Emily Beisel & Bill Harris | Arts + Literature Laboratory | Madison Contemporary Arts Center

Emily Beisel & Bill Harris

Auricle, the experimental sound and music series, welcomes the duo of Emily Beisel and Bill Harris on Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 7:00pm. Free admission, donations encouraged.

Chicago-based improvisers Emily Beisel (bass clarinet, electronics) and Bill Harris (drums, electronics) join forces this spring for a special midwest tour of the US and Canada. Beisel and Harris utilize electronics, amplification, and feedback to augment their acoustic sounds, creating a sonic space that can at times be aggressive, dense, and massive, as well as subtle, spacious, and sensitive. In addition to their captivating work as a duo, Beisel and Harris will also be presenting their own solo work. As individuals, they bring their own unique styles and energy to the stage, delivering performances of mesmerizing intensity.  

Emily Rach Beisel

Emily Beisel

Emily Rach Beisel is a Chicago-based improviser, composer, educator, curator and woodwind specialist. Beisel is known for visceral performances blending extended vocal and instrumental techniques with analogue electronics and rich bass clarinet tone. Their solo album Particle of Organs has been described as "Operatic, wild and dark. It showcases the raw, unadulterated power of the body and the instrument, weaving together sounds that are both corrosive and tender."

As a curator, Beisel seeks to increase the visibility and involvement of femme, trans and nonbinary artists in the creative music community. They founded the Pleiades Series at Elastic Arts, presenting monthly performances along with a community-based free improvisation jam for femme and nonbinary performers.

Beisel is a member of the contemporary ensemble Fonema Consort, touring most recently in Brazil, Mexico, Minneapolis and New York and premiering works of living composers including James Dillon,... Read More

Bill Harris

Bill Harris

Bill is a Chicago-based drummer and improviser working in areas of improvisation, noise, rock, and country. His work has been presented nationally and internationally at performance series, festivals, clubs, and art installations such as Elastic Arts, Constellation, Experimental Sound Studios, The Empty Bottle, The Hideout, Evanston Space, Beat Kitchen, Spot Tavern, Lincoln Hall, Old Town School of Folk Music, and The Chicago Museum Of Contemporary Art.

Additionally, Bill focuses on solo work incorporating non-idiomatic acoustic and electronic material, using feedback and timbral manipulation. He has recorded two solo records, Blinking Glue, and ONOMAT.

Some of his most frequent collaborators include Ishmael Ali, Jake Wark, Carol Genetti, Emily Beisel, Allen Moore, Timothee Quost, Dave Rempis, Jess McIntosh, Jim Baker, PT Bell, Gerrit Hatcher, Eli Namay, Peter Maunu, Matt Piet, Brianna Tong, Wills McKenna, David Fletcher, Aaron Smith, Jeff Kimmel, Molly Jones, and... Read More

This event is made possible by support from Dane Arts; Madison Arts Commission with additional funds from Wisconsin Arts Board. Additional funds also provided by Endres Manufacturing Company Foundation, the Evjue Foundation, Inc., charitable arm of The Capital Times, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, and the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation. Support also provided by generous individual donations.

PLAN YOUR VISIT

Arts + Literature Laboratory is located at 111 S. Livingston Street #100, Madison, Wisconsin, 53703.

Our galleries are open Tuesday through Friday 10am-5pm and Saturday noon to 5pm, and other programs take place throughout the week. Please check the events calendar and education section for details.

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