Sonora is a quartet of experienced composer-improvisers who create spontaneous compositions in real time. Our compositional technique is applied to the living moment and is dedicated to mining “renewable sound resources,” not repeating or recreating existing works.
To the four of us, an improvised sonic synergy unearths possibilities unavailable to written compositions by a single mind, and bear fruits of the unconscious and telepathic collaboration of equals. Cellist Kye Marshall, bassist Michael Morse and violinist Rebecca van der Post join with me to weave our separate ideas and concepts into a rich,vibrant, unique and unrepeatable tapestry of sound.
The core of Sonora’s approach to sound lies in its conception of repertoire. Heraclitus said you never step into the same river twice: each piece by Sonora is a different sound idea, a space of and for sonic exploration. Instead of working with recomposed notes, Sonora works with and from sounds directly, communally explored through group interaction.
Sonora can and does “revisit” concepts and sounds, but never to repeat a previous event, only to ride tangential dimensions not yet realized in performance. Vital to their enterprise is the investigation of the extremenes of acoustic and musical possibility offered by four human beings.
A Sonora evening ranges from shouts and poetry through tender melodic expression to the most violent precussive uses of the instruments. Much of Sonora’s presentation tends to dynamic extremes, from near inaudibility to amplified roars. always, the emphasis is on sonic innovation and creative development.
Parmela Attariwala – Violin
Kye Marshall – Cello
Nicole Rampersaud – Trumpet
Glen Hall – electronics and reeds
Recordings: SonoRa, Strophe