Sounds, Trees, Meadows

Setup for Robert Morris "sound, trees, meadows" Centennial Premiere performance in Durand Eastman Park
Setup for Robert Morris “sound, trees, meadows” Centennial Premiere performance in Durand Eastman Park

We had just read “The Transcendent Power of Walking” before heading out so we were primed for automaticity. We entered the park on the short path at the end of the longest street in our neighborhood of dead ends. A music stand was set about ten feet away from an array of percussion instruments as if it was awaiting a conductor.

The Eastman Wind Ensemble had set up their instruments in a dozen clusters all within earshot of one another. The students, all dressed in black, had gathered on the picnic tables after finishing their sound check. We asked one of them what was going on and he told us they were performing the premier of a Robert Morris piece commissioned by the Eastman School of Music in celebration of their centennial.

There were two performances, one at 1:30 and another at 3:30. We missed them both but we thoroughly enjoyed the setup.

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