Center for New Music
55 Taylor St SF
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James Fei, Bill Hsu, & Gino Robair

Bay area improvisers James Fei (reeds), Bill Hsu (electronics, interactive animations), Gino Robair (electronics, percussion), joined by a special guest percussionist from Israel, present an evening of improvisations on acoustic and electronic instruments, and interactive video.

James Fei (b. Taipei, Taiwan) moved to the US in 1992 to study electrical engineering. He has since been active as a composer and performer on saxophones and live electronics. Works by Fei have been performed by the Bang on a Can All-Stars, Orchestra of the S.E.M. Ensemble, MATA Micro Orchestra and Noord-Hollands Philharmonisch Orkest. Recordings can be found on Leo Records, Improvised Music from Japan, CRI, Krabbesholm and Organized Sound. Compositions for Fei’s own ensemble of four alto saxophones focus on physical processes of saliva, fatigue, reeds crippled by cuts and the threshold of audible sound production, while his sound installations and performance on live electronics often focus on feedback. He received the Grants for Artists Award from the Foundation for Contemporary Arts in 2014. Fei has taught at Mills College in Oakland since 2006, where he is Associate Professor of Electronic Arts.

Bill Hsu has built systems, tools, installations and compositions in collaboration with Peter van Bergen, Chris Burns, John Butcher, James Fei, Matt Heckert, Lynn Hershman, Jeremy Mende, and Gino Robair. He has performed and exhibited work in the US, Europe, Asia, and Australia. He teaches and does research in the Department of Computer Science at San Francisco State University. Website: http://unixlab.sfsu.edu/~whsu/art.html

Gino Robair has performed and recorded with Tom Waits, Anthony Braxton, John Zorn, Nina Hagen, Terry Riley, Lou Harrison, John Butcher, Derek Bailey, Peter Kowald, Otomo Yoshihide, and the ROVA Saxophone Quartet. He is one of the “25 innovative percussionists” included in the book Percussion Profiles (SoundWorld, 2001), as well as a founding member of the Splatter Trio and Pink Mountain. His opera, I, Norton, based on the life of Norton I, Emperor of the United States, has been performed throughout North America and Europe. Website: http://ginorobair.com

Audio samples in which musicians at this event play:

Videos featuring musicians playing at this event