Bowerbird is excited to present “Postal Pieces,” a concert featuring the Arcana New Music Ensemble that draws inspiration from James Tenney’s unorthodox set of compositions. Tenney’s “Postal Pieces,” composed between 1954 and 1971, are a series of ten concise works each printed on a postcard. These pieces capture Tenney’s exploration of sound and form, focusing on minimalist structures, intonation, and what he called “Swell” forms—gradual crescendos and decrescendos that create a unique auditory experience. Conceived originally as musical “letters” to friends and collaborators, such as Pauline Oliveros and La Monte Young, these works reflect Tenney’s deep connections within the avant-garde music scene and his penchant for inviting listeners into meditative states of listening.

For this concert, the Arcana New Music Ensemble presents a new collection of postcard-sized works commissioned from nine Philadelphia-based composers, each inspired by the spirit of Tenney’s originals. The program features pieces by David Middleton, Andrea Clearfield, Erin Busch, Natacha Diels, Sepehr Pirasteh, James Diaz, Adam Vidiksis, Gene Coleman, and Nick Millevoi. Each composition reflects a dialogue with Tenney’s approach, exploring the boundaries between notation, interpretation, and experience.

Sets of the nine newly commissioned postcard works will be available for purchase at the concert, with all proceeds benefiting the Arcana New Music Ensemble.

PROGRAM

James Tenney: Swell Piece
David Middleton: All the Alleys Home
Andrea Clearfield: The Rest Between Two Notes
Erin Busch: wave tones
Natacha Diels: watermusic
Sepehr Pirasteh: New Norm
James Diaz: total internal reflection
Adam Vidiksis: Orbital Mechanics
Gene Coleman: Rippling Waves
Nick Millevoi: Greetings from the Alligator Farm

ARCANA NEW MUSIC ENSEMBLE

Nicholas Handahl, flute
Aaron Stewart, saxophone(s)
Tessa Ellis, trumpet
Jay Krush, tuba
Erin Busch, cello
Andy Thierauf, percussion

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Founded in 2016, the Arcana New Music Ensemble is a group of Philadelphia-based musicians dedicated to presenting interesting, beautiful, and unconventional music in interesting, beautiful, and unconventional places. Built on a flexible roster of 25 musicians, Arcana is able to perform a broad range of repertoire in numerous configurations. Composers featured in recent programs include Julius Eastman, Sarah Hennies, Raven Chacon, Anahita Abbasi, Morton Feldman, Galina Ustvolskaya, Pauline Oliveros, Tom Johnson, Moondog, and James Tenney. Arcana has performed at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Fleisher Art Memorial, The Rotunda, The Kitchen (NYC), and collaborated with Variant Six, Prometheus Chamber Orchestra, Pig Iron Theater Company, and Wildflower Composers.

James Tenney (1934–2006) was an American composer, theorist, and performer renowned for his innovative contributions to experimental and electronic music. A student of notable figures such as Carl Ruggles, Edgard Varèse, and John Cage, Tenney was a central figure in the development of post-war avant-garde music. His work often explored concepts of indeterminacy, microtonality, just intonation, and the physics of sound, integrating mathematical and acoustical theories into his compositions.
Tenney’s diverse output includes works for computer-generated sound, instrumental ensembles, and unconventional notations that challenge traditional musical forms. He was also a significant educator, teaching at the California Institute of the Arts and York University, influencing a generation of composers with his boundary-pushing ideas. His collaborations and associations with artists such as Steve Reich, La Monte Young, and Philip Glass positioned him as a vital connector in the experimental music scene. Tenney’s legacy is marked by his relentless curiosity and his ability to blend rigorous theoretical frameworks with an intuitive approach to sound, profoundly shaping the landscape of contemporary music.

Support provided by The Presser Foundation