chanceformation

Throat Singing Workshop-April 18- May 9

2009-03-17T07:38:00.000-07:00

Tuvan Throat Singing Workshop with Scott Peterson

Where: 195 Church St. @ Shuter

When: Saturdays, 1 p.m.- 3 p.m. 4 sessions from April 18- May 9

Fee: $100 or $80 if registered before April 9

We will explore 2 styles of Tuvan throat singing: Xhoomei (high pitched whistle sound) and Kargyraa (guttural and low sound)

You do not need a musical background for this workshop--just a throat.

Scott Peterson discovered throat singing by accident in a shaman's maloca in the Peruvian Andes. Since this discovery, he has travelled to the Republic of Tuva in Siberia to study throat singing with Tuvan master throat singer Sergei Ondar. Scott is a composer, bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, and music teacher. Scott is integrating throat singing with western improvisational technique.

To register, contact CopterStetson@gmail.com

Nuit Blanche Happenings

2008-10-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

4 AM- Walter Hall, Edward Johnson Building- Faculty of Music, University of Toronto

Vox Novus, in collaboration with Canadian Electroacoustic Community (CEC) presents 60x60 Featuring 60 electroacoustic works with visual accompaniment.

60x60 includes my composition entitled "Colony Collapse", a short lament for our beloved pollinators.

Of The Branches

2008-06-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

Of The Branches is a music project, an exploration, some seeds and a garden, something to share.

The songs have been created by Scott Peterson for a project called Liminal.

Selected Liminal songs are available via Creative Commons.

The mixes contain Liminal and Inversenet tracks as well as other bits and peices, found sounds and so on, and are layered by Morgan Maher.

Many of the Liminal songs available for download are found in the mixes.

Tuva

2008-06-05T07:24:00.001-07:00

I am pleased to announce that I will be heading to the distant land of Tuva this summer, to perform solo bass compositions at the Utsuu-Khuree music festival and study Khoomei with master throat singers.

"Ustuu-Khuree – the mightiest Buddhist monastery of pre-revolutionary Tuva - was destroyed in the early 30's , and the priests and monks were subjected to persecution.
"The flame of the lamp of this khuree (Buddhist temple-monastery) has not gone out yet", said His Holiness the Dalai Lama XIV, when he visited Tuva in September 1992.
The festival of live music, Ustuu-Khuree, which takes place in Chadan, is dedicated to the rebuilding of the temple. This year, from 15th to 19th July, this will be a 10th anniversary festival "Ustuu-Khuree", "TuvaOnline was told by the director of the festival, Igor Dulush."

(from tuva-online)

My sincere and heartfelt thanks to Butterfield and Robinson for their generous support of this project.

mandapam camp

2008-02-12T05:17:00.000-08:00

san pedro cactus flowers in cusco, peru

2007-07-25T13:48:00.000-07:00

Last day of Divine Light

2007-06-29T10:08:00.000-07:00

today is the final day Divine Light. I will be at the gallery until 6:00

thanks to Morgan Maher, Yumee Chung, Daniel Pinchbeck, Alice Klein, Peter Lutek, Jaymie, Lori, and Stephen from the Deleon White Gallery, and the Toronto Arts Council for making it all possible.

and special thanks to all those who attended.

"the most notable names on any list will always turn out to be those omitted"-

Jorge Luis Borges

Divine Light: Transits and Navigations

2007-06-22T07:03:00.000-07:00

Some notes on my composition "Divine Light"

There is an oft told story among cultural anthropologists about an encounter with a native shaman. The story goes that, when told about our modern-day space program, the shaman was incredulous that anyone would spend such vast resources on the quest to visit the moon... the shaman simply relied on his plant guides to take him there. Divine Light is a composition that maps the layers of the human psyche (and the quest for cosmic, visionary experience) in relation to our solar system. A universe of possibilities--with fish that swim in the sky, insects that travel between planets with timeless voices.

Our solar system (and the omniverse or multiverse) offers a very rich metaphor for composition. Musical investigations are inevitably about ratio (both harmonic and temporal) and the cosmos of Divine Light is shaped by sacred geometry. I focused on each planets' distance from the sun in sun-diameters. The Earth is especially significant in these terms. It is exactly 108 sun-diameters from the sun, while the sun's diameter is 108 times that of the Earth. Furthermore, the Moon is exactly 108 moon diameters from the Earth. We exist in a system of balance and co-relation.

