I have just returned from a whirlwind trip into the frozen north, where I participated in the North American Saxophone Alliance (NASA) Region 9 Conference in Edmonton, Alberta.
The first leg of my trip was from Ft. Lauderdale to Saskatoon, in the neighboring province of Saskatchewan to meet my partner in crime Glen Gillis, where I was greeted by some Canadian sunshine.
The second leg of our trip consisted of a six-hour road trip from Saskatoon to Edmonton through moose-infested Canadian prairie.
The main performance venue at U of A was the physically and acoustically beautiful Convocation Hall.
Our sixty-minute lecture demonstration was based on the conference theme: “Coming Together”
The presentation began with a technological overview of our electro-acoustic approach to composition and performance.
The second half of the presentation was highlighted by the
world premier performance of “Maqam Eleven Suite,”
an electro-acoustic piece for e-flat sewerphone and alto saxophone, with each of the three movements utilizing a different acoustic treatment (Gillis, Cunningham © 2017)
World Premier of “Maqam Eleven Suite” at Convocation Hall, UA
maqam: an Arabic melodic mode as the basis of melody
eleven: my favorite prime number
The capstone of our presentation – performed live with wailphone, alto saxophone, & Didgeri Dudes’ cistern recording backing track
“Breached Wail” Electro-Acoustic Performance, NASA Edmonton
You can view the entire presentation on YouTube
Alas, it was time to leave Edmonton… naturally, we had to drive through a blizzard on the arduous return trip back to Saskatoon. No moose were harmed during the voyage.