Performances

• Blues and Greys: For Zadar Soundscapes, CubeHarmonic, Piano, Flute, Theremin, Cymbals, Triangle and Tambourine, Mathematical and Computational Models in Music, University of Pavia, Italy (Online) 1 July 2021

FLO: Nela Brown (HR) and Maria Mannone (IT). 

The instrument score for Blues and Greys by Maria 🙂

The programme for the virtual concert at the Mathematical and Computational Models in Music was full of interesting works presented by folks working at the intersection of maths and music …

After the concert, Maria talked about the CubeHarmonic instrument (demo version only works on Android phone at the moment, but iPhone version is in the works!)

The process of composition for Blues and Greys was a bit different to what we usually do with FLO as we wanted to use different instruments Maria plays (including her CubeHarmonic instrument based on Rubik’s cube) and implement some mathematical principles Maria was exploring in her research. So we started off with Nela creating a composition using soundscapes recorded at four different locations in Zadar, Croatia, which she emailed to Maria who was in Palermo, Italy. Maria then created a score for CubeHarmonic, Piano, Flute, Theremin, Cymbals, Triangle and Tambourine and recorded all of the instruments (yes ALL of them!!!) using PreSonus Studio 26c audio interface, a pair of PreSonus PM-2 microphones and Bitwig Studio software (FYI, this was the first time EVER she used this type of gear and she totally smashed it!!!). She then emailed it back to Nela to mix, who then emailed the mix back to Maria with the photos of the soundscape recordings locations so Maria can put it all in a video. How cool is being able to make stuff like this with everything that’s going on in the world at the moment??? Feeling very grateful 🙂

Check the video Maria expertly put together using iMovie and 5 photos taken with some pretty old mobile phones 🙂 Talking about ‘creativity on a budget’ in the times of the pandemic!

You can also listen to the performance (with no visuals) on the FLO SoundCloud channel 🙂

The performance at the Workshop “Mathematical and Computational Models in Music” was made possible by the kind support from the following organisations:

        

• Zadar Telematic Sessions: #2 For Cello, Piano and the Sea Organ, Reveil – SC8 Off Grid, 2021 (Online) 1 May 2021

FLO: Nela Brown (HR), Magdalena Chudy (PL) and Maria Mannone (IT). A telematic performance in which binaural soundscapes from the Sea Organ (Zadar, Croatia) are streamed live to Warsaw (Poland) and Venice (Italy), to inspire an improvised dialogue between cello and piano, before being mixed and streamed to Locustream Soundmap. 

The Sea Organ in Zadar, Croatia – looking and sounding fabulous at any time of day (or night!)

MOBILE-FLO stream, looking and sounding fabulous (erm most of the time, network permitting!!!)

More info about the performance can be found on Reveil 2021 projects page.

You can listen to the first in the series of Zadar Telematic Sessions (featuring binaural soundscapes from the Dražanica Bay) as well as the recordings we did as part of our performance at Reveil – SC8 Off Grid (featuring the famous Sea Organ) on the FLO SoundCloud channel. 

NB the occasional sound dropouts are all part of the FLO “new normal”, as streaming sound from location requires connecting to a mobile router over wifi, whilst receiving streams entails using a home network (and we all know how unreliable this kind of set-up can be!). 

The performance at Reveil – SC8 Off Grid was made possible by the kind support from the following organisations:

             

• Absurdity, Physically Distant 2: Online Talks on Telematic Performance, Piteå, Sweden, 28 July 2020

FLO: Franziska Schroeder (DE), Matilde Meireles (PT), Nela Brown (HR), Anna Xambó (CAT/SP), Ximena Alarcón (CO), Maria Mannone (IT), Maria Papadomanolaki (GR), Ariane Stolfi (BR). A distributed performance using LiveSHOUT, streamed online as part of Physically Distant 2: Online Talks on Telematic Performance, hosted by the Gesture Embodiment and Machines in Music, GEMM))) at the Luleå University of Technology, School of Music in Piteå. A concept by Franziska Schroeder and Matilde Meireles, featuring fragmented excerpts from a poem by Fernando Pessoa, LiveSHOUT streams of soundscapes from London, Sheffield and Bath, piano improvisations from Palermo, soundwalk from Chania and playsound.space improvisations from Porto Seguro.

