Kenneth Newby
Canadian composer, performer and teacher, Kenneth Newby was born in 1956. He studied electroacoustic and computer music techniques (B.A., M.F.A.) at Simon Fraser University and specialized in writing his own software for composition. A co-founder of the Vancouver Gamelan Ensemble in 1986, he has studied Karawitan and Gender Wayang extensively in both Java and Bali. His compositions explore a synthesis of interactive computer music, improvisation, and an attention to deep states of consciousness.
Phill Niblock
Composer and filmmaker, Niblock was born in Indiana in 1933. Since the mid-60's he has been making music and intermedia performance at venues like The Museum of Modern Art, NY; the Whitney Museum; Wadsworth Antheneum; the Kitchen; the Paris Autumn Festival among others. He has received grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, NYSCA, and the NEA. He is a professor at the College of Staten Island, CUNY, and is director of music and intermedia programs at Experimental Intermedia Foundation.
Zanana
Kristin Norderval, voice
Monique Buzzarté, trombone
Zanana is a collaborative duo featuring Kristin Norderval, voice and Monique Buzzarté ,trombone, performing improvised music blending acoustic sounds, electronics and live processing. We compose and perform collaboratively using improvisation as the foundation of our compositional process. Some works are free improvisations, some are structured improvisations, and some are composed with aleatoric elements. Our intent is to create sonic transformations of both our acoustic playing and unusual ambient/industrial/site-specific sounds.
For live processing we each use Macintosh laptop computers running Max/MSP. For most engagements we bring our own equipment, including hemispherical/spherical speakers, mixers, microphones, mic stands, and the like. However, specific technical needs vary depending on the venue and the program being performed.
Our duo takes its name ("zah-NAH-nah") from a variant spelling of "zenana," a Persian term originating from zan or "woman".
