Ruta Vitkauskaite Something Personal – why do I do this Since my very early music writing experience, I was interested in collaborative music creation and audience interaction in performance. But only in the last few years, I finally described this interest to myself as music personalization. Combining my previous experiences in music visualization (audiovisual group Music is Very Important 2005-2009, audiovisual theatre piece Wonderful and Lamentable PLAN B, 2013), spatial music for electronic and electro-acoustic and then acoustic surround (Spatial Opera Company 2010-2014), inter-disciplinary works (multimedia opera group Kliudziau 2008-2014, music for hot air balloon 2011, audiovisual performance group R&R Electronics 2008-2010), I arrived at the point where tools for performing music (orchestral or traditional instruments, or non-instruments, electronics) became less important than the actual action of communicating music to the audience. Last year, I started project called Something Personal – the composition I create for particular place, and perform myself for one listener at the time with him/her staying with closed eyes throughout the performance.
SOMETHING PERSONAL is a one-to-one site-specific composition - I change it’s shape depending on the space and location I perform it at. It is based on live acoustic surround (using some live amplification, and involving existing sounds of surrounding area). There is only me and one listener in the room when I perform the piece on various instruments I own or I find at the performance place. The piece starts when the listener enters the space and closes his/her eyes (listener is asked to sit with closed eyes throughout the performance). The idea of this project is focused on ‘opening’ people’s ears for the sounds around them, and on creation of a very special aural experience through music performance, as well as creation of personal experience in perception of music. Ruta Vitkauskaite’s (b.1984) musical interests are widely varied – while working in the field of classical composition (PhD at Royal Academy of Music at the moment, in 2009 Masters at Lithuanian Academy of Music), Ruta has also been active initiator of experimental music projects (music visualization, acoustic surround, music personalization), organizer (2006-2013 director of Druskomanija festival and workshop series the Process), performer (violin, piano, voice, electronics). Since moving to UK, Ruta has developed deep interest in music education (Learning Trainee at BCMG, Fellow at Open Academy at RAM, since 2013 working creatively with people living with dementia) and in research in personal music performance. More about Ruta’s projects: www.rutavitkauskaite.weebly.com Links to performances Something Personal in SERDE - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izLsKyJwH6Q |