This performance was made possible by the kind support from the following organisations:

 

• Transmusicking III, Rarefacció, Hangar, Barcelona, Spain, 12 July 2019

FLO: Nela Brown (HR), Ada Mathea Hoel (NO), Tuna Pase (TR), Andrea Bravo (CAT/SP), Magdalena Chudy (PL),  Maria Papadomanolaki (GR), Sonia Wilkie (AU), Ariane Stolfi (BR). A multichannel telematic performance as part of Rarefacció, with electronics, processed voice, flute, cello, live VR visualisations and soundwalks from London, Melbourne and Arraial d’Ajuda.

Nela, Tuna and Ada played together (ie co-located) at Hangar. Ariane, Maria and Magda joined remotely with soundscapes from the beach in Brazil, soundwalk from the streets of London and processed cello from Warsaw. Andrea was in a VR lab in Copenhagen, listening to the concert and drawing VR visuals in real-time. Cool or what???

Building on Maria’s soundwalk from the streets of London (and percussive metallic sounds she made with the help of her daughter!) we ‘cooked up’ some proper noise, following which Magda and Tuna played a nice little cello/flute duet with vocal improvisations by Ada. Sweeeeeet!!!

Check this short video to find out how it all sounded at Hangar 🙂

This performance was made possible by the kind support from the following organisations:

 

• FLO & Friends: City Jam – Zagreb, Academy of Music, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia, 21 June 2019

FLO: Nela Brown (HR), Magdalena Chudy (PL), Donna Hewitt (AU), Ariane Stolfi (BR), Ada Mathea Hoel (NO) + Zagreb Flute Ensemble (ZAF): Renata Penezić, Marija Esih, Danijela Klarić Mimica & Lidija Ljubičić + Academy of Music, University of Zagreb/4 SYRINX: Marina Novak (HR). A telematic multi-channel audio-visual performance collaboration featuring live electronics, voice processing, flute improvisations and dance art videos Hands & Vase I, Hands & Vase II and Walking in Lines by Fumi Tomioka (JP) and Aki Kawashita (JP).

As it turned out… 3 laptops (connected via ethernet cables to the local network) + 2 mixing desks + 1 audio interface + 1 microphone = minimum tech requirements for a telematic, multi-channel concert with visuals, internet and mobile audio streams 🙂 Try operating this with 2 hands!

Check these two videos to find out how it all sounded at the Academy of Music, MM Dvorana 242 🙂

This performance was made possible by the kind support from the University of Melbourne Macgeorge Fellowship 2019 and the following organisations:

   

• EO + FLO: Live at Halfback Books & Records, Dee Why, Sydney, Australia, 6 June 2019

FLO: Nela Brown (HR), Sonia Wilkie (AU), Donna Hewitt (AU), Léa Ikkache (FR) + Ethernet Orchestra (EO): Roger Mills (AU), Mir Shahab Chilan (IR), Chris Vine (BR), Holger Deuter (DE). A telematic performance collaboration between Female Laptop Orchestra (FLO) and Ethernet Orchestra (EO) with live electronics, voice processing, trumpet, traditional Persian instruments balaban and dozaleh, piano, electric guitar, and soundscapes from Dee Why beach.

Whilst recording soundscapes for the concert, Nela got to watch some pretty awesome surfing at Dee Why beach 🙂

Check the excerpt from the second part of the performance (filmed with the Zoom Q2n), in which the notoriously flaky Australian network started to ‘rear its ugly head’, allowing Roger and Mir to do a nice balaban and trumpet solos 🙂

Check the excerpt from the first part of the performance expertly mixed by Roger from co-located and remote audio stems!

This performance was made possible by the kind support from the University of Melbourne Macgeorge Fellowship 2019 and the following organisations:

  

• FLO & Friends: City Jam – Melbourne, Testing Grounds, Melbourne, Australia, 1 June 2019

FLO: Nela Brown (HR), Sonia Wilkie (AU), Donna Hewitt (AU), Maria Mannone (IT). A telematic audio-visual performance featuring live electronics, voice processing, acoustic piano, projection of dance art video ‘In the Woods’ by Fumi Tomioka (JP) and Aki Kawashita (JP) and live digital drawing by Susanna Langley (UK/AU).

Check the excerpt from the performance (filmed with the Zoom Q2n):

If we had professional lighting, you would see this amazing dance art video Fumi and Aki made in the woods in Tokyo much better!

