splinter orchestra
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The Splinter Orchestra are one of the few large-scale improvisational ensembles working in Australia, or anywhere else for that matter.
Formed in 2003, the group has comprised of up to 50 members. Made up of individuals from the improvised music scene, electronic musicians, sound artists and those who are involved in environmental sound and field recording, the Splinter Orchestra create a stark minimalism despite their large number – without any leaders or conductors.
The group aims for graceful tension, restraint and simplicity. They are intent on becoming one instrument…
Past and present members of the orchestra: Jim Denley, Dale Gorfinkel, Peter Farrar, Karen Booth, Lloyd Honeybrook, Ian Pieterse, Matt Ottignon, Inge Olmheim, Shannon ONeill, Luke Callaghan, Emily Morandini, Ben Byrne, Alex Davies, Daniel Whiting, Joe Derrick, Simon Ferenci, Clayton Thomas, Mike Majkowski, Abel Cross, Milica Stefanovic, Michael Sheridan, Matt Earle, Adam Sussmann, Paul Taylor, Martin Ng, Peter Blamey, Robbie Avenaim, Alex Masso, Jon Rose, Hollis Taylor, Chris Abrahams, Monica Brooks, Amanda Stewart, Clare Cooper, Ben Gerard, Chris Burke, Gail Priest, Reuben Derrick, Rod Cooper, April Fonti, Sam Dobson, Gerard Crewdson, Cass McGlynn and more
“The Splinter Orchestra’s music is like quicksand: it can suck you in, just as each of the 27 musicians relinquished his or her sense of self within this monumental improvising ensemble. Listening to it is like looking down on a jungle from above, with infinite layers of foilage making for an image without surface. Behind every sound lurks another sound, and then another. The result is eerie and weirdly beautiful; more diaphanous then dense, which is a tribute to both the subtlety of the interaction and the sophistication of the recording. Remarkable.”
John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald Jan 12 2008.
Click here to check out an article on Australia Adlib
Check out some excerpts from our album:
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Saturday, 27 September, 2008
Splinter at Anode
FIELD TRIP is a free subterranean excursion through art and sound, projections, performance, installation, photography, and music. Along the way you’ll find artist Jess Cook musing on Sydney, and Token Imagination giving a moving performance. ANAT present the live improvised sound art of the 20-piece Splinter Orchestra. Check out Perran Costi’s Portable City installation, odd travel photography by Alex Crowfoot, take a seat in the pop-up cinema to see animation by Ingrid K Brooker, or hang out at the Bodega crew’s car park deck party.
Domain Car Park, Sydney.
Free. 12 - 7pm
For more on Anode go to http://www.anode.net.au/
Thursday, 2 October, 2008
TINA
Featuring The Splinter Orchestra and many friends of the NOW now.
Newcastle 2nd-6th October
Thursday, 9 October, 2008
1/4_inch
Aaron Hull, Scott Morrison and the Splinter Orchestra
Music Farmers 5 Crown lane. Wollongong
1/4_inch presents another eclectic program of audio visual and improvised music
Log onto the audio stream for a preview of what is to come on the evening. http://130.130.76.34:8000/
::Artist Bio's::
Scott Morrison is a Sydney based audio-visual artist. His screen based works have been exhibited and screened extensively throughout Australia and abroad. His primary interest lies in the musicality of
the image, the drama of natural occurence and how this can be re-imagined as new experience. Since 2007 this approach has been presented under the title of "ballad(s) for quiet horizons". The work
has been presented as live performance and exhibited as installation with the Canberra Contemporary Art Space - Gorman House, Kudos Gallery, Sydney and Level 17, Melbourne.
Aaron Hull is a Wollongong/Sydney artist who reguarly moves his practice between multi screen audiovisual installation work and solo sound performances. Aaron has presented work overseas and more frequently in Australia. Prepare to emmerse yourself in a sound world of landscape recordings and synthetic minimal textures. Aaron is the curator of the performance series 1/4_inch, technical officer by day at the UOW, artist and a researcher madly trying to finish his thesis titled "Corroded Memories" by night. Go to Aaron's Website for more info. http://www.halftheory.com/hull/ah/Aaron%20Hull.html
Splinter Orchestra "The Splinter Orchestra's music is like quicksand: it can suck you in, just as each of the 27 musicians relinquished his or her sense of self within this monumental improvising ensemble. Listening to it is like looking down on a jungle from above, with infinite layers of foilage making for an image without surface. Behind every sound lurks another sound, and then another. The result is eerie and weirdly beautiful; more diaphanous then dense, which is a tribute to both the subtlety of the interaction and the sophistication of the recording. Remarkable." John Shand, Sydney Morning Herald Jan 12 2008. Splinter Website http://www.splitrec.com/index.php?go=thesplinterorchestra
Friday, 24 October, 2008
Splinter Orchestra @ Wagga Wagga Art Gallery
The Splinter Orchestra is heading to Wagga Wagga for the first time, as part of an ambitious regional tour.
