Alyssa Pyper will perform a set of works for solo voice, violin, and electronics at 12 Minutes Max this Sunday at the City Library in Salt Lake City.
For Pyper, this particular set of works is about reclamation. “I’ve worked to craft a re-telling of personal narratives through the use of archetypes and symbols” she explains. “In various ways, these pieces have allowed me to navigate what I feel it means to be whole in a society where patriarchal and capitalist norms dictate what it means to be ‘successful.’” These pieces synthesize her different “selves,” whether it be her personal, spiritual, academic, political, or creative self. “It’s been a renewing and rewarding process to craft and share a work that has very much stood along side me.”
Pyper began composing simple melodies ever since she was a kid. She studied violin performance at BYU but it became apparent that a long term career path that most academic degrees are designed for wasn’t something she was interested in. It was during a self-imposed break that she started to truly explore writing and experimenting. She wrote some indie-folk-pop songs using a loop pedal with her violin. She also collaborated with other musicians in some avant-garde settings. “I gained a fabulous informal education through performing and collaborating with some very talented friends and mentors who also write, compose, and perform” Pyper says. “Having the opportunity to collaborate with a variety of musicians and artists has helped me to continuously develop my own work and has encouraged me to expand my viewpoints and processes, ultimately leading me to the point I’m at now and the pieces I am currently developing.”
12 Minutes Max is the perfect venue for artists like Pyper to test and workshop their projects as they figure out where their work fits. Figuring out where she fits in the world of new music and composition is something Pyper is also figuring out. She experiments a lot in the Provo music scene. She recognizes that people don’t exactly know what to expect when she steps onto a stage with her violin and loop pedal. She just hopes people are willing to sit and listen. “I think these pieces require a little bit of patience/willingness to engage on the part of the listener.” Fortunately, her audiences have given her that willingness to encourage her to move forward and expanding her reach when it comes to audiences and venues. “I really love opportunities to play in art galleries or symposiums or anything where I might be able to engage in a dialogue about my work” she says. “I feel that my current set of works falls in a grey, queer area between the “avant garde” and “indie folk” and I’m not really willing to claim either. I’m happy to keep it queer in that sense and keep enjoying a variety of performance experiences.”
12 Minutes Max
City Library | Main Library Auditorium
Sunday May 15, 2016 | 2:00 p.m.
No admission fee
Laura Durham is the Director of Programming and Engagement for PBS Utah. She curates projects and plans events that utilize local and national media to provide entertainment and meaningful dialogue beyond broadcast. Prior to PBS Utah, Laura worked at the Division of Arts & Museums for 15 years, served as Vice President of the Salt Lake Gallery Association, Program Director for the Salt Lake Gallery Stroll, and was a board member for the Utah Cultural Alliance.
Categories: Daily Bytes | Music