Each planet's year length was the basis for the phrase-length of the loops: Mercury is 1 minute and Neptune is 12 hours. Mercury's tempo is given in 2 layers, one to represent its day length and one to represent it's year length. Mercury rotates at a 2:3 ratio which produces a rhythm that can be found in Voodoo, Santeria, and Afro-Cuban music. When this ratio is sped up sufficiently, it becomes a perfect fifth. Many of the audio files have been retuned by a perfect fifth from the speed of the original recording.

Venus often transits the sun and, at this time, it is said that the energy of Venus is amplified and washes over Earth. For this reason, I have amplified the Venus imagery and material at several points in the composition. Venus is composed, like Mercury, of three overlaying loops,which play 12 times, 13 times, and 2 times respectively over the course of 33 minutes, representing the cycle of 12 Venus days, 13 Venus years, and 5 synodic cycles. This relationship, which takes 8 Earth years to complete, is of special interest to me as it relates mathematically to the Mayan calendar.

Earth is set at a tempo of 108. Here, life blooms with birdsongs and rain, love and spring. I chose Neptune as a counterpoint to the Earth. Neptune is so distant it becomes abstract and mathematical, containing our dreams, projections, wildest possibilities. When we make love on Earth, a child is heard simultaneously at play on Neptune's moons.

The inspiration for Mars was drawn from water, as water is the Earth's blood and Mars is known as the bringer of war. For this reason, I chose to depict ocean life, to remind us that blood is not just the stuff of war but the essence of life itself.

Jupiter is two and a half times larger than all of the other planets in our solar system combined. Its moon Europa is one of the most likely places in the solar system to host primitive extraterrestrial life. Jupiter's size causes it to have a massive influence on the other planets. I created long loops of single sounds using sine waves with gentle oscillations, to create a cohesive vibration but the vibration is different in each speaker, creating an oblique wash of low sound which contextualizes all those around it. Jupiter is the first of the gaseous planets; after Mars, the planets are no longer solid. Jupiter has radio storms which I included in the audio.

The ancients believed Saturn to be the most remote planet because its the last one that can be viewed by the naked eye. Uranus and Neptune are not visible to the naked eye and were discovered by humans relatively recently. Saturn is Sun Ra's dream land, a place of magic and alchemy. I created hollowed-out wind sounds, storms, and radio bursts to represent its mighty rings and moons. As in dreams, things become longer or shorter, void and devoid in the great cosmos.

Uranus has a core that spins more slowly than its atmosphere. One of the most distinctive features of Uranus is its axial tilt of 98 degrees. Uranus effectively lies on its side and, consequently, for part of its orbit one pole faces the Sun while the other pole faces away. This gives each pole 42 years of continuous sunlight, followed by 42 years of darkness. I play two audio files for Uranus--both detuned and interrupted in a variety of ways. The files are palindromes, as they are mirrored opposites of each other (reversal and phase inversion). In between them plays "orbits of a dream" a composition I created under the moon's influence.

I've used bursts of electicity to evoke Neptune's storms--60 cycles conducted through my own body. Neptune is our solar system's windiest world. Winds whip clouds of frozen methane across the planet at speeds of more than 2,000 km/h. A sample from Stravinsky's symphony of Psalms is played back at 1/3 speed. This was prompted by the planet's sheer distance from us and its apparent invisibility (it was mathematically predicted before it was physically discovered). The beauty and alienation of Stravinsky's work creates a parallel for the alien possibilities of faraway planets and imaginary lands.

2133

2007-05-25T20:01:00.000-07:00

"A very rare event in astronomy is the passage of one planet in front of another (occultation), as seen from Earth. Mercury and Venus occult each other every few centuries, and the event of May 28, 1737 is the only one historically observed, having been seen by John Bevis at the Royal Greenwich Observatory.[23] The next occultation of Mercury by Venus will be in 2133."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1737

the world has gone green and the plants are singing:

CWVortex - Solstice

2007-05-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

CWVortex will perform a special concert to celebrate the summer solstice 2007

The performance will take place June 22/2007 at the DeLeon White Gallery 1139 College St. (West of Dufferin).

Vortex members will present original compositions and improvisations.

