Composer Clay Gonzalez talks to Cara Lieurance about his unique musical project "Regenerate," which will be staged at the historic mill in Vicksburg over two sessions and a performance. The Prairie Ronde resident artist is inviting community members of all skill levels to participate in what he calls a "Community Soundscape Orchestra."
"I come from classical music," he says. "[But] there's a process of refinement and by necessity exclusion in who can play the music." Gonzalez' project welcomes anyone regardless of musical background. "Whatever you show up with, we will make a part for you to play in the orchestra," he says.
The project requires two workshop sessions before the public performance. They take place at 7 pm on Tues, Aug 19 and Fri, Aug 22, with the public show scheduled for Tue, August 26. The mill itself plays a crucial role in developing the final work. "It's going to be incredible playing our instruments in this resonant space," Gonzalez says. "It sounds like we're in a cathedral or a cave."
Gonzalez expects 30 to 40 participants for this iteration of the project, though he's previously worked with groups as large as 68 people. The largest uncertainty comes from not knowing what instruments people will bring. "Here we have flutes for whatever reason. There's already six flutes who are playing in this group!" Gonzales will coach the music but will not act as a conductor. He'll roam during the performance, as timers indicate when to start playing the next section of the piece.
More information and registration is available at the artist's website.
This article was summarized by Claude AI and edited by the author.
