Workshop: Maps & Crossing 3
Application deadline: October 31 at 11:59PM Pacific Time.
Date and Time
Saturday | January 16, 2027 | 11 am
Plus scheduled workshops and rehearsals as outlined below
Performance Location
First Church of Christ, Scientist
2619 Dwight Way
Berkeley, CA 94720
Who should apply?
We are looking for intermediate to advanced players. You should have recent experience in live performance. Participants will be selected from applications submitted. Application deadline October 31 and notification by November 15.
For Maps: String, wind, and brass players are all welcome to participate. There is one opportunity for a pianist. 20 players max.
For Crossing 3: All instruments except piano and guitar. 15 players max.
How should I prepare?
Parts will be provided for Maps, but please remember that both Maps and Crossing 3 involve improvisation.
Is there a cost?
This program is free to participate. Optional donations are accepted.
All participants must commit to all workshops, rehearsals, and the performance.
How do I apply?
Space is limited! Submit your application form today.
Applications due October 31. You will be notified by November 15.
Schedule
All activities take place at the First Church of Christ, Scientist, Berkeley, unless otherwise noted.
Saturday, January 9, 2027
Time and Location TBD: Maps Workshop
Sunday, January 10, 2027
4:00 PM–6:00 PM: Maps Workshop
Friday, January 15, 2027
5:30 PM–7:00 PM: Crossing 3 Workshop
7:00 PM–8:00 PM: Maps Workshop
Saturday, January 16, 2027
10:00 AM–10:45 AM: Dress Rehearsal
11:00 AM: Concert
Maps by Brittany J. Green
Maps is an improvisation piece for open instrumentation. Inspired by the poem “Maps” by Yesenia Montilla, the piece is broken into four sections, marked by a quote from the poem. Each section portrays a step in the process of what could happen when we remove borders we allow to define us. The A section features two clusters divided by middle C. It reflects the tension and limitations boundaries can create. In the B section, middle C displaced in lower and higher octaves, allowing the clusters to move more freely, and even interact with each other. This gesture changes the relationship the pitches have with one another, a representation of the change in interaction people encounter when barriers are displaced or shifted. In the C section, the C, or border, is completely removed, allowing the clusters to interact with each other with total freedom. Lastly, in the D section all the pitches coalesce into a singular wash of sound and then fades away. More about Brittany Green
Crossing 3 by Hesam Abedini
A newly-conceived improvisation led by Iranian composer and improviser Hesam Abedini, who will be Artist in Residence at the festival.
Note from Hesam about the piece:
Crossing 3 is an improvisatory work in which musicians are invited to practice creativity within a minimal structure provided by the composition. During the rehearsal process, we will explore ways of listening and responding to one another, with particular attention to timbre, dynamics, texture, and the spatial and relational qualities of sound rather than relying primarily on predetermined melodies or harmonic progressions. Musicians are encouraged to draw from their own musical backgrounds and traditions while remaining open to the sounds and ideas of others, allowing a shared musical language to emerge through the process of playing together.
There is no single predetermined “final” version of Crossing 3. My hope is that the performance creates a sonic space collectively: one shaped by the individual histories and creative choices of the musicians, their interactions with one another, and the act of listening itself. In this sense, the piece explores how musicians with different backgrounds can meet through improvisation and allow their musical traditions to evolve through encounter, while also leaving space for the audience to participate in the process of meaning-making rather than being presented with a fixed musical narrative. More about Hesam Abedini
