PERFORMING
Performing is the act of creating musical experiences for ourselves and others. Performing music for others is how musical culture is made. The context of performance (why, where, for whom?) is as crucial to this process as the sounds made by musicians. MEL uses performance to promote music as a social practice that embodies connection and storytelling.
Bombici
Formed in 2017, Bombici is an experimental electroacoustic collective that explores form and improvisation through Western and non-Western musical practices. They have performed in various configurations in concert halls, radical music festivals, punk bars, and on street corners. Bombici are pioneers of real-time live sound processing to create powerful augmented musical realities. Inspired by artists like Sun Ra, J Dilla, and Glenn Branca, Bombici forges a path into new sonic frontiers. Bombici founder Rich Randall works closely with Romani musicians in the US and Macedonia. Bombici’s music is an evolving conversation with Roma about their cultural capital amidst constant oppression.
Their forthcoming album, "Live at Studio B" (Adhyaropa Records, November 2024), was recorded in July 2023 at WQED in Pittsburgh, PA, with real-time audio processing on all instruments and video recorded with 14 cameras.
Young Musicians Collaborative
The Young Musicians Collaborative (YMC) was an in-school educational program
developed and directed by Rich Randall from 2015 to 2016. The program served
students at the Pittsburgh Public Milliones 6-12 School in the Hill District
neighborhood. The goals of the Young Musicians Collaborative were to offer
music-centered, connected learning opportunities for the young people of
underserved neighborhoods in Pittsburgh and to expand their involvement in
public and civic activities and spaces.
Specifically, the educational goals of the YMC were:
1) Enhance Personal Growth: development of self, increased confidence, and empowerment,
2) Develop Group Skills: team building and peer-based learning, and
3) Stimulate Community Engagement: experiencing the role of music in
social engagement, relationship building, network creation, and
community investment.
The YMC achieved these goals by connecting youth participants with established music practitioners and facilitating a series of workshops (both inside and outside the classroom) that educated and empowered. We demonstrated the connection between music performance and everyday issues, encouraging participants to investigate what matters to them and how to express that when performing. This project received financial support from the Fine Foundation (2015) and the Sprout Fund (2016).