Kai’s Bird Concert

This is a 1 ¼-hour immersive bird-themed concert I designed as part of my senior experience at Lawrence University. It combines my two biggest passions, music and birds, which have been large parts of my life for over 10 years. In this concert I explored many different ways composers have used birds as inspiration for piano compositions, and I premiered three new bird-themed pieces as part of the program. The concert was designed around a surround sound system in Lawrence’s Harper Hall which was used to play field recordings, immersing the audience in a reconstructed natural soundscape. To create this I spent hours mapping field recordings, many of which I personally recorded, onto the different speakers with Ableton Live. I also worked with a lighting designer to create a more unique lighting. I am currently working on adapting the program for future performances.