Relevant Tones Tenth Anniversary Festival: Useless Machines

Thursday, October 14, 20218:00 pm
  • Tickets are on sale now. Proof of vaccination will be required to attend this performance in person. Learn more.
  • A live stream will be available free of charge at 8pm on the day of the performance and archived for future viewing.
  • Please support Roulette this season. Donate.

Access Contemporary Music celebrates 10 years of its award-winning podcast Relevant Tones with a three-day festival featuring music and conversation on the topics of Rube Goldberg machines, the intersection of music and architecture, and monsters. The festival features the launch of a new video series called Songs About Buildings and Moods that features commissioned music performed live in landmark spaces like the TWA Hotel, Tammany Hall, and others.

Relevant Tones Festival Passes
See all three nights for $40

Night One: Useless Machines
October 14, 2021

Cartoonist Rube Goldberg’s intricately complex contraptions have inspired everyone from the classic Mousetrap game to Pee Wee Hermann, and the Rube Goldberg machine has become a household name. This concert features music inspired by and incorporating Rube Goldberg machines and conversation with Jennifer George, Goldberg’s granddaughter, the author of numerous books about Goldberg and the director of the Rube Goldberg Institute.

Program
Rube G. by Frank London (choreography by Jody Oberfelder Productions)

choreographer: Jody Oberfelder
Musicians: Sae Hashimoto, Brian Drye, Frank London and Ron Caswel
Dancers: Emily Giovine, Vanessa Knouse, Daniel Morimoto, and Mark Willis
Costumes: Katrin SchnablRube Goldberg Variations by Dmitri Tymoczko

Water Walk by John Cage
Useless Machines for Thinking, Dreaming, Feeling by Seth Boustead (Puppetry by Little Shadow Productions)

Music performed by Unheard-of Ensemble and the Kings County Brass Band

Line up:
Seth Boustead: host, performer on Water Walk
Ford Fourqurean: bass clarinet
Matheus Souza: violin
Issei Herr: cello
Kate Amrine: trumpet
Hugh Ash: trumpet
Nikita Solberg: french horn
Blair Hamrick: french horn
Jen Baker: trombone
Andrew Madej: tuba
Blair McMillen: piano
Frank London: trumpet
Jennifer George: speaker
Jody Oberfelder Project: choreography
Little Shadow Productions: shadow puppetry

Speakers:
Jennifer George


Access Contemporary Music is a non-profit with the mission of bringing musical creativity to life every day through concerts of the music of diverse living composers, digital media programs like our award-winning podcast Relevant Tones and video series Songs About Buildings and Moods, innovative commissioning project, festivals and through storefront music schools that teach musical creativity to all ages and backgrounds.

 

Relevant Tones Tenth Anniversary Festival is a coproduction between Access to Contemporary Music and Roulette.

Relevant Tones Tenth Anniversary Festival: Useless Machines

Thursday, October 14, 20218:00 pm
  • Tickets are on sale now. Proof of vaccination will be required to attend this performance in person. Learn more.
  • A live stream will be available free of charge at 8pm on the day of the performance and archived for future viewing.
  • Please support Roulette this season. Donate.

Access Contemporary Music celebrates 10 years of its award-winning podcast Relevant Tones with a three-day festival featuring music and conversation on the topics of Rube Goldberg machines, the intersection of music and architecture, and monsters. The festival features the launch of a new video series called Songs About Buildings and Moods that features commissioned music performed live in landmark spaces like the TWA Hotel, Tammany Hall, and others.

Relevant Tones Festival Passes
See all three nights for $40

Night One: Useless Machines
October 14, 2021

Cartoonist Rube Goldberg’s intricately complex contraptions have inspired everyone from the classic Mousetrap game to Pee Wee Hermann, and the Rube Goldberg machine has become a household name. This concert features music inspired by and incorporating Rube Goldberg machines and conversation with Jennifer George, Goldberg’s granddaughter, the author of numerous books about Goldberg and the director of the Rube Goldberg Institute.

Program
Rube G. by Frank London (choreography by Jody Oberfelder Productions)

choreographer: Jody Oberfelder
Musicians: Sae Hashimoto, Brian Drye, Frank London and Ron Caswel
Dancers: Emily Giovine, Vanessa Knouse, Daniel Morimoto, and Mark Willis
Costumes: Katrin SchnablRube Goldberg Variations by Dmitri Tymoczko

Water Walk by John Cage
Useless Machines for Thinking, Dreaming, Feeling by Seth Boustead (Puppetry by Little Shadow Productions)

Music performed by Unheard-of Ensemble and the Kings County Brass Band

Line up:
Seth Boustead: host, performer on Water Walk
Ford Fourqurean: bass clarinet
Matheus Souza: violin
Issei Herr: cello
Kate Amrine: trumpet
Hugh Ash: trumpet
Nikita Solberg: french horn
Blair Hamrick: french horn
Jen Baker: trombone
Andrew Madej: tuba
Blair McMillen: piano
Frank London: trumpet
Jennifer George: speaker
Jody Oberfelder Project: choreography
Little Shadow Productions: shadow puppetry

Speakers:
Jennifer George


Access Contemporary Music is a non-profit with the mission of bringing musical creativity to life every day through concerts of the music of diverse living composers, digital media programs like our award-winning podcast Relevant Tones and video series Songs About Buildings and Moods, innovative commissioning project, festivals and through storefront music schools that teach musical creativity to all ages and backgrounds.

 

Relevant Tones Tenth Anniversary Festival is a coproduction between Access to Contemporary Music and Roulette.

 

Useless Machines at Roulette 2021