $21.40
Students: $16.30
MFS Members: Free

Amy Williams, piano
Michael Johnsen, electronics
with
Phil Edelstein, Daniel Fishkin, Victoria Keddie, Eugene Lew, Gianna Santucci

Program features works by David Tudor and piano works by John Cage, Morton Feldman, and Earle Brown.

Bowerbird is pleased to present pianist Amy Williams and a performance of David Tudor’s Forest Speech (1976), a rarely performed work from Tudor’s Rainforest family that uses amplified objects as “instrumental loudspeakers.” Developed in 1976 and expanded as a group version in 1978, Forest Speech transforms sound into vocal-like illusions through formant resonances and vocoder-like circuit networks.

This performance version utilizes everyday objects fitted with sonic transducers—metal barrels, plastic tubing, found materials—that resonate and shape electronic sound, creating a dense acoustic environment where physical materials become active participants in the composition. The work will be led by Composer Inside Electronic’s Phil Edelstein with Daniel Fishkin, Michael Johnsen, Victoria Keddie, Eugene Lew, and Gianna Santucci.

Bowerbird’s  “Forest Speech” performance is supported by the Musical Fund Society of Philadelphia, through our Institutional Grants program.

Bowerbird is offering MFS members FREE tickets!
Renew or join MFS to access the discount code.