NonSeq: Arugakki
$5-$20 sliding scale, in advance or at the door
- Heather Bentley, viola
- Leanna Keith, flute
- Alyza DelPan-Monley, dance
Kristofer Bergstrom — Distracted Driving (for slant taiko, Continuum synthesizer, & electronics)
Kristofer Bergstrom — Prairie (Seattle premiere; for flute, snare, & electronics)
Big drums, choreography, synthesizers, and an abacus shaker… Arugakki is groundbreaking taiko. The inventive duo from Los Angeles Arts District debuts new music alongside local artists, Alyza del-Pan Monley (dance), Heather Bentley (viola), and Leanna Keith (flute).
Nguyen's dance and Bergstrom's taiko collided at a choreography residency in 2019, exchanging fresh perspectives on movement and rhythm. The inspiration fueled a North American composition tour and a 9-month residency in a covid-shuttered theater resulting in Harbor, the duo’s first stage production, acclaimed for its heart-wrenching melodies, pulsating electronics, and quirky, home-made instruments.
Tonight's performance features the world premiere of Feel Me for taiko and crotales; Distracted Driving for slant taiko, Continuum synthesizer, and electronics; and the Seattle premiere of Prairie for flute, snare, and electronics.
About Wayward Music Series
Each month, Nonsequitur and a community of like-minded organizations and artists present 10 concerts of adventurous and experimental music in the gorgeous Chapel Performance Space at the Good Shepherd Center: contemporary/post-classical composition, free improvisation and the outer limits of jazz, electronic/electroacoustic music, new instruments, phonography, sound art, and other innovative musics.
https://www.waywardmusic.org/About Arugakki
Arugakki is a collective of taiko artists, musicians, and dancers surrounding Los Angeles-based performer and composer, Kristofer Bergstrom, and the hub for adventurous taiko in southern California, Los Angeles Taiko Institute. Arugakki's performances take diverse forms, from participatory mochi-making theater parties to bicycle-powered, roving taiko concerts. Arugakki's percussive, uplifting music fuels engagement and celebration. Arugakki's music is the defiantly contemporary, southern-California version of a traditional concept: rhythm as integral part of art and culture.
https://k--b.org/projects/arugakkiAbout Heather Bentley, viola
Seattle-based violist and composer Heather Bentley has trailblazed a career as one of the West Coast's most visible improvisatory musicians, specializing in creating evocative atmospheres and textures. Relentless in her pursuit of creativity, she continues this work as co-founder of Kin of the Moon, a 501(c)3 organization which fosters collaboration between artists in service of creating unique art.
https://www.hbentleymusic.com/About Leanna Keith, flute
A freelance flutist, artist, improviser, and composer in the Seattle area, Leanna Keith (she/they) delights in creating sound experiences that make audiences laugh, cry, and say: "I didn't know the flute could do that!" Her performance artworks have focused on cultural connection and the breaking of audience/performer boundaries. Leanna is co-founder of the 501(c)(3) arts organization Kin of the Moon and is co-artistic director and flutist of the ensemble. They explore sonic rituals, promote cross-pollination of genres, and celebrate the creativity that multiplies itself through the collaboration of performers and composers. She is dedicated to playing music by composers who are still living, and advocates for the usage of music as social activism. Leanna is the professor of flute at Cornish College of the Arts.
http://leannakeithflute.com