WEST
OAKLAND
SOUND
SERIES
 

UPCOMING

 

SUN SEP 13 - C. BROWN + J. POETHIG + R. GARABEDIAN.  / D. REASON + P. GELB + K. BRUCKMANN

SUN SEP 20 - MARGUERITE BROWN / DIANE GRUBBE: GLISSANDO FLUTE PROJECT

 

a weekly new music and experimental sound series every sunday
presented by new performance traditions and sfSound

 

 

DRESHER ENSEMBLE STUDIO

2201 poplar street :: oakland ca

 

ample parking! please park perpendicular when past the trees on poplar
$20 (FREE for students/underemployed)

 cash & venmo accepted at door - order advance here
 

concerts start promptly at 7:30
:: late arrivals follow instructions on door to get buzzed in ::

 

submit a proposal to perform!

 

view previous concerts

September 13 2026  7:30pm

$20 click here to purchase advance tickets online

(FREE for students/underemployed)

Random Ruminations is a work for a "Geryon Trio" [“Geryon” is a being with three heads, whose name derives from the ancient Greek words (earth) and gêryô (singing)]. Drawing on themes of absurdity, chance, and fluidity, JOHANNA POETHIG'S text, image, and oracle project intersects with an aleatoric performance by CHRIS BROWN and RAFFI GARABEDIAN to form a collaborative exploration of chance, divination, and spontaneous creation. Prompted by Lyn Hejinian’s inquiry into constructive absurdity, Poethig weaves together texts, images, and casting cards that probe human attempts to forecast the future through magic, gambling, and mechanized search tools. Her work merges with Brown’s electronic composition "Geryon"—a three-headed musical model that uses software to randomly sample, process, and redistribute the musicians' live acoustic improvisations back through three speakers. Featuring Brown’s interactive electronic instrumentation alongside Garabedian’s dedicated tenor saxophone improvisation, the joint project creates a resonant, chaotic feedback loop blending history, prediction, and musical multiplicity.

 

DANA REASON (piano). PHILIP GELB (shakuhachi/electronics), and KYLE BRUCKMANN (oboe/electronics) premiere a new trio uniting three veterans of the international improvised music scene. Dana Reason and Philip Gelb bring decades of shared synergy to the stage, drawing on a rich collaborative history rooted in their celebrated trio with avant-garde pioneer and mentor Pauline Oliveros. They are joined by master double-reedist Kyle Bruckmann, a frequent collaborator whose distinct sonic voice completes this powerful new ensemble.

SEPTEMBER 20 2026  7:30pm

$20 click here to purchase advance tickets online

(FREE for students/underemployed)

The Glissando Flute is a normal orchestral flute with Robert Dick’s invention, the “Glissando Headjoint®” (inspired by the electric guitar’s “whammy bar"), making the flute more flexible and liquid. Long-time sfSound flutist DIANE GRUBBE has asked six Bay Area composers to let their creative energy go wild with the possibilities of the instrument and her arsenal of extended flute techniques. These renowned Bay Area composer/improvisers are STEVE ADAMS, KYLE BRUCKMANN, MATT INGALLS, BRENT MILLER, WENDY REID and MONICA SCOTT. A group improv with Diane and all the composers will follow the premieres.

 

 

Composer/performer MARGUERITE BROWN, presents tuning to, a solo performance exploring the electric guitar as a celestial body using a curated set of planetary tuning forks, hardware, and unconventional performance techniques. The project seeks to explore the intersection of vibration, resonance, and cosmic frequencies as a means of expanding the electric guitar's sonic and conceptual possibilities.

PROPOSALS

Our focus is on the bay area experimental and new music community, hopefully encouraging crossover among sub-scenes (composition and improvisation; established and emerging; institutional and underground; etc.) We strongly suggest local musicians attend concerts before requesting to perform on the series. Visiting aritsts are also welcome, ideally splitting a concert with local musicians.

We are also seeking compositions (in all forms of notation) to be performed by the sfSoundGroup.

We have a 92-key (down to a Low F!) 1953 Imperial Bösendorfer 7’4” Model 225 Piano (no sostenuto pedal; inside/prepared is OK). The venue hosts a Meyer Sound System, drum kit, additional piano, lighting, and projection equipment.

Please send proposals to mattingalls at me dot com

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