In the best Main Street tradition of combining the historic with the very new, the fifth annual Main Street Summer Soulstice celebration on Sunday, June 26, will spotlight both tribute bands and the debut of a site-specific four-hour cycle of new music compositions, digital soundscapes, and structured improvisations , 13 + 7 + one, in the Edgemar courtyard and terraces.
13 + 7 + one will begin at noon with a five-minute fanfare of clarinet, tenor sax, trumpet, trombone and tuba from the balcony above Highlights, which overlooks Main Street.
It will end with a procession of instruments and dancers — a kind of line-dance snaking in and around Edgemar, from about 3:40 to 4 p.m.
Though the music and dance will be choreographed, there will be improvisations within the set pieces.
13 + 7 + one is being coordinated by Jonathon Grasse and features 13 musicians, seven dancers and painter Jean Edelstein. Choreographed segments will feature Kristen Smiarowski. Some of the musicians are members of the ensembles Surrealestate and SoNu.
Grasse said of the live cross-media work, “Utilizing Edgemar’s courtyard, terrace, and architectural nooks and crannies, the four-hour set of pieces welcomes audience members to walk about freely, exploring sound and space. Segments of the event include a hybrid approach to improvisation influenced by the Big Sur Experimental Music Festival’s Sound/Shift and the Soundwalk ’happening’ of Long Beach.”
Edgemar developer/owner Abby Sher commissioned the work, which is the second Edgemar Installations production. Frank Gehry, generally thought to be the world’s most influential architect, designed Edgemar, which is located at 2435 Main Street.The event is free. Lemonade will be served.
