In Thursday’s (8/8) Times Colonist (Victoria, British Columbia), Amy Smart writes about Vertical Orchestra 2013: Transpondings, a concert of new music by composers based in British Columbia, organized by composer Jordan Nobles. “Through what he calls a ‘vertical orchestra,’ Nobles says he hopes to redefine the audience experience by making use of the unique architectural and acoustic qualities of multi-level buildings. On Sunday, players will scatter across storeys in the Atrium [in downtown Victoria] for a free concert.… ‘It’s free of the normal sit-in-a-chair-and-be-quiet mode of a concert hall. You can walk around, whisper in your friend’s ear,’ says Nobles. ‘Wander near the flutes or near the percussion.’ … Nobles said the vertical-orchestra concept has grown since its debut in 2004, when he first saw potential in the seven storeys of balconies overlooking the promenade at the central branch of the Vancouver Public Library…. This weekend will be the first year that the vertical orchestra moves beyond Vancouver. But a concert like this presents unique challenges for its composers…. [Musicians] can’t necessarily see a conductor, so several composers have replaced them with stopwatches…. The series fittingly takes the name from ‘Transponder,’ the instrument that reads and transmits sound signals during sonar communications to navigate, measure distance and track positions.”
Posted August 9, 2013
