Aiska Castel/Marlene Quesada artwork Karlton Hester Music Sun Cok videographer Rough Draft Video (Nov. 2016)
The work is currently unfinished as we are still adding layers of sound (pipa and story narration). We are creating a 100-minute, 14-episide, interdisciplinary ritual video focused on both current pandemics – COVID-19 and racism – entitled Quantum Elders Consciousness Vaccine. “Duo Pandemic” is the closing episode of that series, following the other 13 episodes for which I have composed music, narration, dance, and story narrative, and Rebecca Nie is currently completing the corresponding video for all of the preceding 13 episodes.
Our full 100-minute ritual presentation will include background music and video – with 14 assorted electroacoustic compositions, dance, and storyline (spoken word, rap & and moving comic text streams). Hesterian Musicism incudes the full slate of performers who I originally organized for my April in Santa Cruz 2020 New Music Festival concert that was unfortunately cancelled due to the pandemic. Those artists are now creating music individually to enable us to complete work for virtual reality presentation for the scheduled annual UCSC April in Santa Cruz New Music Festival 2021 (presented online). We present our live ritual performance for the scheduled annual UCSC April in Santa Cruz New Music Festival 2021 on Friday April 30th – at the “Improvisational Freedom” concert event.
Hesterian Musicism (artists involved in the performance)
Karlton Hester – founding director, story, narration, composer, flutes, saxophones
Rebecca Nie – principal videographer, visual art, algorithm, guided meditation voice
Patricia Saucedo – videographer (Episode #14, Duo Pandemic)
Cecilia Wu – co-composer, vocals (Episode #14, Duo Pandemic)
Mandjou Kone – West African vocals, dance
Zhu Weiguang – Chinese dancer
Bill Johnson – trumpet, flugelhorn
Yunxiang Gao – pipa
Douglas Ewart – woodwinds
Motoko Honda – piano
David Smith – bass
Shi Xiaolong (红茶小子) – visiting scholar, composer
Selena Tara Nie – baby’s voice
