Open Ears VIII:
Sound Painting™
Presented by Todd Reynolds, with members of the Walter Thompson Orchestra and the SCCC Contemporary Music Ensemble
Wednesday, March 15, 2000
Suffolk County Community College, Ammerman Campus
Art is Child’s Play (2000)
World Premiere
Sound Painting™ is the name given to the system of conducting/composing developed by Walter Thompson for musicians, dancers, actors, and visual artists working in the medium of improvisation. At present this system includes over 650 signals which consist of gestures made by the conductor indicating the type of improvisation that is desired of the performers. It is divided into seven categories: Sections (individuals or groups of players); rhythms (tempos and time signatures); Genres (the “feel” of the music); Tonal Indications (key centers or specific chords); Functions (instructions used in conjunction with other signals); Sculpting (concept and/or texture); and Palettes (sections of notated and/or rehearsed music, text, choreography, or visual design).
Sound Painting™ was developed over the past twenty years as a method of communicating with the musicians during a performance without having to shout above the music. In its early days, the technique was primarily used as a tool for keeping the windows of improvisation close to the style of the notated music. Sound Painting™ has now evolved into a complete system with which an entire concert, dance, or theatre work, film score or educational presentation can be realized spontaneously.
Todd Reynolds is a musician engaged in the breaking down of artistic boundaries and limitations. His career spans styles, countries, collaborators and genres to support his vision of a world of increasing breadth and depth in the communication of art and information.
He functions at different times as conductor, sound painter, composer, teacher, coach, lecturer, and multi-instrumentalist all with an obvious and firm commitment to the fullest of self-expression for all of humanity.
Todd is the assistant conductor and violinist for Steve Reich and Musicians, the concertmaster ofBang On a Can’s Spit Orchestra, a founding member of Ethel, an extraordinary string quartet, the violinist of Subject To Change, an acoustic jazz trio which he co-founded, and the assistant conductor of the Walter Thompson Orchestra, the virtuoso vehicle of Sound Painting, Walter Thompson’s system of real-time composition through physically signed symbols.
In addition to functioning as a full time artist and collaborator, he holds a position on Broadway as onstage violinist for Annie, Get Your Gun, fiddling and dancing with Bernadette Peters.
His performance and recording history reads like a who’s-who of music, including names from the jazz, classical, rock and avant-garde arenas. Joe Jackson, Graham Nash, Benny Wallace, Cassandra Wilson, Marcus Roberts, Bobby McFerrin, Anthony Braxton, Steve Reich, John Cale - all have provided opportunities for great learning and expression.
Members of the Walter Thompson Orchestra
Leese Walker, actor
Jim Whitney, acoustic bass
Rob Henke, trumpet
Chris Washburne, trombone & tuba
Rolf Sturm, guitar
Andrea Pryor, percussion
Suffolk County Community College Contemporary Music Ensemble
William Ryan, Director
Melanie Scalice, flute
Kelly Merritt, clarinet
Paul Conefry, trumpet
Lisa Casal, violin
Vanessa Bonet, viola
Rachel Rodgers, electric bass
Jason Salomone, electric bass
Chris Beaujon, guitar
Megan Kelly, piano
Charlie Schmid, percussion
Brandon Silaco, percussion
The world premiere of Todd Reynolds’ commissioned work will be performed by the SCCC Contemporary Music Ensemble Friday, May 12, 2000, 7:30pm, Shea Theatre, Suffolk County Community College.