Neil Welch presents Sunday, May 5


I am thrilled to perform for you and alongside you at the FreeSessions tonight. Thank you for welcoming me to Missoula.

My solo, acoustic works are impermanent auditory constellations—particulate structures, strata, monoliths, and dust—resonance imaginations on tenor, c soprano, alto and bass saxophones. I aim to cast light into my own notion of abstract sound/silences through various means:

multiphonics, screaming into the horn, phases of conical tone undulations, graphic notations, key clacking, tempered pitches, semitones, wind

In our collective improvisations to follow, I ask that each performer consider the role of their physical and artistic presence while on stage. Can we capture the inherent qualities of our performance space at Imagine Nation through our audience’s participation? Can we value sound/silence as an infinitely flexible tool? How might our longing for momentary expressivity impact our improvisations to follow? To begin our open session, I suggest that we approach these questions and more through a physically additive method. I ask that we begin by slowly increasing our performers in number—a solo performance followed by a duo, a trio, a quartet.

I am deeply thankful to play the FreeSessions, and I look forward to our evening together

-Neil Welch