Composed to celebrate what would have been the hundredth birthday of avant-garde pioneer John Cage, this work pays homage to the ideas and philosophies embodied in his music and his words. Cage was famed for integrating non-traditional instruments into his work and for coaxing unconventional sounds from traditional ones; accordingly, Lizée—herself noted for incorporating turntables and other electronic devices into the concert-music setting—here makes extensive use of various objets trouvés (including typewriters and vinyl records on portable turntables struck with mallets) as percussion instruments, regardless of their original purpose.

 The idea of “preparing” instruments, one of Cage’s most significant contributions to modern music, is reflected here in alterations made to the surfaces of vinyl records, generating new patterns and melodies by creating new paths for the stylus. Lizée has described this piece as a kind of dance party for Cage: “a re-imagining of a rave.”

This work was premiered on March 2, 2012 at the 'So Percussion' concert presented at Koerner Hall in Toronto (Canada).

For more information about Nicole Lizée and her work, please visit our SoundMakers website: http://www.SoundMakers.ca/composers/nicole-lizee


White Label Experiment by Nicole Lizée

Soundstreams is a Toronto-based music presenter that commissions, develops and showcases the work of contemporary Canadian composers and their international counterparts. 

A native of Italy,  I came to the U.S. when I was 12-years-old. My mother was my first piano teacher, and I credit her as my true inspiration. I also find inspiration from the great composers of yesterday like Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin. In addition, I have been influenced by the remarkable talent and example of Andre Watts.

My philosophy in life stems from a favorite quote: "Devotion of thought to an honest achievement can make an achievement possible." I perform in churches, synagogues, and other venues. I have played with the Philadelphia Chamber Orchestra and the West Chester University Symphony Orchestra.

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