This performance was made possible by the kind support from the University of Melbourne Macgeorge Fellowship 2019 and the following organizations:

  

• Where Yarra Meets Darebin, Macgeorge House Sessions, Ivanhoe, Melbourne, Australia, 26 May 2019

FLO: Nela Brown (HR), Sonia Wilkie (AU), Donna Hewitt (AU), Ariane Stolfi (BR) + special guests: Kylie Supski (PL), ReVerse Butcher (AU) & Michelle Frencham (AU). A telematic multi-channel audio-visual performance featuring live electronics, poetry, video projection and live visuals.

Check the excerpt from the performance (filmed with the Zoom Q2n):

During the performance, Stephanie (ReVerse Butcher) created an amazing collage of visuals in-real time, which was projected onto Kylie (Supski) during her poetry reading. You can see how awesome it all looked like in this photo!

This performance, part of Macgeorge House Sessions, was made possible by the kind support from the University of Melbourne Macgeorge Fellowship 2019 and the following organizations:

  

• Happy B’Day May, Macgeorge House Sessions, Ivanhoe, Melbourne, Australia, 5 May 2019

FLO: Nela Brown (HR), Sonia Wilkie (AU) + Zagreb Flute Ensemble (ZAF): Marija Esih, Danijela Klarić Mimica & Lidija Ljubičić + Academy of Music, University of Zagreb/4 SYRINX: Marina Novak (HR). An audio-visual performance celebrating the birthday of May Macgeorge, featuring live electronics, flute improvisations, projection of dance art video by Fumi Tomioka (JP), art photography by Andrea Bravo (CAT/SP) and piano composition by Maria Mannone (IT) with poetry readings and live visuals by Kylie Supski (PL) & ReVerse Butcher (AU).

Check the excerpt from the performance (filmed with the Zoom Q2n) featuring a poem reading by the amazing (award-winning!) poet Kylie Supski.

If we had another video camera at our disposal, you would have seen the awesome visuals made by ReVerse Butcher (also a poet extraordinaire!)

This performance, part of Macgeorge House Sessions, was made possible by the kind support from the University of Melbourne Macgeorge Fellowship 2019 and the following organizations:

  

• Transmusicking II, Sonic Laboratory, SARC, Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland,  22 November 2018 

FLO: Nela Brown (HR), Magdalena Chudy (PL), Sonia Wilkie (AU), Ariane Stolfi (BR), Tuna Pase (TR), Franziska Schroeder (DE), Liz Dobson (UK), Ada Methea Hoel (NO). A multichannel immersive telematic performance of Transmusicking II in collaboration with WiMT: Anna Xambó (CAT/SP) and Léa Ikkache (FR).

The performance was streamed live on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/qubmusicteam/videos/1161348217356186/

Video of the performance was recorded alongside multichannel audio captured by the Sennheiser Ambeo VR microphone (the recording of which was then bounced to stereo and added to the video by the lovely Matilde Meireles from SARC :-).

Ada also wrote an article on WoNoMute about her experience of playing with us for the very first time, which you can read here 🙂

Note the metal grid floor (with a massive drop below for the sub speakers!) Pretty awesome!!!

This performance was made possible by the kind support from the following organizations:

 

• Transmusicking I, Audio Mostly 2017, Oxford House Theatre, London, UK, 25 August 2017

FLO: Nela Brown (HR), Magdalena Chudy (PL), Maria Papadomanolaki (GR), Sonia Wilkie (AU), Ariane Stolfi (BR), Tuna Pase (TR), Franziska Schroeder (DE). A telematic performance of Transmusicking I in collaboration with WiMT: Anna Xambó (CAT/SP), Léa Ikkache (FR), Jason Freeman (US), Somesh Ganesh (IN), Jyoti Narang (IN), Agneya Kerure (IN) and Takahiko Tsuchiya (JP).

Listen to the performance on SoundCloud …

… or watch on YouTube 🙂

Watch more videos of FLO performances on our Youtube channel 🙂

This performance was made possible by the kind support from the following organizations:

 

• Sutra, ORIS House of Architecture, Zagreb, Croatia, 18 December 2016

FLO: Nela Brown (HR), Magdalena Chudy (PL). A performance of Sutra in collaboration with Zagreb Flute Ensemble (ZAF) with composition by David Mastikosa (BA) and video by Anja Kavić (BA).

“It was fantastic! I really enjoyed your and Magda’s performance! It was too bad the concert didn’t last longer, as Magda could have given so much more! I hope there will be another opportunity for me to hear FLO perform!”

