From November 23 to 25, more than 30 international musicians, visual artists, architects, philosophers, and musicologists will gather in Rome at the Academy to exchange ideas and experiment on the theme of improvisation. Bringing together artistic and performance practices, including reflections on their social implications, On Improvisation: Sound, Space, Thought will offer a fascinating exploration of improvisation as the foundation for creative activity and new forms of expression and listening—both individual and collective—in response to the uncertainties of our complex contemporary moment.
As part of the 63rd Nuova Consonanza Festival, Tempo, the event will offer a unique opportunity to experience the collaboration between the Roman association and New York’s International Contemporary Ensemble, creating an encounter between two of the leading organizations in the field of improvised and experimental music.
The program, which includes a series of workshops, conversations, experimental sessions, and a concert, is curated by George E. Lewis, professor of music at Columbia University, 2010 Resident and Trustee of the American Academy in Rome; Ilaria Puri Purini, Executive Director, Galileo Week 2027, Chief Curator, and Acting Heiskell Arts Director at the American Academy in Rome; and Paolo Rotili, President of Nuova Consonanza.
“Musical improvisation as a practice,” says curator George E. Lewis, “has the potential to decolonize the concert hall, producing a new consciousness and a new identity for contemporary music, overthrowing hierarchies, empowering audiences, and asking us to reflect on what it means to be human.”
“This year, thanks to the American Academy in Rome, Nuova Consonanza is collaborating with a leading musician such as George Lewis and with the International Contemporary Ensemble,” says Paolo Rotili. “This collaboration brings the American improvisation scene into dialogue with the Roman musical community, which, since the founding of Nuova Consonanza, has regarded musical improvisation as one of its founding principles.”
The first in a series of public events taking place at Villa Aurelia will be a discussion on November 23 dedicated to improvisation as a creative practice that combines freedom and structure, spontaneity and intention. The discussion, which will offer an opportunity to consider how we respond to the unexpected and give rise to new possibilities, will feature leading Italian and international philosophers and musicologists, including Laura Cremonesi, Alessandro Bertinetto, Vincenzo Caporaletti, Fumi Okiji, Harald Kisiedu, Gascia Ouzounian, and Alessandro Sbordoni, followed by a reception at the Villa for the audience to exchange thoughts with the participants.
On November 24, the program will extend beyond the boundaries of music to include researchers in urban studies, visual artists, and architects, including David P. Brown, Gascia Ouzounian, Christopher Dell, Morgan O’Hara, and Taji Ra’oof Nahl, currently a Fellow in Visual Arts at the American Academy. This exploration of how improvisation shapes our experience of space, cities, and social interactions will culminate in Suono e Spazio, live improvisation session by the International Contemporary Ensemble.
On November 25, at the Auditorium Parco della Musica, a concluding conversation on the history and future of musical improvisation will feature pioneering figures including Alvin Curran, Giancarlo Schiaffini, Alessandro Sbordoni, Tomeka Reid, and Miya Masaoka (2023 Fellow). This will be followed by D’Improvviso, a concert bringing together eighteen musicians from the International Contemporary Ensemble, Nuova Consonanza, and other artists, who will perform together for the first time in an exceptional act of mutual listening and collective creation.
Join us for three days of listening, experimentation, and thoughtful creation. Click here to RSVP.
Organized in collaboration with the International Contemporary Ensemble and Nuova Consonanza, as part of the 63rd Festival di Nuova Consonanza, Tempo. With the artistic direction of George E. Lewis (2010 Resident) – Artistic Director of the International Contemporary Ensemble; Ilaria Puri Purini – Executive Director of Galileo Week 2027, Chief Curator, and Acting Heiskell Arts Director; and Paolo Rotili – President of Nuova Consonanza. Leadership support is provided by Jessie and Charles Price. With the support of Fondazione Musica per Roma.