SECRET PLANET // STATE COLLEGE
NAKATANI GONG ORCHESTRA
SATURDAY SEPT 7
DOORS: 7:00PM
UNIVERSITY MENNONITE CHURCH
THIS PERFORMANCE MADE POSSIBLE BY SUPPORT FROM 3 DOTS DOWNTOWN
Gorinto Productions x 3 Dots Present Secret Planet: International Sounds in Rural Spaces will establish a landmark series of diverse global music performances in rural Central PA, connecting a decentralized consortium of curators, musicians, and producers presenting international performances across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
The “NAKATANI GONG ORCHESTRA,” is a contemporary live sound art project that tours internationally. Tatsuya Nakatani began germinating ideas for NGO in early 2002 and finally took the project on the road in April 2011. Since then he has performed over 100 concerts with NGO internationally (before pandemic 2020). The rich harmonies produced from multiple layers of orchestral gongs are transformative, engaging, and inspiring for both players and audiences. Each performance is unique, as it involved players that Nakatani trains from the community in which the performance occurs.
NGO is a continuous, growing community engagement sound art project, as well as the only bowing gong orchestra (in which gongs are played using bows handcrafted by Nakatani) in existence in the world today. Artistic concept, musical composition, conduction, and direction are all the work of Tatsuya Nakatani.
For each performance, participating gong players are selected by a local presenter or the curator. Nakatani gives a specialized “training workshop” to gong players in preparation for the performance. Players will learn Nakatani’s own unique point of view regarding gong techniques and will experience undiscovered dimensions while immersed in the vibrations and sounds during the training workshop. Nakatani is the composer and orchestral conductor for the evening of the performance.
