Terry Riley Weekend
Thollem McDonas (5/2/15) from the San Francisco Bay Area, has been a perpetually traveling musician since 2006. He shares his time between North America and Europe, performing/recording as a soloist, in collaboration with many other individuals and groups, as well as leading large ensemble improvisation/collaboration workshops. His music is diverse, approaching each concert and project uniquely, resulting in dramatically new and different outcomes.
Not long after birth, Thollem began studying the keyboard repertoire from the medieval to the 20th century. With degrees in both piano performance and composition, he quit school and his career to dedicate his time to grassroots political movements and ecological restoration projects. In 2005, he returned to music as his full focus, incorporating his experiences into his compositions, improvisations and teaching.
Thollem has performed piano concertos with symphonies, played in West African drumming troupes, Javanese gamelan ensembles, punk bands, with many free improvisation groups, and as a "comproviser" for modern dance and film. He is the founding director of Estamos Ensemble, a Mexican-American cross border ensemble for musical exchange. He is also the lead singer of the Italian agit-punk band Tsigoti.
Videos featuring musicians playing at this event
Pauline Oliveros, Susie Ibarra and Thollem McDonas at The Stone, NY, NY Aug. 21, 2012