An experiment in arts and lectures, combining performance and presentation in the form of Call and Response: a specialist in any field gives a presentation—of any kind—in their area of expertise, followed by an informal Q&A, and a musical response by some of the Bay Area’s finest creative musicians. Curated by Evan Karp and Kristina Dutton, the series recurs every other month; this show, held on Tuesday, November 18 2014 at The Emerald Tablet, features a presentation by Cheryl E. Leonard of her project, Antarctica: Music from the Ice:

click for Cheryl’s Music from the Ice blog

Cheryl E. Leonard is a composer, performer, and instrument builder whose works investigate sounds, structures, and objects from the natural world. Her projects reveal and highlight unique voices and timbres, often featuring amplified natural-object instruments and field recordings from remote locales. Leonard has received grants from the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists and Writers Program, American Music Center, American Composers Forum, and ASCAP. Her artist residencies include Djerassi, the Arctic Circle, Oberpfälzer Künstlerhaus, and Villa Montalvo.

After the presentation, Sheila Bosco, Jesse Burson, and Kristina Dutton join Leonard in am improv response.

Jesse Burson is a sound artist and illustrator intent on coaxing large environments out of minute details while blurring the lines between natural and man-made elements. He has collaborated with a number of Bay Area musicians over the years, including Big City Orchestra and Thomas Carnacki, and is one half of the duo A Ruby Snow.

Sheila Bosco is an Oakland-based experimental and improvisational percussionist, keyboardist and videographer. Her approach to music and video comes from a love of the absurd, unique and humorous. Sheila enjoys collaboration in addition to solo performance and can be found playing music with Mountain vs Building, Dire Wolves, zBug, Big City Orchestra and Thomas Carnacki.

click the napping E Seals for a trip to the North Pole

Violinist Kristina Dutton works in a wide range of musical settings, moving between improvisation, contemporary classical, and rock idioms. Conservatory trained, she has performed on more than 20 albums of various genres, appeared with numerous orchestras, and a handful of internationally acclaimed rock groups. In recent years her primary musical projects focus on non-idiomatic free improvisation, extended techniques and preparations. Recently relocated to the Bay Area, her current work focuses on interdisciplinary collaboration, and seeks to redefine the role of the artist through social engagement, activism and applied collaboration with environmental conservationists, psychologists, researchers, and sound ecologists.

The next Call and Response will be in late January—stay tuned!