Glenn Korff School of Music Marguerite Scribante Professor of Music Paul Barnes will take compositions that span centuries and expand them into the contemporary world through Charley Friedman’s installation “Soundtracks for the Present Future.”
The performance is Thursday, June 10 at 7 p.m. at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, 724 S. 12th St. in Omaha. A Q+A with Friedman, Barnes and exhibition engineer Luke Farritor, moderated by Rachel Adams, will follow.
The performance will take place indoors with limited capacity. Reservations are required. Visit https://go.unl.edu/ktj3 for more information.
The performance will also stream live at https://www.twitch.tv/bemiscenter. A Twitch account is not required.
Barnes’ program will include works by Philip Glass, J.S. Bach, Scott Joplin, Scarlatti, Clara Schumann, Samuel Barber, and more.
“I was thrilled when my friend Charley Friedman asked me to come over and try out his installation, ‘Soundtracks for a Present Future,’” Barnes said. “I still remember playing my transcription of Philip Glass’ ‘Einstein on the Beach’ and was thrilled with the spectacular sound world that enveloped me from all directions. This program is a celebration of music that I’ve performed throughout my creative career, but am hearing with new ears.”
Friedman’s installation is on display at the Bemis from June 5-Aug. 1.
“Soundtracks for the Present Future” is an immersive auditory installation that combines more than 70 second-hand guitars, mandolins and basses to create a singular instrument. Suspended from the ceiling in a cluster, the instruments form a labyrinth of sounds and vibrations that perpetually shift as viewers navigate the work.
This work aims to both dissect and affirm one’s relationship to music as a stimulant and as an art form. “Soundtracks for the Present Future” explores ideas around decentralization and diversity through the multiplicity of distinct instruments. Each is a unique character within a crowd, individual yet collective.