Violist Jessica Pavone and bassoonist Katherine Young join forces to create a new body of work for their instruments and electronics. The music brings these two artists’ distinct and powerful solo improvisational languages into a resonant and pulsating dialogue. Katherine and Jessica have a two-decade history of performing each other’s compositions, improvising in large ensembles, touring together, and supporting one another’s creative and professional development. Additionally, they share a commonality of each having developed a distinct language on our instruments that continuously evolves through solo performance. Pavone’s structured yet indeterminate pieces for viola stem from an interest in long tones, repetition, and sympathetic vibration. They inform her written practice and play a vital role in her approach to ensemble composition. Katherine amplifies her bassoon, utilizing guitar pedals to subtly and not-so-subtly process her vocabulary of expected and unexpected instrumental sounds. Although the two have been deeply impacted and inspired by one another’s music, they have yet to synthesize their two vocabularies into a new entity. Their co-compositions bring into conversation these two artists’ distinct and powerful solo languages while utilizing each of their highly developed composition skills.  

ABOUT JESSICA

Queens-based violist and composer Jessica Pavone explores the tactile and sensory experience of music as a vibration-based medium. Inspired by processes centered on intuition and instinct, her music channels these ideas by focusing on how music feels when played and heard, integrating her experiences as an instrumentalist into works that transcend time. Pavone's music has been premiered prominent NYC venues such as: Abrons Art Center, the Kitchen, Museum of Art and Design, Noguchi Museum, Pioneer Works, Roulette, and the Socrates Sculpture Park. Grants and Commissions: NYSCA (2024), NYFA NYC Women’s Fund (2023), MATA Festival (2023), Queens Arts Council (2024, 2022, 2020), the Foundation for Contemporary Arts (Emergency Grant, 2021), New Music USA (2015), the Tri-Centric Foundation (2015), Experiments in Opera (2013), and the Jerome Foundation (2011). Residencies and Fellowships: Herb Alpert/Ragdale Prize (2024), Marble House (2024), Hambidge Fellowship (2024), Loghaven (2023), Ragdale Foundation (Trager Fellow 2022), and Ucross Foundation (2020).

ABOUT KATHERINE

Katherine Young makes electroacoustic music and sonic art using expressive noises, curious timbres, and kinetic structures. Her work has been recognized by a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Fromm Foundation, and others. Relationship building and ecological thinking are central to her practice. She has worked closely with Yarn/Wire, Wet Ink, Ensemble Nikel, Linda Jankowska, and others. The LAPhil, Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s MusicNOW, Internationales Musikinstitut Darmstadt, Third Coast Percussion, Bludenzer Tage zeitgemäßer Musik, the University of Chicago’s Smart Museum of Art, and others have commissioned her music and installation work. As a bassoonist and improviser, Katherine amplifies her instrument and employs a flexible electronics setup. She performs as a soloist, in ad hoc improvised groups, and with projects such as Beautifulish (with Sam Scranton). She has documented her work on numerous recordings, including a duo recording with Anthony Braxton. Katherine lives in Atlanta, where she teaches at Emory University.