This latest research trip to the western prairie Canadian province of Saskatchewan was dual-funded by a 2018 ICCC (Interdisciplinary Centre for Culture and Creativity) Linking Fellowship from the University of Saskatchewan, and a 2018 Florida Atlantic University School of the Arts Research Grant. The ICCC funding also necessitated a Visiting Professor appointment to USASK. The multi-faceted purpose of the sojourn combined academic, creative, performative, and indigenous phases.
Phase I – Resonances of David Kaplan
The first phase of the trip ICCC research trip was a collaborative sonic exploration and capture of sounds from the Kaplan Musical Instrument Collection, conducted by myself, my Florida Atlantic colleague Matt Baltrucki, and USASK professor Glen Gillis.
The project was inspired by Dr. Kaplan’s idea of creating a “living collection” of musical instruments from those he gathered throughout his lifetime. Although many of the instruments in the are currently on display at USASK, years of disuse has rendered the majority of them unplayable in the traditional sense.
Therefore, the project goal was to sample select sounds from instruments, for the purpose of creating new musical compositions.
In week-long marathon studio sessions, both the basic sounds and improvisational “performances” were gathered from eighty of the four-hundred-plus instruments in the collection, resulting in more than five hours of recorded samples, including this frenetic sequence captured on a vintage hammered zither.
Phase II – The Kaplan Collection’s Indigenous Initiative
The second goal of the research trip is the advancement of the Kaplan powwow drum project at USASK. This project is designed to combine David Kaplan’s notion of creating a living musical instrument collection, with the University of Saskatchewan’s Indigenous Initiative. Utilizing funds from the 2016 David Kaplan memorial fund, with the collection will to David L Kaplan (1923-2015), involves the making and “gifting” of a dance drum (similar to the one pictured below) to the students of USASK.
The research trip was planned to coincide with the 2018 USASK graduation powwow, held on May 30th, in order to coordinate with First Nations administrators and educators about the future of the powwow drum project. In that regard, significant discussions were held with Candace Wasacase-Lafferty (Director of Indigenous Initiatives for the University), and Chris Scribe (Director of Indian Teacher Education Program- ITEP), in the College of Education.
Phase III – DGC PERFORMANCES
A. The 2018 STRATA New Music Festival
The research trip to Saskatoon also provided numerous opportunities for public performances of new compositions by Duo Gillis Cunningham. The performative highlight was a Saturday evening concert for the 2018 STRATA New Music Festival, June 9th, downtown on the banks of Saskatoon’s South Saskatchewan River, at the newly-opened rRemai mModern Art Museum.
The highlight of the Duo Gillis Cunningham’s performance at the Seventh Annual STRATA New Music Festival was “Whales in a Mechanical Ocean,” an interactive improvisation that incorporated Gordan Monahan’s sound instillation “Resonance Reappearing,” with additional sonic manipulation by festival organizer Darren Miller.
Duo Gillis Cunningham “Whales in a Mechanical Ocean”
B. Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Center
DGC jumped at the opportunity to play a short set in the USASK Indigenous Student Centre, which includes a resonant-drum-like circular central space that is perfect for the performance of a few of our more acoustic pieces: 1) Canis Lupi; 2) Walkabout; and,
3) Bleu Genes.
C. Nutana Collegiate High School
On Monday June 11, DGC performed an afternoon electro- acoustic set at Nutana. The performance featured “Total Eclipse (of the sun), for alto sax and slide didge.” The piece is complimented by rough NASA footage of the total eclipse that bisected the lower forty-eight on August 21, 2017.
Utilizing time-lapse projected video of the eclipse and real-time electro-acoustic convolution reverberation effects, the duo performed an eleven-minute audio/visual reenactment of the moon gradually obscuring the sun, and revealing its bright corona as a brilliant ring of white fire.
Phase VI – Pulsworks
The proverbial icing “on the cake” was provided by several excursions to Pulsworks Audio Arts, an audiophile sales and high-end recording studio located in Saskatoon.
Early on in our initial tour of the facility by owner David Puls, it was apparent that we had met an individual that was as passionate about acoustics and music as we were.
A second visit to Pulsworks offered an opportunity to test the wonderful acoustics of the main studio with an impromptu rendition of the didge and sax classic “Canis Lupi.” The visit also planted the seed of an idea concerning the recording venue for the upcoming DGC album. Stay tuned for more info to come…