Peter Lutek- reeds/electronics
Simeon Alev- reeds
Elie Katzin- guitar
Tom Richards- trombone/synthesizer/effects
Greg de Denus- keys/synthesizer
Scott Peterson- bass/effects/synthesizer

This performance is the culmination of Divine Light, a large scale sound installation/composition which will be installed at DeLeon White from June 16-July 1/2007

things that grow

2007-03-04T20:35:00.000-08:00

a lovely book entitled "Flowering Trees & Shrubs In India" by D.V. Cowen, available online:

http://vidyaonline.net/arvindgupta/cowen.pdf

airborne cognates

2007-02-18T23:55:00.001-08:00

airborne cognates, the first of a series of loosely connected events; a dedication to birds and things that fly, ways of seeing, impossible equivalents, cognitive dissonance and consonance, outbound senses and inbound experience.

begins with the almost silent wailing of the wind upon the plains. the plains beckon still as time passes, or doesn't pass, or never went there at all. it goes from there, of course.

one pressing of 500 copies, individually numbered. available at www.chanceformation.com or in person at shows.

"There is an hour just at evening when the plains seem on the verge of saying something; they never do, or perhaps they do- eternally- though we don't understand it, or perhaps we do understand but what they say is as untranslatable as music...."

-jorge luis borges

Divine Light

2007-02-04T13:59:00.000-08:00

Divine Light -June 16- July 1, 2007 DeLeon White Gallery 1139 College St. (West of Dufferin)

Divine Light is a 15-day musical composition, sonarium, and sound-installation which examines the dynamic synergies of the heavenly bodies and the sun. In a large room, 9 pairs of speakers play stereo files which are constantly looped as they are updated, altered, and mediated with new and/or previously gathered sonic materials. The length of each sound file corresponds in ratio to one year on each planet in our galaxy. The smallest file is 1 minute, the largest is 11 hrs. A discrete vibrational centre will be created, refracting and celebrating the Universe.

Divine light is a point of departure for journeys of the imagination. The work will offer drastically new ways of experiencing sound and music to physical and virtual visitors, who will be welcome at all times while Divine Light is in progress. Audio artifacts will be presented via the internet.

Divine Light is a totally unique way to experience sound and music. Or, it's a sonarium, an enclosed system of local sound events, creating unique oscillations, nodes, and antinodes- an inquiry into the synergistic, dynamic, seemingly closed yet interrelated systems of our Universe. An exploration (explosion) of the interface between listener (senses) and material (wave-discrete event). Or, it's a pure sonic experience- taking the Universe itself as a framework; allowing the infinite possibilities of the unknown, limited only by our imagination. Divine Light is an abstraction of the harmony of the spheres, a musical universe which contains an infinity of possibilities and interactions; a labyrinth. A fun and futuristic sound-sculpture which celebrates illumination and the human spirit.

dangdut

2007-01-19T07:06:00.000-08:00

"dangdut cassettes are made by stars, and by newcomers the producers hope will become stars. although the big stars do not perform live, the live performance scene is sustained less by them than by innumerable minor singers who have not a prayer of stardom... the cassette versions by the stars are definitive, and the job of the minor singers is simply to imitate those versions as best they can, meanwhile showing off their costumes and their movements and providing an environment in which the audience can dance"

-from the liner notes of smithsonian folkways recording "indonesian popular music"

Feb 2, Leftover Daylight

2007-01-17T17:46:00.000-08:00

I will be playing a set of solo improvised bass music + sound on February 2 at 9:00
Geordie Haley and Alex Chadsey will perform at 10:00

part of the ongoing Leftover Daylight Series. @ Arraymusic, 60 Atlantic Avenue

directions

a unity of practitioners

2007-01-16T13:42:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, January 21 I will be providing sounds for an open yoga class with teacher Allison Alexander at Jivamukti Yoga Toronto.

These events are always engaging, as the paradigm shifts from audience/performer to a unity of practitioners, simultaneously and synergetically aligning energy with environment.

