Improvisers Exchange Ensemble
This performance ensemble broadly examines the field of music improvisation and is open to musicians of all genres who seek to explore omni-idiomatic improvisation, listening and performance strategies for the improviser, and engagement with visiting artists in the field. The ensemble is led by Jason Finkelman, who performs on African and Brazilian percussion and laptop electronics. Finkelman is a founding member of the ambient, avant world trio Straylight and has performed with a diverse range of improvising artists including Pauline Oliveros, Roy Campbell, Jr., Steve Gorn, and Vernon Reid.
NOTE: Open to musicians outside the School of Music by permission of the instructor.
Improvisers Exchange was established through the Center for Advanced Study Annual Initiative in 2018-19
Improvisers Exchange was created in Fall 2017 through a two-year initiative deeply investigating the field of music improvisation. The seed years of Improvisers Exchange offered multifaceted programming featuring performance and engagement residencies by leading artists representative of a wide spectrum of the practice, initiated a new performance course on improvisation for students, and promoted scholarly discourse through lectures and panel discussions. In Spring 2019, Jason Finkelman (Robert E. Brown Center for World Music) and Mike Silvers (Musicology) offered a graduate seminar on Music, Improvisation and Ecology as CAS Resident Associates for AY2018-19. Improvisers Exchange remains an ensemble class that explores omni-idiomatic improvised music and an occasional concert and workshop series.