7pm @ Wagga Wagga Art Gallery
cnr Baylis & Morrow Street
WAGGA WAGGA NSW 2650
Buy tickets here
Saturday, 25 October, 2008
Splinter Orchestra in Bathurst
Sunday, 26 October, 2008
The Splinter Orchestra @ Footbeat Festival
Formerly know as 'Songlines', Footbeat is a festival that celebrates the outstanding natural and cultural environment of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Region. The Festival is a journey, an exploration as much as a celebration of ‘Our Place’. Footbeat festival programs are both informative and celebratory. Our activities add value to the community and play a key role in the development of creative, innovative and accessible arts and environment events. The belief and commitment towards diversity and understanding unifies the vast program.
This closing night gig features some of the excellent Blue Mountains experimental musicians (Sun of the Seventh Sister, Stasis Duo, The Spiders) as well as The Splinter Orchestra and more
From 5pm
St Candice's Hall
158 Katoomba St
Katoomba
Check out the Footbeat Festival website for more info.
Monday, 27 October, 2008
the NOW now series #10
The Splinter Orchestra returns from its travels around NSW to the inner city where it has always lived. Don't miss a rare Sydney gig by this unique large improvising ensemble.
Buy tickets here
@serial space 33 Wellington St Chippendale $10 + 8
Sunday, 18 January, 2009
the NOW now Festival : Sunday
Sunday 18th January 2009
Midday in PITT PARK, next to WFSA : KITE MUSIC : Jon Rose and Robin Fox
Afternoon Concert @ Wentworth Falls School of Arts
2:00pm : THE SPLINTER ORCHESTRA : the NOW now's very own house band
2:45pm : Anthony Pateras : solo piano
3:30pm : THE LOOP ORCHESTRA : Australia's longest running experimental music project : John Blades / Richard Fielding / Manny Gasparinatos / Hamish Mackenzie / Juke Wyatt
4:00pm : Mike Majkowski : solo double bass
Evening concert @ Akemi
from 7:00pm :
- Dave Brown / Joe Musgrove / James Heighway/ Reuben Derrick : sax, guitars and electronics
- THE UNAUSTRALIANS
- Hosebeast : Jon Hunter / Ivan Lysiak / Peter Newman : guitar and drums and computer
- Lucas Abela / Sean Baxter
Click here to get your festival tickets.
Thursday, 16 April, 2009
THE SPLINTER ORCHESTRA
Sydney's very own large-scale electro-acoustic improvisational ensemble:
THE SPLINTER ORCHESTRA
will be performing live in sydney for the first time in many months !
Sydney-based artist Mathew Rochford will also be presenting a piece for 50 clocks on the night !
THURSDAY 16th April
7:30pm start
@ PACT Theatre - 107 Railway parade erskineville (very close to erskineville station) .
$10 / $8 (for concession) on the door .
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
Monday, 18 May, 2009
NOW now series #3
Laura Altman (clarinet)
Aemon Webb (electronics)
Rory Brown (bass, etc)
Joe Talia (spring reverb tank/metal objects) melb
James Rushford (prepared violas/autoharp) melb
Dale Gorfinkel (modified trumpet, etc) melb
Peter Farrar (sax, misc)
...yet another location!
1/475 King Street,
Newtown
8pm donations of $5/10/haggling permitted
Saturday, 5 September, 2009
THE SPLINTER ORCHESTRA on NEW MUSIC UP LATE - ABC classic fm
sydney's very own large-scale electro-acousitc improvisational ensemble: the splinter orchestra will be doing a live to air performance on abc classic fm's 'new music up late'
studio audience is welcome! free entry!
the splinter orchestra will be performing in the goosens hall
- inside abc studio on harris street ultimo, sydney.
when you get there, ask at the front desk how to get to the goosens hall for the new music up late performance. you will be pointed in the right direction.
the performace starts at 10:30pm, but audience needs to be seated by 10:20pm at latest so doors can be closed and the presenter (julian day) can give his pre-amble before we go live-to-air.
show ends at 12:30am with interviews by julian day.
very exciting!
free entry!
Sunday, 25 October, 2009
West Head Project // Middle Harbour Project
“We hear the alien quality of the non-human in our music and the humanity of music in nature.” - David Dunn.
Over the past three years this project has been presented at Ku-ring-gai National Park. In 2009 the project will continue the tradition although at a different location - Middle Head, the Southern Head of the inner Heads close to Manly and Balmoral. A weird and beautiful setting with spectacular views of the Harbour, the point offers an amazing group of abandoned military bunkers and gun positions that function as amphitheatres and weather proof areas. This is ideal for a performance where 2 - 3 spaces can be used at once and musicians and audiences can travel between the spaces. The Norwegian acoustic guitarist Kim Myhr (www.myspace.com/kimmyhrmusic), who Jim Denley has worked with extensively will be involved, as well as the Anaphorian percussionist Kraig Grady (http://anaphoria.com/).
(Kraig Grady, Kim Myhr, Peter Farrar, Monika Brooks, Jo Derrick, Adam Sussman, Jim Denley),
Date: 4pm Sunday 25 October 2009
Where: MIDDLE HEAD, Manly National Park,
See Map: http://www.newmusicnetwork.com.au/Images/Concerts/middle-head.gif
Tickets: By donation: Suggested donation $30 Full / $20 Concession
Bookings Essential: Places are limited! Phone Philippa @ NMN on 0411 606 077
