Isaac Sherman, Nicole McCabe, and Dustin Wong on the LA River (photo by Ben Wilson)
Calling all LA River fiends.
October 16, sunset, as part of
Wild Up’s Democracy Sessions,
the dreamers and the schemers once again
picnic side by side with an offering from MA Tiesenga.
🌅
MA Tiesenga presents Transitions in dappled light, a new site-specific work for string quartet, live electronics, and field recordings on the river. Inspired by the many layers of activity, life, and visual geometries at this special location along the Glendale Narrows, the piece invites audiences into a listening experience shaped by the subtle rhythms of the landscape and the gradual transition of light at sunset.
The work explores how small gestures can hold space, accumulate meaning, and reveal beauty over time. Sustained tones, delicate textures, fragments of sound, and moments of silence create an environment that is constantly shifting. Elements of improvisation allow the musicians and electronics to respond to one another and to the sounds of the river, creating a performance that is partly composed and partly discovered.
🌊
RSVP for the pin drop,
or if you’ve joined us on the LA River for previous
gatherings then you already know
(where the great arroyo willow grows).
This is a donation-based gathering, open to
and for all, and setting up on the river is tough
on our bodies so please donate if you can.
Pull up early to hang out, ride a bike, bird watch,
whatever fills your cup. Bring a blanket, snacks,
an extra layer, a pup, a friend, and anything
you’d like to feel cozy.
Solar-powered music begins around 6:00p
and we’ll go until nightfall.
Hailing from Chicago, M.A. Tiesenga is a musician, composer, and multidisciplinary visual artist presently living and working in Los Angeles.
As prolific as they are autodidactic, Tiesenga’s creative practice includes not only composition, but print-making, pen and ink drawing, visual scores, and participation in numerous musical groups, including, notably, the Eastman Saxophone Project (“ESP”)—of which they are a founding member—and the grammy-nominated collective Wild Up.
Across mediums, Tiesenga balances a rigorous attention to craft, procedure, and structure while simultaneously inaugurating the requisite space for spontaneity, play, and the stranger fruits of creative mysticism.