ELECTRONIC MUSIC PIONEERS REUNITE AT MONTCLAIR UNIVERSITY

[seraph]

Calendar Event: April 30, 2005

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ELECTRONIC MUSIC PIONEERS REUNITE FOR SPECIAL ENGAGEMENT AT MONTCLAIR STATE UNIVERSITY

Musica Elettronica Viva

Saturday, April 30 at 7:30pm at The Alexander Kasser Theater

Free Bus Service available from Manhattan with advance ticket purchase

Musica Elettronica Viva (MEV) makes a special reunion engagement at Montclair State University (MSU) in the ongoing inaugural season celebration of the new Alexander Kasser Theater. As pioneers of free-form electronic music in the 60s and 70s, MEV merged free improvisation, street music, theater, collaborations with novice musicians, and audience participation with Moog synthesizers to revolutionize an entire musical genre. On Saturday, April 30th at 7:30pm, MSU's office of Arts and Cultural programming presents company founders Alvin Curran (keyboards), Richard Teitelbaum (keyboards), and Frederic Rzewski (piano) continue the tradition with a masterful evening of original improvisational sets.

Musica Elettronica Viva was first organized in the spring 1966 by Alan Bryan, Alvin Curran, Jon Phetteplace, Carol Plantamura, Frederic Rzweski, Richard Teitelbaum and Ivor Vandor in Rome. Taking its cue from David Tudor and John Cage, MEV began experimenting with amplified raw sounds from a wide range of found objects including bed springs, sheets of glass, tin cans, rubber bands, toy pianos, erotic toys, and assorted junk metal. They would combine these sounds with the more recognizable instruments like a crushed old trumpet, cello, tenor sax, a home-made synthesizer and the first Moog in Europe, giving the otherwise neoprimitive sound an inimitable edge. By 1969, the ensemble had taken Europe by storm and in 1971 they made their first U.S. tour with Maryanne Amacher, Serge Tcherepnin and Anthony Braxton. Later, Garrett List, Gregory Reeve, Jon Gibson and Karl Berger became frequent performs in the group. While its founding members have each gone on to develop very different but compatible music, MEV refuses retirement in its 39th year dedicated to at least one public gig per season.

The new Alexander Kasser Theater is located on the campus of Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey (accessible weekdays by train and bus via New Jersey transit with convenient parking located in the deck adjacent to the theater).

Tickets are $30 (with discounts for seniors, groups and MSU staff, faculty, graduate students and alumni). Chartered bus service is available from Manhattan to MSU for this performance at no cost with advance ticket purchase; reservations are required.

For ticket reservations, travel information or further details call the Box Office at 973-655-5112 or visit www.montclair.edu/kasser.