CHERYL E LEONARD
KEVIN CK LO +
Kevin Corcoran +
Danishta Rivero CASTRO
Cheryl E. Leonard performs new compositions and improvisations from "Unstable Material", a project rooted in sonic explorations of Marin Headlands and inspired by the area's geologic, ecologic, and human histories. Sounds played live on found natural objects intertwine with recordings captured in and around Headland's transforming landscapes. Works reflect on borderlands, timescales, and the intersection of human-made worlds and the wild.
"During lockdown in 2020-21, a massive landslide within California’s Marin Headlands became my self-assigned sonic study area. Here, a chaotic jumble of earth, vegetation, and old military bunkers collapse into the Pacific Ocean. Marked by a sign that reads ‘Danger, Unstable Material, Do Not Enter,’ a paved road tumbles off a precipice, casting itself into sea and sky. Unable to resist such an enticement, for months I visited regularly. Exploring this topsy-turvy borderland via field recording and site-specific improvisations, I listened, duetted with buoys and birds, performed for wind and surf.
In 2022, I’ve continued to work onsite at Headlands, this time high atop Hill 88, where the decaying ruins of a radar station are also adorned with ‘Danger' signs. I come here for the chilling, fierce winds which batter the tattered structures, their humbling force evoking the polar regions. Recording and playing with the wind, I am reminded that, in the long run, the elements are irresistible." -- CEL
The other set of the evening features improvised music by KEVIN CK LO (violin/flute/piano/electronics),
Kevin Corcoran (percussion/electronics), and
Danishta Rivero CASTRO (voice/electronics).
Cheryl E. Leonard is a composer, performer, field recordist, and instrument builder whose works investigate sounds, structures, and objects from the natural world. Her projects cultivate stones, wood, water, ice, sand, shells, feathers, and bones as musical instruments, and feature one-of-a-kind sculptural instruments and field recordings from remote locales. Leonard is fascinated by subtle textures and intricacies of sounds. She uses microphones to explore aural worlds within her sound sources and develops compositions that highlight the unique voices she discovers. Her recent projects focus on climate change and extinction of species.
Leonard’s music has been performed worldwide and is available on multiple record labels. Her instruments, recordings, and graphic scores have been exhibited in galleries and museums in the U.S. and abroad, and she has contributed to several books on music and sound art. Leonard has received grants from the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists and Writers Program, New Music USA, American Composers Forum, American Music Center, ASCAP, Meet the Composer, and NYSCA. Her commissions include works for SFMOMA’s Open Space, Kronos Quartet, Hope Mohr Dance, and the La Jolla Historical Society. She has been awarded residencies at Kunstnarhuset Messen, Djerassi, Oberpfälzer Künstlerhaus, the Arctic Circle, Villa Montalvo, and Engine 27.