simon hutchinson

I just returned from a trip to Seoul where my piece Anamnesis & Catharsis was performed at Ehwa Women’s University as part of the Festival for Gayageum and Western Instruments.

It was a great performance and a wonderful trip too. It’s inspired me to start working on another piece for Gayageum and Cello, since all the study for one piece seems a bit of a waste.

interaction in the subatomic world is the piece that I wrote for my final composition seminar here at UCSC. We had a few whirlwind rehearsals last week and performed the piece in the ensemble rehearsal room this afternoon.

I think I shocked the sound-guy a bit, and so he gradually turns down the levels… so the recording suffers a bit from that, but otherwise it was a very nice reading!

Thanks to my performers:

Jesse Berkowitz, electric guitar
Joel Ford, alto saxophone
Edward Garcia, percussion
Sarah Morris, flute
John Shebalin, percussion
Rebecca Stuhlbarg, conductor

Please check back often this month, as recordings of recent performances keep trickling in.

This one is not terribly serious.

Becca, an elementary school teacher, asked her 5th grade class to come up with “lyrics” for a writing assignment. Little did they know that she was going to ask the UCSC graduate students to sit down two nights and realize these songs. They sound amazing, thanks to a lot of hard work by fellow graduate student, and Becca boyfriend, Justin Endler in the post-production work.

Here’s the song I set, about aikido.

And here’s one of the real gems of the album, set by Becca Stuhlbarg

This is an amazing album, I might have to post more later.

The “snare drum” is a tom with paper-clips on it.

Joel Ford has uploaded our performance, as The Mindless Ensemble, at the Avant Garden Party from last Sunday, June 3rd.

We performed Christian Wolff’s “Pairs”, Fred Frith’s “Firewood”, my “Tr!o”, and Joel’s “Neutron Cannon” and “Antecedent”.

We expect to have an audio recording of the whole performance soon, but for now we only have the video of “antecedent”, in two parts:

Digital Media Factory, 2809 Mission Street, Santa Cruz

“With an opening reception Friday June 8th and during two weekends in June, a diverse group of six graduates of UCSC’s Digital Arts and New Media MFA Program will come together to display their original works of digital and new media art from cutting-edge video and animation, special projection presentations, participatory performance pieces, sound installations, web art and much more.” click here for more information

Simon will join no.e Sunflowrfish and others in an improvisation for the Gamelan Plesetan.

Digital Media Factory, 2809 Mission Street, Santa Cruz

“With an opening reception Friday June 8th and during two weekends in June, a diverse group of six graduates of UCSC’s Digital Arts and New Media MFA Program will come together to display their original works of digital and new media art from cutting-edge video and animation, special projection presentations, participatory performance pieces, sound installations, web art and much more.” click here for more information

Simon will join no.e Sunflowrfish and others in an improvisation for the Gamelan Plesetan.

2888 Sandy Lane, Santa Cruz, CA, USA

Advance Tickets: $35- $30- $25
At the Door: $40- $35- $30 (General, Seniors, Students)

This year’s Avant Garden Party is titled Thai Getaway. New Music Works hosts an all-too-rare visit of classical Thai music and dance performed by the Piphat Ensemble of Wat Buddhanusorn (from Fremont and Bangkok). The lovely venue is an island oasis pocketed discreetly along the Live Oak-Capitola border. Experience blends of vibrant Thai music and dance, music for flute & harp and a host of guest artists, along with S.E. Asian cuisine, created by Chefs Jozseph Shultz, David Jackman, and area Thai chefs.

Simon Hutchinson will perform pieces by Wolff, Frith and Ford, as well as his own “Tr!o” with the Contemporary Music Collective.

click here for more information