Sbot n wo

concert / workshop - Jan 14 2023, Yellowknife NT

Concert - vocal+electronics improvisation duo

Date: Saturday January 14 2023

Time: 2:30pm

Location: Museum Cafe, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre

Cost: Free - donations accepted

Presenters: Co-presented by Carmen Braden (Black Ice Sound) and the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, with support from the Canada Council for the Arts

The voice+electronics duo Sbot N Wo will present an afternoon concert of semi-structured improvisations based on the human voice — the original instrument! Human voices can be used in many ways, and Sbot N Wo will explore new directions, finding expressions of emotion, beauty, humour, and so much more.

Employing various forms of extended vocal techniques, singer Helen Pridmore goes beyond the usual melodies and harmonies of vocal music.  As she improvises live on stage, she provides intriguing and expressive material for electronic sound artist WL Altman to transform at the same time! Using computer software, the electronics will bend, distort and manipulate the sounds into a huge range of atmospheric, rhythmic, otherworldly soundscapes.  Altman takes the live sounds produced by Pridmore and plays with them, adding layers, colours, textures and rhythms to build brand new musical creations, unique in every concert!

Everything onstage is live and improvised, although some works will be based on ideas and themes from previous performances and experiments. Sbot N Wo occasionally uses text as a basis for an improvisation. For the concert in Yellowknife, Sbot N Wo will include some works based on texts written by Helen—and perhaps some texts discovered locally—as well as free-form improvisations based on the sounds themselves as they emerge.

(How to pronounce our name?  Say “Spot ‘n Woe” and let the “P” sound soften into a “B” sound!  We will explain the origin of our name at the show!)

Workshop - Vocal improv + live-electronic workshop - with “Sbot N Wo” vocal+electronics improvisation duo

Date: Saturday January 14 2023

Time: 11am

Length: 1 - 1.5 hrs

Location: Museum Cafe, Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre

Cost: Free - donations accepted

Presenters: Co-presented by Carmen Braden (Black Ice Sound) and the PWNHC

Ideal participants:

• singers of any genre or level,

• computer-music-makers of any kind,

• folks interested in improvisation as creative process / performance.

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Sbot N Wo artists WL Altman and Helen Pridmore offer a community workshop in improvisation - geared for for singers and computer-music makers. This workshop will encourage participants to combine their voice(s) with the computer program Ableton Live to transform the sound of their voices in a casual ‘live’ setting! Participants will all have a chance to explore as they wish, or just observe.

No experience in improvisation is necessary! This is a great opportunity to try it for the first time, no matter what your musical leanings.

Participants are invited to bring a song they already are into singing. Or an idea to try out! Or just come and improvise with us!

Any genre! Classical, musical theatre, singer-songwriter, rap, pop, spoken word, original, covers… All can be transformed in intriguing and surprising ways.

The workshop is 1-1.5 hours in length, and is open to anyone interested.  No special vocal or computer ability required!  NOTE:  If you have any physical or vocal limitations, these are not a problem - there are limitless possibilities in this workshop. Just bring yourselves.

The workshop will include:

• Simple vocal work, exploring what voices can do

• Improvisation games to get us warmed up, includin movement + voices.

• A look at computer software that can play with sounds.  We’ll focus on a program called “Ableton Live” (there’s a free downloadable version!)

• Demonstrations on how to make some simple sound effects happen in real time using Ableton Live

• Participants trying the live-transformations by singing a song they already know while WL transforms their sound, or trying improvisation with Helen as a guide.

• The session will end with a group improvisation using both our voices and the computer

Thanks to our sponsors and supporters

The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre

The Canada Council for the Arts

MLA Julie Green

MLA Kevin O’Reilly

MLA Katrina Nokleby

MLA Rylund Johnson