RTV: Brenda Hutchinson // Speaking with the Dead

Release Date: Friday, July 2, 2010

In this episode of RTV, we speak with Brenda Hutchinson about her journey as a sound artist and the vision for her show ‘Speaking with the Dead’.

Using ultrasonic microphones and voicemail, Speaking with the Dead will search the ether for the unhearable present while invoking voices from the past.

Tiny Offerings is a collaborative performance event where each person who attends is invited to make an offering to everyone else. Artists are encouraged to bring or do something other than what they usually do- i.e. some other medium or type of performance. The offerings are often, but not exclusively in the form of a performance. An offering can be anything people like to do (tell jokes, stories, sing, draw, things we often think of a “talents”, etc.) or something they know how to do (a weird trick or genetic tic for instance) or want to “show and tell” (a drawing, photo, sculpture, found object of interesting or sentimental value, etc.) There’s a time limit of 3 minutes (less is more).

Performance date: 06/03/2010
Episode release date: 07/02/2010


Brenda Hutchinson is a composer and sound artist whose work is based on the cultivation and encouragement of openness in her own life and in those she works with. Hutchinson encourages participants to experiment with sound, share stories, and make music. Brenda also improvises on a 9 1/2 foot tube with a gestural interface she designed.

She has been an artist in residence at San Quentin Prison, Headlands Center for the Arts, Harvestworks, Exploratorium, Ucross and Djerassi. She is the recipient of the Gracie Allen Award from American Women in Radio and Television and has received support from the NEA, Lila Wallace, McKnight Foundation, and NYSCA and Meet the Composer among others. Recordings of her work are available through TELLUS, Deep Listening, O.O. DISCS, Frog Peak Music and Leonardo Music Magazine. Brenda will drive cross-country for any reason.