Ellen Fullman's Phantom Coincidence, Saturday April 9

THE JUST INTONATION NETWORK PRESENTS: Ellen Fullman--Phantom Coincidence: a Long String Instrument Installation and Performance

Location: SomArts Gallery, 934 Brannan Street, San Francisco
Date/Time: Saturday April 9, 8PM
Tickets: $20 General Admission, $18 Students, Seniors and Just Intonation Network Members: via the web at http://www.justintonation.net/concerts.html, at the door, or by mail from 535 Stevenson Street, San Francisco CA 94103 (make checks payable to the Just Intonation Network)

Composer/instrument builder Ellen Fullman has spent the last twenty-four years developing her unique creation, The Long String Instrument (LSI). The LSI is composed of an array of bronze wires, twenty meters or more in length, strung near waist height across the performance space and terminating in wooden-box resonators that amplify the strings' sound. It is tuned in a variety of different just tunings, depending on the composition to be performed. The Long String Instrument is played by rubbing the strings with rosined fingertips while walking along a pathway between banks of strings. Different overtones are emphasized as the performer moves past the harmonic nodes of each string. These overtones emerge as an array of higher-pitched harmonic relationships above the fundamental tone of each string. Sometimes these variations in overtone production seem to transform a single chord into entirely different harmonies. These changes can be heard in the music as motion, almost like a river moving past, always subtly changing, yet also seeming to remain the same. The physical scale of the installation and the interactions of the overtones with the installation space turn the respective room itself into a giant musical instrument.

The sound of the LSI has been variously described as like "standing inside an enormous grand piano," "an entire orchestra," or "a giant tamboura," but all descriptions fall short of reality-you must experience the LSI up close to realize the richness and variety of its sonic pallette. Because of its space and set-up time requirements, performances on the LSI are rare events. We are fortunate to be able to present Phantom Coincidence, a new work for the LSI, as the first event on our twentieth anniversary series.

"The slightest touch releases buoyant, shimmering tones resembling a gigantic zither. Considering the visual beauty of the instrument, its tracery of bronze strings and polished, finely crafted sound boxes, its not surprising that Fullman began her career as a sculptor and ceramist."

--Gavin Borchert, Seattle Weekly

The Long String Instrument... opened up incredible musical possibilities with its amazing ability to produce unending harmonic overtones that seem to appear from every point in space.

--Rob Forman, ND magazine

For more details, visit http://www.justintonation.net/concerts.html

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David B. Doty dbd@justintonation.net
Just Intonation Network http://www.justintonation.net
Editorial:(650) 694-4727 Other: (415) 864-0411 535 Stevenson Street
FAX: (415) 864-8726 San Francisco, CA 94103

JUST INTONATION NETWORK 20TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT SERIES
APRIL 9 - JUNE 11, 2005
See http:www.justintonation.net/concerts.html for details