[CAUT] Extended Piano Techniques Summit at Westpac 2012

[Zeno Wood]

For those of us who will not be able to attend the WestPac this year,
would it possible to videotape any or all of the proceedings?  I this
will be an important and valuable session and it would be wonderful if
there's a way to spread this a little wider.

Thanks,
Zeno Wood


On Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 12:32 PM, Alan Eder <reggaepass at aol.com> wrote:
> Dear Colleagues,
>
> I was chatting with Bill Schull recently about the Extended Piano Techniques
> Summit that will be part of the exceptional activities offered up at WestPac
> 2012 in Salt Lake City later this month. Bill urged me to communicate with
> other CAUTs about just what will be going on. All day Saturday there will be
> classes offered as part of a symposium on extended techniques, for which we
> expect a cadre of pianists and composers to attend in addition to those
> interested piano technicians who are already there for WestPac.
>
> Contrary to widespread misconception, my solo portion of this day is FIRST
> PERIOD ONLY. The class will pivot on a 30 minute video we made at CalArts
> years ago called "Non-Traditional Piano Use". It is based largely on the
> book "The Well-Prepared Piano" by Richard Evans (formerly Bunger), but goes
> far beyond what Evans covered in his book (and with the huge added advantage
> of video images and sound). I will be providing back story to the motivation
> for creating the video, considering what it has meant to the students and
> faculty at CalArts, and following it with several discussion points about
> particular challenges that have arisen (more like "reared their ugly heads,
> actually) over the years here at the Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts.
> I will also present supplementary material that our faculty have developed
> for use in conjunction with the video.
>
> The other three class periods of the Extended Piano Techniques Summit will
> be: period 2) a panel discussion of technicians, pianists and composers
> attempting to agree on what is kosher in this realm (and, of course, what is
> not!), and; periods 3) & 4) pianists discussing George Crumb's "Makrokosmos"
> and John Cage's "Sonatas and Interludes," truly two of the seminal works
> involving extended piano techniques (the Cage--prepared piano, played on the
> keys with the fingers; the Crumb involving playing inside the piano as
> well). These same pianists will be performing those very pieces in the
> concert at 7:30 that evening which caps off the days activities. That event
> will also feature the bowed piano music of Stephen Scott as well as two
> World Premieres by CalArts based composers, "Euphotic" by Ulrich Kreiger and
> "Vortex Etude" by D. M. A. candidate Milen Kirov. Those last two will be
> performed by PTG's own Neema Pazargad, who holds an MFA in piano performance
> from CalArts.
>
> SO, far be it from me to want to command anyone's attention for an entire
> day, but for those particularly interested in being dazzled by my
> extraordinary personality (;-) and treasure-trove of combat experience in
> the realm of extended piano techniques, they need to get their fannies out
> of bed first thing Saturday morning and come experience the sheer energy of
> someone who routinely keeps farmers hours ;;-).
>
> See you in Salt Lake!
>
> Alan Eder, RPT
>
> P. S. Please feel free to forward this to whomever.
>
> ae