*a piece for live viola, three radios, three transmitters, multi-channel playback and a microphone* Three radios are set up at the very beginning of the piece but playing only silence. Each is tuned to a different radio station. The radios are set up in a line with a space between them, with the viola player standing in the fourth position in the line. The three radio stations correspond to the frequencies of three low-powered radio transmitters placed in the venue. Each is connected to a channel of the multi-channel playback device. A microphone is unobtrusively placed in the space and begins recording when the viola player starts playing. After a certain amount of time, the first radio starts playing back the recording. After two more periods of time, the remaining radios also join in, so a canon accumulates. A potential ending for the piece could be for an accomplice to turn off the radio transmitters one by one over a period of a couple of minutes, which should cause the radios to return either to a commercial radio station or to white noise. The material played by the viola player before the first radio begins should be quiet, sparse and lo-fi. Pitched material should be used and fragmentary phrases should be encouraged. Care should be taken during preparation to match the balance of the live performance, microphones and playback so that the sound coming out of each radio is perceived as being around the same volume as the performer. The gaps in duration between each entry could be in descending Fibonacci relations (or some other similar relationship). E.g. first radio enters after 5 minutes, second after 3 more, third after 2 more, after which this sequence could break down and the quartet could perform until an appropriate culmination is reached. #viola #composer-performer #improvisation #textpiece #radio #canon #idea #active

This piece has never been realised. The idea is that the viola player performs "Failing" by Tom Johnson, but because the viola is so much easier than the double bass, something has to be done to make it more difficult. My plan is for the performer to do this piece dressed only in underwear, surrounded by a team of assistants who have carefully learned the score and will whip the performer every time they perceive that a mistake has been made.

the video is an instruction score

I haven't made a score for this but basically it's a title piece (an event score in the spirit of Yoko Ono) where any interpretation of the title could lead to a valid performance. So far, I've only done it by playing existing music (Bach or Stravinksy) with a balloon in my mouth, tucked under the strings so that my breath distorts the sound.

Portrait Piece (22/8/2019 - for Cara) Take a blank sheet of manuscript paper. Divide the page into a 9 x 3 grid, using the full length and width of the page. Set a timer (an analogue egg timer would be ideal, if available) for four minutes, and in the time available, draw (in the first section of the grid) a pencil portrait of the first person who enters your head. Stop when the timer finishes. Do not stop early. Move on to the next section of the grid, and repeat the process, drawing the next person who enters your head. Continue until 27 portraits have been drawn, filling the entire page. Work without breaks, ensuring that the process takes exactly 108 minutes. After the page is full, take a rubber and erase everything that falls within the white space between the printed staves. You can imagine ledger lines if you wish. Come up with a system to translate the salient features of what remains into musical notation, then perform the piece. [N.B. The preparation does not necessarily have to take place during the performance] Fluxversion 1 (23/8/2019): Write out Portrait Piece in pencil, then remove all the text with a rubber, leaving just the title. Write a dash on the blank page, then perform.

Weight Piece (2018) - Fv 1: Play your instrument and then get tied up by your colleagues. The piece ends when you can no longer play, or when you have been placed in a final position. (It's better not to play anything with personality, so the obstructions can be heard more easily) Fv 2: The original plan for this piece was to play viola with weights attached to arms, bow, etc. I still like the idea of trying this.

Arrest piece (2016) Evade capture Arrest piece Fluxversion 1 Discuss pornography at medium volume near a children's playground. When police arrive, escape by digging a hole to Australia (both versions on one card)