Sarah Cahill at Mills College
November 25, 2008
* Notes *
Pianist Sarah Cahill gave a presentation on her project entitled A Sweeter Music at Mills College last night. The name comes from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s quote "We must see that peace represents a sweeter music, a cosmic melody that is far superior to the discords of war." 18 composers are participating, writing pieces about peace or war, and the premiere will be in January at Hertz Hall on the UC Berkeley campus.
Cahill played excerpts from the work, including pieces by Peter Garland, Terry Riley, Preben Antonsen, Pauline Oliveros, and The Residents. I was quite partial to Oliveros' "New Indigo Piece," as it was a sing-along, and on the whole, the project seems promising. The only aspect that may be problematic is the John Sanborn's video art that is to be played with the music, as it is a tricky business to synchronize everything.
* Tattling *
The audience was quiet and very respectful. Preben Antonsen was recruited to turn pages during Terry Riley's "Be Kind to One Another."