High Zero 2020

For the 22nd High Zero, the festival enlisted the help of co-curators in Chicago, Santa Fe, and Seattle. A major work of High Zero is building community. Normally this involves inviting people from abroad to immerse themselves in our local music culture.

This year, with limitations on travel and assembly, we got a peak into the creative populations of three distant U.S. cities. Mingling online, we watched together. As one large community, we felt both how abnormal our world was and how normalizing it was to witness performance with others.

Although it was impossible to capture the true nature of the live experience, this documentation site conveys the variety, energy, non-conformity and inspiration that makes the whole thing one of a kind.

Thursday, Chicago
September 24th

Soloists
Alejandro Acierto artist, musician

Ensemble
Norman Long sound, art, design
Mallory Linehan violin
Billie Howard multiple instruments

Video Commission
Jonathan Woods video
ABZyrd sound


Friday, Santa Fe
September 25th

Soloists
Marisa DeMarco (Bigawatt) voice

Ensemble
Raven Chacon electronics, guitar
Carlos Santistevan upright bass, electronics
Tatsuya Nakatani extended percussion


Video Commission
Outside In
ACVilla video
Thollem sound


Saturday, Baltimore
September 26th

Soloists
Lucas Yasunaga ecosystem of synthetic animals


Ensemble
Neroj Patrick bass
Shelly Purdy percussion
Duncan Moore electronics
Susan Alcorn pedal steel guitar
Sue-C live video processing


Video Commision
Timothy Nohe


Sunday, Seattle
September 27th

Soloists
Allison Clendaniel voice (Baltimore)