Wayne Siegel: Swarms and Solos (2025)
“We are on a space journey and Siegel is our captain. The horizon is not a straight line, but a portal and behind the portal a gigantic choir is singing. Its voices seem to be made up of an element that can change shape and character when you least expect it” (Karen Grand)
Swarms and Solos combines Wayne Siegel’s multi-channel generative music with live improvisation. The performance unfolds over a fixed composed framework with room for free improvisation. Using specially developed software, Siegel controls sounds and their placement in the space by moving his hands in front of the computer’s camera. Siegel’s generative sound installation Himmelmekanik (Celestial Mechanics) provides a sonic backdrop with which the three soloists interact.
Swarms and Solos was commissioned by the Aarhus Jazz Festival and premiered on July 11th, 2025 at Kunsthal Aarhus featuring Wayne Siegel (motion-tracking system), Julie Kjaer (flute, bass clarinet, saxophone) and Kasper Tranberg (trumpet).
Excerpt from the premiere performance at Aarhus Jazz Festival, July 11, 2025