A series of instrumental pieces and songs from Chinese-American composer, cellist, and vocalist Theresa Wong, inspired by the sounds of the natural world and a personal sense of "sonic genetic memory", her works merging composition and improvisation, the album recorded by Wong herself using specific microphone placement to bring out the warmth of her instrument and voice.
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Theresa Wong-voice, cello
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UPC: 196852454884
Label: fo'c'sle
Catalog ID: FCSL-006
Squidco Product Code: 32599
Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2022
Country: USA
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded at Casa Ninja in Berkeley, California, in April-June, 2020.
"Practicing Sands is a collection of pieces by Chinese-American composer, cellist, and vocalist Theresa Wong, which draws inspiration from the sounds of the natural world and sensations of Wong's sonic genetic memory. With alternate tunings and extended techniques, Wong has forged a timbral merging of cello and voice into a totally unique synthesis.
Combining improvisation and composition, these works stem from Wong's ongoing question: "how can I rediscover the core of the cello as wood and string and hair, or even simply as a tree?" Self-recorded over three months, these recordings document Wong's personal approach to microphone placement and technique as extensions of composition itself. Utilizing various microphone configurations to define the spectral and spatial quality of each piece, she invites the listener into an embodied experience of her music as haptic vibrational sculptures."-fo'c'sle
"At the beginning of the lockdown, I began to record an album of solo pieces entitled Practicing Sands, which I was originally planning to do at the Headlands Center for the Arts. For several months, I studied up on recording techniques and discovered a passion for recording as an extension of composition. Then, I was fortunate to receive several commissions throughout the pandemic and have really deepened my practice during the last two years. Slowing down and simplifying daily life has given me a chance to explore things more deeply and carefully and with a different sort of attention to detail."-Theresa Wong
The Squid's Ear!
Artist Biographies
• Show Bio for Theresa Wong "Theresa Wong is a composer, cellist and vocalist active at the intersection of music, experimentation, improvisation and the synergy of multiple disciplines. Bridging sound, movement, theater and visual art, her primary interest lies in finding the potential for transformation for both the artist and receiver alike. Her works include The Unlearning (Tzadik), 21 songs for violin, cello and 2 voices inspired by Goya's Disasters of War etchings, O Sleep, an improvised opera for an 8 piece ensemble exploring the conundrum of sleep and dream life and Venice Is A Fish, a collection of solo songs. Her commissioned works include pieces for Splinter Reeds, Vajra Voices, pianist Sarah Cahill and Del Sol string quartet. At the heart of her work is a desire to expand the sonic possibilities of materials and to explore their potential in many modes of performance. She collaborates with many singular artists, including Fred Frith, Ellen Fullman, Luciano Chessa, Annie Lewandowski, Chris Brown, Frantz Loriot, John McCowen, Søren Kjærgaard, Carla Kihlstedt, conceptual artist Jonathon Keats and filmmaker Daria Martin. In 2018, Wong founded fo'c'sle, a record label dedicated to adventurous music from the Bay Area and beyond, featuring inaugural releases by Ellen Fullman with David Gamper and Stuart Dempster, Chris Brown, Powerdove and the Lijiang Quintet. Wong has shared her work internationally at venues including Fondation Cartier in Paris, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, Cafe Oto in London, Festival de Arte y Ópera Contemporánea in Morelia, Mexico and The Stone and Roulette in New York City. She is the recipient of grants from the Center for Cultural Innovation, American Composers Forum, San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music and Meet The Composer. Wong is a Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellow and has also been an artist-in-residence at the Headlands Center for the Arts and Yaddo. She currently works and resides in the San Francisco Bay Area." ^ Hide Bio for Theresa Wong
11/27/2023
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Track Listing:
1. Far Away Friends 02:51
2. Quiet Clearing 03:54
3. Meadow 03:53
4. Outsider 04:16
5. Sedimental 04:12
6. Wrong Bird 03:13
7. Trees Remember 02:08
8. Everyday Light 03:04
9. Gray Green Glass 01:51
10. Opening Sea 11:52
Improvised Music
Compositional Forms
Stringed Instruments
Song Based Music
West Coast/Pacific US Jazz
Melodic and Lyrical Jazz
Solo Artist Recordings
New in Improvised Music
New in Compositional Music
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