Since the beginning of July, the Center for New Music has played host to an array of instruments created by David Samas, a Bay Area based composer, cosmologist, poet, painter, performer, philosopher, farmer and father of 4.
The instruments in our window display at 55 Taylor Street in large part were built for The Green Wood (pictured above), an opera written by Samas and premiered in October 2012 at the Berkeley Arts Festival.
In the words of the artist:
Perhaps the central meditation of the opera has to do with ownership and freedom- two very hot topics in American philosophy. Your freedom impinges mine, as our freedoms as a culture have impinged on the rights of every other living thing on earth.
The Green Wood explores these questions through an extension of classical techniques for piano, cello, bass, voice, and percussion, with the addition of an orchestra composed of raw natural materials which speak for themselves. The chimes, and marimbas are made from driftwood collected from the sacred beachhead of the Navarro River, deep in the Mendocino redwoodlands.
-Artist Statement, David Samas
The Invented Instruments from The Green Wood have attracted a lot of attention from passersby, stopping to take a look, or a photo, as well as from concert goers, and Center for New Music patrons alike.
If you are interested in meeting the artist, The Center for New Music will be hosting a free closing reception, and artist presentation on Thursday, August 29th from 6:30-9 PM.
Demonstration and Conversation with Samas, facilitated by Bart Hopkin, begins at 7 PM.
