Presented by Subtext Reading Series and Nonsequitur.

The Dada intermedia artist Kurt Schwitters‘ Ur Sonata is an epic Dada sound poem structured in classic four-movement sonata form (plus introduction, finale, and cadenza). This performance of the Ur Sonata merges two distinct approaches to the material. Actress and vocalist Kristen Loree gives a tour de force performance of the complete text, set against a backdrop of projections by visual artist Jack Ox. The images are derived from Ox’s translation of the poem into a series of paintings that run continuously for 800 feet. Loree will also perform By Language Embellished: I, a work for solo actor/percussionist by composer Stuart Saunders Smith.

Seattle Composers’ Salon kicks off its 10th season with a New Year’s New Music Holiday Office Party with DJ Snoopy Santa, door prizes, etc. This is a potluck, so please bring some snack or favorite holiday treat to share. We will have eggnog and other non-alcoholic beverages.

Washington Composers Forum‘s Transport series continues with cellist Alexander Ezerman performing pieces from the 12 Hommages a Paul Sacher: Variation Uber Das Thema Sacher by Christobal Halffter, Les Mots Sont Alles by Luciano Berio, Punena No. 2 (Homage a Paul Sacher) Alberto Ginastera, and Trois Strophes sur le Nom de Sacher by Henri Dutilleux. The Sonata for Cello and Piano by Elliott Carter will also be performed with pianist Cristina Valdes, as well as Her Light Extinguished by John Crouch.

Debut performance by Nova High School’s new improvised music group. This chamber group of adventurous high school age musicians explores the world of spontaneous sound with a special blend of bravery, concentration and wonder. Co-facilitated by Sheri Brown, Neal Meyer, and Dean Moore.

Paul Rucker performs improvised cello solos inspired by original clay sculptures created by the audience. Non-toxic/non-staining clay will be provided. Paul Rucker is a composer, musician, and visual artist who has made audience interactive, sound-based work for various art and public venues. A recent spotlight award-winner from Seattle Magazine, he’s celebrating the completion of his new sound installation at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.

The Seattle Composers’ Salon is a bi-monthly, informal presentation of new music by Seattle composers. The salon features finished works, previews and works-in-progress, and brings together composers, performers and audience members in a casual setting that allows for discussion and experimentation. This month’s composers: Brian Cobb, Clifford Dunn, Marcus Oldham, Mark Wilson.

Presented by Subtext Reading Series.

BRENDA IIJIMA’s forthcoming books include Rabbit Lesson (Fewer & Further Press) and If Not Metamorphic (Ahsahta Press). These days she is conducting a steady dirt dialog with CA Conrad and spelunking retro emergence as evidenced in homo sapien roots, cave people, burials, excavations, quaking underlayers, body sensing and incarceration, etc. by filtering through the concept of revolution with all its varied implications — that and understanding animals’ selves. She publishes a chapbook series at Portable Press at Yo-Yo Labs in Brooklyn, NY. BRIAN CARPENTER is an expatriate Seattleite currently living in Philadelphia, where he works as an audio archivist of Native American languages. His three books and boxes of poetry are Bluest Keys, Aspect Cycle, and Small Seasons.

Seattle Harmonic Voices perform some beautiful harmonic (overtone) singing improvisation games new and old, as well as Heart and Mind Arches, a loop based vocal improvisation, by Jim Cole director of the Spectral Voices – a piece transcribed for six overtone singers.

Cellist Caroline Stinson was born in Edmonton, Canada and lives in New York City. Known for her expressive and personal interpretation of new works, Ms. Stinson is sought after for performances of both traditional and contemporary repertoire. This program of works for solo cello includes John Harbison’s Suite, Steven Stucky’s Dialogi, Elliott Carter’s Figment, and Le Nom (Upperline), written for her by Andrew Waggoner, interspersed with movements of Bach’s Suites in E flat and C Major.

Seattle composer and pianist S. Eric Scribner presents four pieces from the StormSound Cycle. A recent set of aleatory/improvisational compositions for various instruments and prerecorded sound, the Cycle is based on processed ambient nature sounds originally recorded by Jonathon Storm, and uses graphic scores that resemble landscapes. With Mary Kantor, clarinet; Stuart Dempster, trombone; Neal Meyers, guitar; and Dean Moore, gongs.