Introducing the MUsic In PLace Artist Series
The Music In Place Artist Series is a unique opportunity for two artists to create a new work, free of limitations on style or scope. By providing a grant and production resource, the Artist Series enables a musical artist and a visual artist to collaborate and create something new and unexpected that conveys a relevant artistic statement for diverse audiences.
Music In Place Artist Series #3: Rear Window (Natalie Cressman/Ian Faquini & Isaac Pingree)
For the third installment of MIP's Artist Series, we hope you enjoy this haunting new collaboration between the duo of trombonist/vocalist Natalie Cressman and guitarist Ian Faquini, and videographer Isaac Pingree. From the artists:
"It was an incredibly rewarding experience to collaborate with a gifted videographer via the Music In Place grant. Knowing that the music was going to be interpreted visually made me approach the writing process differently, and the lyrics and the story of the song were more informed by visual concepts. It was fantastic to see the longing and loneliness of the song reflected in Isaac's work. As independent artists it is so rare to have the chance to make high quality, artistic video content. Not only did the grant make this possible, but it went beyond just setting our music to a nice visual component, so the give and take between the visual and the aural was really unique." –Natalie Cressman
"The biggest creative decision was made when Natalie suggested we take up her friend's offer to film at the Westerfeld House in San Francisco. Old stuff is my favorite category of stuff, so it seemed like a great idea to me. From there my goal was just to keep it simple and try to use the imagery and artifacts of the space to create a visual mood that matched the song." –Isaac Pingree
Music by Ian Faquini. Lyrics and arrangement by Natalie Cressman. Ian Faquini, guitar. Natalie Cressman, trombone/vocals. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jeff Cressman. Produced by Andrew Higgins. Video by Isaac Pingree.
"It was an incredibly rewarding experience to collaborate with a gifted videographer via the Music In Place grant. Knowing that the music was going to be interpreted visually made me approach the writing process differently, and the lyrics and the story of the song were more informed by visual concepts. It was fantastic to see the longing and loneliness of the song reflected in Isaac's work. As independent artists it is so rare to have the chance to make high quality, artistic video content. Not only did the grant make this possible, but it went beyond just setting our music to a nice visual component, so the give and take between the visual and the aural was really unique." –Natalie Cressman
"The biggest creative decision was made when Natalie suggested we take up her friend's offer to film at the Westerfeld House in San Francisco. Old stuff is my favorite category of stuff, so it seemed like a great idea to me. From there my goal was just to keep it simple and try to use the imagery and artifacts of the space to create a visual mood that matched the song." –Isaac Pingree
Music by Ian Faquini. Lyrics and arrangement by Natalie Cressman. Ian Faquini, guitar. Natalie Cressman, trombone/vocals. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Jeff Cressman. Produced by Andrew Higgins. Video by Isaac Pingree.
Music In Place Artist Series #2: Jericho (James Hill & Paul Abueg-Igaz)
We are proud to continue the Artist Series with Jericho—a new work born from a remote collaboration between composer/performer James Hill and video artist Paul Abueg-Igaz.
"Working together with Paul inspired me to compose a piece that resonated with his wonderful creative abilities. By bouncing ideas off each other we discovered how to incorporate new and fresh ideas into each new revision. After a total of 10 revisions of our project called JERICHO, Paul and I reached the goal we were striving for. Collaborating with Paul on this project showed what can happen when a composer and a gifted videographer are open to exploring new ideas of sight and sound together. I am looking forward to working with Paul on a new project as soon as possible. MIP gave Paul and I the unique opportunity to find the path to a truly wonderful creative experience. " –James Hill
"Working together with Paul inspired me to compose a piece that resonated with his wonderful creative abilities. By bouncing ideas off each other we discovered how to incorporate new and fresh ideas into each new revision. After a total of 10 revisions of our project called JERICHO, Paul and I reached the goal we were striving for. Collaborating with Paul on this project showed what can happen when a composer and a gifted videographer are open to exploring new ideas of sight and sound together. I am looking forward to working with Paul on a new project as soon as possible. MIP gave Paul and I the unique opportunity to find the path to a truly wonderful creative experience. " –James Hill
Music In Place Artist Series #1: Untitled (Maddy Delore & Andrew Higgins)
Our first release is an untitled collaboration between videographer Maddy Delore and composer Andrew Higgins. Enjoy!