Meet the Composer

Native-American (Taos Pueblo) composer Robert Mirabal will create the score for an as yet untitled new work by Japanese-born dancer-choreographers Eiko & Koma. Mirabal will compose for his flute but the score will be designed so it can be adopted to the Japanese shakuhachi flute. Performances on tour will involve Mirabal himself or expert shakuhachi player Ralph Samuelson performing live or else by a recorded track. At the discretion of the collaborators, the flute might be supplemented by a drum or other percussion instrument. Although the music is to be performed live, the musician will not be framed in any of the usual fashions—in a pool of light or hidden (just as visibly) in a makeshift “pit.” The music will seem to emanate from the visual environment itself and/or from a body that changes location. In this way, the music will be a pivotal component of the way the work inhabits the space.

World premiere: March 2011