ABBY KELLEMS
Dark Skies (2023)
for solo violin and reverb
For Weathering Steel by the Plein Air Sound Collective
Program Note
Dark Skies was written for Weathering Steel, the Plein Air Sound Collective's debut album of site-specific music, recorded in May 2023 at the Tank Center for Sonic Arts in Rangely, Colorado. The Tank is an empty steel water cistern with amazing acoustic properties, including a natural decay reverb of up to forty seconds.
Rangely, the town where the Tank is located, is quite remote, and the careful protection of its skies from light pollution has made it a haven for stargazing. Dark Skies celebrates the quiet brilliance of the night sky and those who strive to preserve it. It's a love letter to stargazing amongst friends, and protecting things that are special.
Recorded at the Tank Center for Sonic Arts
May 23, 2023
Veda Hingert-McDonald, violin
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Jonathan Galle, audio
Nelson Walker, video
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This project was supported in part by a grant from the Center for Humanities and the Arts at CU-Boulder and the School of Music, Theatre and Dance Eileen Weiser EXCEL Fund at the University of Michigan, as well as our wonderful IndieGoGo supporters.