Sounding Ground
Zeitgeist is pleased to announce the 2021-2022 SOUNDING GROUND Composers in Residence! Congratulations to Ivan Cunningham, Queen Drea, and Eric M. C. Gonzalez on being selected for the inaugural residencies.
The SOUNDING GROUND composer residency program provides commissioning, development, and production support for three Minnesota composers in the early stages of their careers. SOUNDING GROUND awardees work closely with Zeitgeist over a 10-month period on the development and production of a significant new work created for Zeitgeist.
The SOUNDING GROUND composer residency program provides commissioning, development, and production support for three Minnesota composers in the early stages of their careers. SOUNDING GROUND awardees work closely with Zeitgeist over a 10-month period on the development and production of a significant new work created for Zeitgeist.
Sounding Ground Showcase
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March 25-26, 7:30 p.m.
Studio Z: 275 East 4th Street, St. Paul $15 / $10 students & seniors |
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Join Zeitgeist and Sounding Ground artists Queen Drea, Eric M. C. Gonzalez, and Ivan Cunningham for a first look at the new works they have developed during the Sounding Ground residency.
Seating is limited to allow for social distancing. Reservations are recommended.
**COVID 19 policy: Masks will be required and attendees must provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result from the previous 72 hours.
Seating is limited to allow for social distancing. Reservations are recommended.
**COVID 19 policy: Masks will be required and attendees must provide proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test result from the previous 72 hours.
Ivan Cunningham
Ivan Cunningham is Minneapolis-based composer, performer, and band-leader. Ivan operates across many different areas of the music scene in the Twin Cities. His work was featured in the 2017 Hear Here Music and Movement Festival at the Cedar Cultural Center and was awarded a 2016 performance by Zeitgeist in the Eric Stokes Song Contest. Ivan has performed and recorded with artists such as Black Market Brass, Charlie Lincoln, Shahzad Ismaily, Nicholas Christenson, and Gabriel Roderick. As well as being involved in the creative improvised music scene, Ivan plays in weirdo rock bands Mr. Zipp and Mal. His work as a composer is intended to create spaces for himself and others to unconsciously process information.
Ivan's SOUNDING GROUND project:
"To be alive and aware in 2021 means to carry a specific flavor of apprehension, confusion, fatigue, and discouragement. In addition to the abundance of material disasters currently in the process of unfolding, we live during a time in which the concept of “truth” is harder than ever to define. A commonly stated solution is that things have always been bad throughout all of history, but I believe we owe it to ourselves to adequately recognize how the challenges we face today are unique and cannot be solved merely by comparison to the past. For my Sounding Ground residency, I intend to create a piece that can function as a meditation on this topic. The piece will be scored for the Zeitgeist with the addition of vocalist Shruthi Rajasekar. Multi-disciplinary artist Gabriel Roderick will be providing poetry on the theme that will then be set to music."
Ivan's SOUNDING GROUND project:
"To be alive and aware in 2021 means to carry a specific flavor of apprehension, confusion, fatigue, and discouragement. In addition to the abundance of material disasters currently in the process of unfolding, we live during a time in which the concept of “truth” is harder than ever to define. A commonly stated solution is that things have always been bad throughout all of history, but I believe we owe it to ourselves to adequately recognize how the challenges we face today are unique and cannot be solved merely by comparison to the past. For my Sounding Ground residency, I intend to create a piece that can function as a meditation on this topic. The piece will be scored for the Zeitgeist with the addition of vocalist Shruthi Rajasekar. Multi-disciplinary artist Gabriel Roderick will be providing poetry on the theme that will then be set to music."
Queen Drea
Queen Drea, recipient of a 2017 American Composers Forum Minnesota Emerging Composer Award, is a vocalist, performance, and sound alchemist whose pieces are often conceived under the auspices of improvisational settings which is where she thrives most. Queen Drea has created work about depression in the Black community, the loss of Black men’s lives in America, and an Afro-Futurist operetta “From Black Wombs” about two sisters who have lost their parents in the revolutionary war against white supremacy. She has been commissioned to compose soundscapes for Ananya Dance Theatre and Black Label Movement, sound design for Penumbra Theatre’s production of For Colored Girls, as well as Pillsbury House Theater’s Great Divide 3 and 4. Queen Drea is a 2019 ASHE Lab Fellow with Penumbra Theater, a 2020 Naked Stages Fellow with Pillsbury House Theater, and 2021 Jerome Fellow Finalist.