There will be electronic pieces, tribal rhythms, bells, chimes, bowls, improvisations, sounds of the jungle, vine, bird, monkey, stars moon and sun.

visit the jivamukti yoga toronto website for more info.

solstice/light

2006-12-23T09:55:00.000-08:00

next installation:

7corners-light

happy solstice

unified plant theory

2006-12-20T14:47:00.001-08:00

from the wagner research laboratory:

"the wave theory approach provides a good explanation for the production of forces in plant tissue. These forces appear to, at least partially, overcome gravity and other resistance to the flow of sap and can be changed, as necessary, to accommodate the needs of the plant. So far the forces found seem to be related to moving standing waves. "

moss wall/plains/bays/lakes

2006-12-18T19:03:00.000-08:00

moss walls
spinach in the roof
algae
syntropy

solstice
preparation
1000 year plan announced
moonshots

downloads

2006-12-15T07:08:00.000-08:00

last month i sent a few of you links to some new material by 7corners, music which had been recorded over the summer and just recently arranged and mixed.

in light of the positive responses i've gotten from all of you, i've decided to start a subscribed email list- as tracks become available, i'll post them to 7corners.info or chanceformation.com and send out links to anybody who may be interested.

of course, email addresses and info will not be shared; besides downloads i will also send information regarding performances, happenings, recordings and events which may be of interest to you.

if you'd like to recieve emails, please drop me a line at

subscribe [at] chanceformation.com

my next email will go out on winter solstice, a burst of light on the shortest day.

cwvortex on sunday

2006-12-15T07:01:00.000-08:00

cw vortex will be assembling this sunday (december 17) from 2-5 to do
the following:

improvise,
perform,
workshop,

it will be an informal gathering, all are welcome.

paperspace studio
260 carlaw, unit 201b

carlaw between queen and dundas, west side, easy load-in albeit one flight of stairs,
free parking on the side street just south and west.

please visit cwvortex for info sound + updates.

plutek will be documenting the audio for this session. several vortex members have expressed an interest in manipulating cw audio artifacts. of course, results will be available here.

soon

environment2

2006-12-08T12:47:00.000-08:00

environment 2 has arrived at chanceformation

i composed this piece in november 2006, responding to the harsh environmental shifts which happen in toronto this time of year. each day our outer environment shifts, and our inner environments must adjust and change along with it.

as we head to the solstice, the light declines each day. it's duality, singularity, and neither; a palindrome- today's amount of sunshine won't be reached again for another month. today itself won't be reached again ever, perhaps only dreamed.

environment two is the inner environment, reaching inside ourselves and inversioning our vision. when we look back from the future, what will we see, and why? what did we never know we needed? what do we wish we had changed, known, experienced, done?

performed by cwvortex, and presented with gratitude.

elie katzin- guitar
greg de denus- keys
simeon alev- reeds
peter lutek- reeds
tom richards- bone
scott peterson- software

from the prose element of the piece:

"the vital aspect of this piece is that what we play and hear is much, much different that the audience (via recording) will perceive and hear. therefore, we must be extremely disciplined as we collectively perceive the completed piece. "

environment no. 2

plains

2006-11-24T07:40:00.000-08:00

"There is an hour just at evening when the plains seem on the verge of saying something; they never do, or perhaps they do- eternally- though we don't understand it, or perhaps we do understand but what they say is as untranslatable as music...."

-Jorge Luis Borges, The End

kairos

2006-11-17T06:06:00.000-08:00

completed in spring 2006 in 2 days. here is an excerpt from our project description:

"we will produce the work over a short period of time. we will work simultaneously in seperate locations, thomas yip in calgary, and scott peterson in toronto. ... in order to experience the theme of sensory fragmentation, scott peterson will work "blind" and thomas yip will work "deaf" with no feedback whatsoever from one another, the artists will address the specific media and independently explore the following question: what are the implications of modern humans' ability to influence sight through sound, and sound through sight? each artist will produce a 5 minute composition over a set period of time. the two compositions will be combined through editing at a later time"

kairos

environment no.1

2006-11-16T15:50:00.000-08:00

composed by scott peterson in december2005 and performed by composers workshop.

this piece utilizes a prepared environment, consisting of room mics, speakers, and 6 musicians. every sound is cycled through a 'prepared software environment'- where it is filtered, altered, echoed, warped..

the horns (peter lutek, tom richards, simeon alev) play written material, the piano and guitar improvise on other written material.

a sample of the prose element:

"chaos (not real) an illusion as things are tending towards order, the chaos is simply elements organizing themselves."

environment no. 1