Recently, Brendan Fitzgerald and I have been writing music for our ensemble, Wooden Cities, as part of a collaborative project we’re working on with Finnish artist Pia Lindman. The final performance, A Kalevala Duo—Playing Bones, will be a part of FinnFest USA, an annual festival celebrating Finnish culture that this year is taking place in Buffalo. Pia is trained in Kalevala, a traditional Finnish healing practice that falls somewhere between massage therapy and a chiropractic treatment. During the performance, on October 11, Pia will administer one of these treatments live, while Wooden Cities plays music inspired by field recordings of Finnish folk songs. Brendan and I are designing the score to unfold in response to the Kalevala process, moving from section to section as the treatment moves through the body. More information can be found in yesterday’s article in the Public.
The collaboration was initiated by CS1 Projects, and tickets are available through their website. We’re very excited to be working with Pia on this project and are looking forward to what promises to be a unique performance experience!