A Sonic Journey Through Pauline Oliveros’ Thirteen Changes
Performed on May 31, 2024, at the Black Box, Musiikkitalo, Helsinki

“Thirteen Encounters” is a sonic exploration of Pauline Oliveros’ Thirteen Changes connected with my doctoral research conducted at the University of the Arts.

My artistic research explores how different types of text and graphic scores can encourage creativity and collaboration within diverse and intercultural groups. For this concert, with a group of other six musicians-improvisers we presented in Helsinki our version of the text-based piece Thirteen Changes by Pauline Oliveros. The text-based score is composed by thirteen poetic and evocative texts, and what’s striking (and also exciting!) is that the score offers no instructions on how to turn these words into sound. The performer is given the freedom to interpret the text however they choose, it is then ask to them to become creators. And how do we do that, especially when in a group?

This open-ended approach led me to two central question: What happens when a diverse group of musicians is given nothing but words to shape their performance? How do we navigate the space between language and sound, and what emerges when this freedom is shared among musicians from different musical and cultural traditions?

working group and performers

Livia Schweizer, flutes, concept and curator | Hepa Heikki Halme, flutes, bass clarinet and objects | Iida-Vilhelmiina Sinivalo, cello and campanula | Melisa Yldirim, anatolian kamancha | Mehrnoosh Zolfaghari, persian santur | Libero Mureddu, piano and keyboards |Turkka Inkilä, live electronics and flute

Lights by Jukka Kolimaa and Iiro Sivula sound engineer

For the hand program of the concert -inclduing the art work of Inka-Maaria Jurvanen click here.

For the live-stream of the concert click here.

The concert could have not taken this sonic form without the contributions, sound, listening and input of each member of the group. The idea and concept also took shape thanks to the invaluable guidance of Nathan Riki Thomson (Uniarts), Susie Ibarra, and Claire Chase.

From here?

Towards new changes, encounters and sound worlds.