Queen Drea's SOUNDING GROUND project:
“I have been investigating some thoughts on Black Love and how it is strong enough to withstand being denied. Acknowledging that the way we came to this country and the way our families were separated in the name of capitalism is the reason why we are separated now. Acknowledging the pain of this reality. Acknowledging the beauty of this reality. Acknowledging Black Love in its many forms and expressing this love through my art.
During my Sounding Ground residency, I hope to work on skills to help me translate my compositions in a way that other musicians can play them. I've been working on an Afro-futurist Operetta and will use the knowledge from the workshops to help realize it." –Queen Drea
Queen Drea's SOUNDING GROUND project:
“I have been investigating some thoughts on Black Love and how it is strong enough to withstand being denied. Acknowledging that the way we came to this country and the way our families were separated in the name of capitalism is the reason why we are separated now. Acknowledging the pain of this reality. Acknowledging the beauty of this reality. Acknowledging Black Love in its many forms and expressing this love through my art.
During my Sounding Ground residency, I hope to work on skills to help me translate my compositions in a way that other musicians can play them. I've been working on an Afro-futurist Operetta and will use the knowledge from the workshops to help realize it." –Queen Drea
Eric M. C. Gonzalez
Eric M. C. Gonzalez is a composer, sound designer, and performer of music for the concert hall, theater, film, and beyond. Eric performs songs for electric cello, synthesizer, and vocals as Agleam. Eric is creator and writer of the science fiction comic book REACH, and has written collaboratively and solely on several theatrical productions.
Music composed by Eric has been performed by Zeitgeist, No Exit New Music Ensemble, JACK Quartet, and more. Music and sound design for theater by Eric has been heard in Angles In America, Sueño, Brujeria for Beginners, 44 Plays for 44 Presidents, Mother Courage And Her Children, and more. Film music by Eric can be heard in A Fool’s Tango, the Rhode Island NetWorks Project, and The Red End.
In 2020-21, Eric was composer in residence at Studio Z. In 2019, Eric was artist in residence at Arts Letters & Numbers. Eric was a Kulas Composer Fellow at Cleveland Public Theatre during their 2016–17 season. In 2016, Eric was a Creative Workforce Fellow, a program of the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, supported through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.
Eric's SOUNDING GROUND project:
"In the Sounding Ground residency, I will compose a piece of music that features aleatoric notation and open instrumentation. While I have incorporated similar compositional techniques in my work on a small scale, I have not created an entire piece of music that centers around this or similar concepts. It will be highly beneficial to work with Zeitgeist in producing and composing this piece considering the ensemble's experience in performing similar works."
Music composed by Eric has been performed by Zeitgeist, No Exit New Music Ensemble, JACK Quartet, and more. Music and sound design for theater by Eric has been heard in Angles In America, Sueño, Brujeria for Beginners, 44 Plays for 44 Presidents, Mother Courage And Her Children, and more. Film music by Eric can be heard in A Fool’s Tango, the Rhode Island NetWorks Project, and The Red End.
In 2020-21, Eric was composer in residence at Studio Z. In 2019, Eric was artist in residence at Arts Letters & Numbers. Eric was a Kulas Composer Fellow at Cleveland Public Theatre during their 2016–17 season. In 2016, Eric was a Creative Workforce Fellow, a program of the Community Partnership for Arts and Culture, supported through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.
Eric's SOUNDING GROUND project:
"In the Sounding Ground residency, I will compose a piece of music that features aleatoric notation and open instrumentation. While I have incorporated similar compositional techniques in my work on a small scale, I have not created an entire piece of music that centers around this or similar concepts. It will be highly beneficial to work with Zeitgeist in producing and composing this piece considering the ensemble's experience in performing similar works."
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SOUNDING GROUND is made possible by the Jerome Foundation.
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