sfSoundGroup + Davy Sumner's Synthbee Ensemble

Since 2001, sfSound has proven to be one of the most fiercely innovative contemporary music organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area. Their performing ensemble, sfSoundGroup, perform original compositions, improvisations, new commissions, and standard New Music repertoire with an international scope and a distinctly West Coast spin — honoring, and striving to continue, the Bay Area’s critical historical role in the development of the American Experimental tradition. Their home concert series (sfSoundSeries) has presented a mix of solo, chamber, and large ensemble works, including conceptual and theatrical works and live electronic music, often emphasizing the continuum between notated composition and free improvisation. In addition, they present an annual 3-day festival of tape music (The San Francisco Tape Music Festival), host a 24/7 Internet radio station (sfSoundRadio), and frequently collaborate with other musicians and institutions in various projects.
What the heck is a Synthbee? Synthbees are handheld soundmakers that react to movement, touch, heat, light, color, and…other sounds! Designed to be used by musicians and non-artists alike, Synthbees encourage tactile exploration of both musical and extramusical group dynamics. Davy Sumner is an installation artist, experimental musician, producer, Maker, audio engineer, and educator based in Los Angeles. His creative works are spawned out of physics, biology, and sensory perception, often utilizing original electronics, spatialized audio, antiquated recording devices, repetitive movements, and feedback-based systems as key elements.