Continuing their inquiries into shaking and humming as expressive and embodied phenomena, cellist and composer Judith Hamann presents a selection of compositions from Shaking Studies and “Humming Suite.” Released by Blank Forms Editions in 2020, Shaking Studies gathers a collection of cello performances that contend with shaking as a generative and responsive subject. The act of shaking—from a tremble to a macrocosmic quake—invokes an instability and responsiveness that rejects the regularity of traditional composition in favor of an intuitive form of sounding. Alongside these shaking pieces, Hamann will perform works from their “Humming Suite,” part of Music for Cello and Humming (Blank Forms Editions, 2020). The series of suites considers humming as an extended technique, intertwining the subtle and vulnerable act in a tender dialogue with their drawling cello and electronics.

This program is part of a three-night series of performances by Hamann, and is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.