There’s been a lot of NOISE at the Library over the past 10 years, and now the Athenaeum Music and Arts Library and NOISE put a whole week of woofers and tweeters where the ear lies. It’s soundON, a new music festival that features the NOISE Ensemble.
During the festival (Wednesday, June 13 through Saturday, June 16), NOISE joins various guest artists to present four concerts indoors plus a free “streetside concert” in the Athenaeum courtyard. The ensemble also presents panel discussions with composers and performers and leads a community workshop in the preparation of experimental music. The workshop is open to all.
NOISE (Colin McAlister, guitar; Lisa Cella, flute; Morris Palter, percussion; and Christopher Adler, piano) performs works by contemporary composers Steve Reich, Iannis Xenakis, John Cage, Michael Newman and Harvey Sollberger, plus works by emerging composers. NOISE put out the call for scores and as a result performs four winning works by Moiya Callahan, Bill Ryan, Edward Top and Orlando Jacinto Garcia.
Composers in attendance will include Top, Orlando Garcia, Sidney Marquez Boquiren, Matthew Burtner, Christopher Burns, Joseph Waters and NOISE composer-in-residence Adler.

A complete schedule of events follows:

Wednesday, June 13
“¢ 7:30 p.m. soundON opening concert featuring NOISE and guest performers Mark Menzies and Franklin Cox
“Petit Hommage à Jehan Alain,” by Christopher Adler
“Hunem-Iduhey,” by Iannis Xenakis
“Met Him Pike Hoses,” by Harvey Sollberger
“Magnify,” by Moiya Callahan (West Coast premiere)
“Ghost of the Evening Tides,” Joseph Waters
“Blur,” by Bill Ryan (West Coast premiere)
“Stride,” by Jerod Sommerfeldt (West Coast premiere)
Xylophone rags by George Hamilton Greene
Thursday, June 14
“¢ 10 a.m. Performer’s Forum with NOISE percussionist Morris Palter
“¢ 11 a.m. Performer’s Forum with NOISE pianist and composer-in-residence Christopher Adler: “Composing for the Northeast Thai/Lao Mouth Organ, Khaen: the Ethics and Mechanics of Crosscultural Creation”
“¢ 1 p.m. Composer’s Roundtable, discussion and interaction with guest composers Sidney Marquez Boquiren, Orlando Jacinto Garcia, Edward Top, Christopher Burns, Matthew Burtner, Joseph Waters and NOISE composer-in-residence Christopher Adler
“¢ 7:30 p.m. Open rehearsal with NOISE and guest performers
The public is invited to gain insight into the process of learning new music when NOISE opens its rehearsal to the public. NOISE works with guest composers in the preparation of their works and rehearse other festival repertoire.
“¢ 9 p.m. “Chill-out” Concert and wine reception featuring a performance by NOISE of Morton Feldman’s epic and contemplative “Crippled Symmetry”
Friday, June 15
“¢ 10 a.m. Community new music workshop
NOISE members guide community members and students through the preparation of experimental and indeterminate compositions of the 20th century, including experimental and unconventional works by composers such as John Cage, Earle Brown, Steve Reich, David Koblitz, Alvin Lucier and others. Works will be performed on the soundON People’s Concert.
“¢ 1-3 p.m. Performer’s Roundtable, discussion and interaction with members of NOISE and guest artists Mark Menzies and Franklin Cox
“¢ 7:30 p.m. soundON People’s Concert
Community members join NOISE for the performance of experimental and indeterminate compositions prepared during the morning workshop. In addition, NOISE performs other experimental, minimalist and indeterminate works.
“¢ 9 p.m. “Chill-out” concert
Tom Johnson’s algorithmic and minimalist deconstruction of 1,000 years of harmony, “Chord Combinations,” performed by NOISE pianist Christopher Adler
Saturday, June 16
“¢ 10 a.m. Performer’s Forum with NOISE flutist Lisa Cella
“A low-impact introduction to the extended language of the modern flute”
“¢ 11 a.m. Performer’s Forum with NOISE guitarist Colin McAllister
“Grammars of Creation: New Sights and Sounds for Guitar”
“¢ 1 p.m. soundON streetside concert
NOISE takes new music to the streets with adventurous and wacky music for unconventional instruments. Compositions by Steve Reich, Joseph Celli, Michael Nyman, Toshi Ichiyanagi, John Cage, Charles Amirkhanian and more. New music CDs and scores by festival participants are for sale at discount prices during the performance.
“¢ 7 p.m. Pre-concert discussion with guest composers
“¢ 7:30 p.m. soundON finale concert featuring NOISE and guest performers
“Four,” by Edward Top (world premiere)
“el silencio después de la lluvia,” by Orland Jacinto Garcia (USA)*
“angel music,” by Sidney Marquez Boquiren (world premiere)
“Iris,” by Christopher Adler (USA)
“Snowprints,” by Matthew Burtner
“Tangle,” by Christopher Burns
“¢ 9:30 p.m. soundON finale party
The Athenaeum is located at 1008 Wall St. For information, call (858) 454-5872.