50% NONVERBAL
Interdisciplinary performance artist C. Neil Parsons offers a solo variety show that is part storytelling, part musical act, part physical theatre, and part TED Talk.
In between musical/choreographic interludes with a trombone, Neil relates true stories about his personal relationship with silence, what happens when his sleep alter-ego takes over, and why an experimental composer created music in pictures without telling anyone how it should sound.
In between musical/choreographic interludes with a trombone, Neil relates true stories about his personal relationship with silence, what happens when his sleep alter-ego takes over, and why an experimental composer created music in pictures without telling anyone how it should sound.
Photo: SP4 John Beard, US Army
A THOUSAND WORDS
In 1969, Chris Parsons served as a combat photographer in Vietnam. Combining his pictures with original music and dance, trombonist C. Neil Parsons recounts tales of danger, resilience, and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to.
Created & Performed by C. Neil Parsons
Written by Chris Parsons and C. Neil Parsons
Photography by Chris Parsons
Music by Jen Baker, Stefanie Lubkowski, Clover Nahabedian, C. Neil Parsons, and Bahar Royaee.
In 1969, Chris Parsons served as a combat photographer in Vietnam. Combining his pictures with original music and dance, trombonist C. Neil Parsons recounts tales of danger, resilience, and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to.
Created & Performed by C. Neil Parsons
Written by Chris Parsons and C. Neil Parsons
Photography by Chris Parsons
Music by Jen Baker, Stefanie Lubkowski, Clover Nahabedian, C. Neil Parsons, and Bahar Royaee.
Photo: Mark Lee
The Fourth Wall explores a new hybrid of the performing arts in which musicians are also dancers and actors. Stretching the boundaries of instrumental performance, The Fourth Wall commissions new interdisciplinary works and reinterprets established repertoire to make music that leaps off the stage.
The "fourth wall" is a theater term pertaining to the imaginary wall at the front of a stage, through which the audience sees the action of a play. Flutist Hilary Abigana, bass trombonist C. Neil Parsons, and percussionist Greg Jukes make it their mission to perform as interpreters and co-creators, to personalize the concert experience and communicate more directly with audiences. Believing they are at the forefront of a movement in classical music to create distinctive interdisciplinary performance experiences, they share their expertise with students and professionals through hybrid arts workshops and masterclasses.
The "fourth wall" is a theater term pertaining to the imaginary wall at the front of a stage, through which the audience sees the action of a play. Flutist Hilary Abigana, bass trombonist C. Neil Parsons, and percussionist Greg Jukes make it their mission to perform as interpreters and co-creators, to personalize the concert experience and communicate more directly with audiences. Believing they are at the forefront of a movement in classical music to create distinctive interdisciplinary performance experiences, they share their expertise with students and professionals through hybrid arts workshops and masterclasses.
Photo: Nino Cocchiarella
The Flute on its Feet
C. Neil Parsons teams up with Juilliard-trained flutist Zara Lawler to perform inventive music upside down, backwards, and on wheels. Creating a new definition of virtuosity that is at once sophisticated and inviting, The Flute on its Feet explores liberation and confinement, isolation and connection, and the age-old question: is it flutist or flautist?
The Flute on its Feet includes TimeFrame, a choreographic reinvention of Luciano Berio’s Sequenza 1 for Solo Flute, Lowell Liebermann's 8 Pieces, and a stunning setting of Telemann's Fantasies.
"[The music is] performed with emotion and clarity by flutist Lawler, while coinciding modern-dance movements are executed with precision by Parsons. These two are highly-trained, well-educated, and accomplished performers, and it shows." - Orlando Sentinel
“Fascinating and engaging.” - New York Times
C. Neil Parsons teams up with Juilliard-trained flutist Zara Lawler to perform inventive music upside down, backwards, and on wheels. Creating a new definition of virtuosity that is at once sophisticated and inviting, The Flute on its Feet explores liberation and confinement, isolation and connection, and the age-old question: is it flutist or flautist?
The Flute on its Feet includes TimeFrame, a choreographic reinvention of Luciano Berio’s Sequenza 1 for Solo Flute, Lowell Liebermann's 8 Pieces, and a stunning setting of Telemann's Fantasies.
"[The music is] performed with emotion and clarity by flutist Lawler, while coinciding modern-dance movements are executed with precision by Parsons. These two are highly-trained, well-educated, and accomplished performers, and it shows." - Orlando Sentinel
“Fascinating and engaging.” - New York Times