Time: Saturday, May 31st, 1:00pm-3:00pm

Location: CMG Center – 19730 64th Ave W Lynnwood, WA 98036

Registration Fee: $50/person To Register click here

Famed Irish piper, whistle-player, and flautist Eliot Grasso and acclaimed Scottish fiddler Brandon Vance will be presenting a short lecture and workshop on Celtic Improvisation followed by a performance of “That Which Is Heard.”

Everyone is welcome, whether you play an instrument, have an interest in improvisation, or just want to come soak in the beautifully rich and meditative atmosphere created by these two artists and their “Shruti” boxes.

What is “That Which is Heard?”

That Which is Heard is an improvised musical dialogue in pursuit of wholeness meant to restore and console.

What’s a shruti box?

In our research on Indian classical music and music thanatology (music for end-of-life patients), we encountered the shruti box, a metal-reeded drone box from India whose name, shruti (श्रुति), means That Which is Heard in Sanskrit. The word also refers to the smallest interval or pitch that the human ear can perceive.

A shruti box has three chromatic octaves worth of drone options (that’s 36^36 combinations of drone notes) that we preset and can adjust during performance.

The vibrating metal reeds that generate the drone of the shruti box convert any room into a richly resonant sonic space.

Artist Statement

Musical improvisation has the power to unite disparate elements into a harmonious whole. It teaches us that if we listen to ourselves and to one other, distinct voices can blend into something that transcends the sum of its parts.

Event Structure: 

1:00pm-1:30pm:  Eliot Grasso & Brandon Vance Presentation on Shruti Box and Improvisation

1:30pm-2:00pm:  Interactive Component

2:00pm-2:15pm:  Coffee/Tea Break 

2:15pm-3:00pm:  Short Concert