Tihomir Branković, Executive Director of ORIS House of Architecture, Zagreb, Croatia.

Listen to the performance on SoundCloud …

… or watch on YouTube 🙂

This performance was made possible by the kind support from the following organizations:

• In Transglasphōnē, ALL2016, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK, 15 October 2016

FLO: Nela Brown (HR), Magdalena Chudy (PL), Maria Papadomanolaki (GR), Ximena Alarcón (CO). A co-located live performance of In Transglasphōnē, with bi-directional audio streaming from QMUL, London and Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, with soundwalk streaming from the streets of Cambridge + Simon Smith (UK) 4-channel performance diffusion & audience participation via #FLOrchestra Tweets at Anglia Ruskin University

Listen to the performance on SoundCloud …

This performance was made possible by the kind support from the following organizations:

• In Transglasphōnē,  Radiophrenia, 29 August-11 September 2016

FLO: Nela Brown (HR), Magdalena Chudy (PL), Maria Papadomanolaki (GR), Ximena Alarcón (CO). A live broadcast of In Transglasphōnē performance at CMMR2016 on 87.9FM as part of Radiophrenia 2016. For listeners outside of Glasgow a live webstream is available at radiophrenia.scot/listen/

• In Transglasphōnē, CMMR2016, University of São Paulo, Brazil, 6 July 2016

FLO: Nela Brown (HR), Magdalena Chudy (PL), Maria Papadomanolaki (GR), Ximena Alarcón (CO). A co-located live performance of In Transglasphōnē including 8-channel audio streaming from QMUL, London + Mathieu Barthet (FR), Thomas Deacon (GB-SCT) 8-channel performance diffusion & audience participation via Twitter at University of São Paulo, Brazil

“I was very impressed by the FLO performance telematically delivered to the CMMR 2016 in São Paulo. The combination of soundscape, electroacoustic sounds and instrumental sounds created a very subtle and emotionally charged atmosphere. One could feel the human touch behind she sounds and let the imagination wonder in the immersive ambient of soft and delicate sounds. The composition sounded at the time organic and free.” 

Paulo C. Chagas, Composer & Director of Experimental Acoustic Research Studio (EARS) at the University of California, Riverside, US.

Listen to the performance recorded with Sony PCM-D50 on SoundCloud …

Watch the video of the performance recorded with GoPro HERO4 (with the audio recorded with Sony PCM-D50 mixed in!)

This performance was made possible by the kind support from the following organizations:

• Female Laptop Orchestra at PQ2015, Sound Kitchen at Prague Quadrennial 2015, Prague, Czech Republic, 24 June 2015

FLO: Nela Brown (HR), Shelly Knotts (GB), Magdalena Chudy (PL) co-located live improvisation + Annie Mahtani (UK), Joanne Armitage (UK), Lina Bautista (ESP), Alexandra Cardenas (DE), Libertad Figueroa (MX), Jenny Pickett (FR) distributed live improvisation audio streaming into the performance space

“I had the great pleasure of seeing the Female Laptop Orchestra at the 2015 Prague Quadrennial in 2015. Their goals were very ambitious, and they had a few technical problems which were overcome with grace. The performance by Nela Brown, Shelley Knotts and Magdelena Chudy was excellent. It is rare to see the depth of complementary interaction shown by these artists, particularly when the precarious demands of technology are ever-present.  

It seemed the telemetric interaction was occasionally problematic, but this is very hard to know, and actually irrelevant. My experience in the area is that when the performers are good and technology is working as expected, the performers enjoy the show, and when technology is not working as expected the performers make the show. In this performance the present and telemetrically present performers created an exceptionally good work, that explored the relationships and affordances of performer, technology, space and presence, and one that I hope to hear a recording of.”

Roger Alsop, sound designer, composer, musician, media artist, lecturer in Sound Design and Interactive Art at the Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne, Australia. 

• Female Laptop Orchestra at Klang, Klang Festival, Durham University, Durham, UK, 5 June 2015

FLO: Nela Brown (HR), Shelly Knotts (GB), Magdalena Chudy (PL) co-located live improvisation + Joanne Armitage (UK), Lina Bautista (ESP), Libertad Figueroa (MX), Jenny Pickett (FR), Andrea Young (CA) distributed live improvisation audio streaming into the performance space.

Listen to the performance on SoundCloud …

… or watch it on our Youtube channel 

This performance was made possible by the kind support from the following organizations: