by Robert Leeper

The Rite of Summer music festival closed out their 2016 season on Saturday afternoon at The Hills park on Governors Island. Music Director Amy Garapic led over 70 percussionists from several of New York City's top percussion ensembles and schools and coming from the ranks of rock bands including Greg Saunier (Deerhoof), Brian Chase (Yeah Yeah Yeahs) in John Luther Adams’ Inuksuit.

Inuksuit is an event more than it is a performance. Percussion ranged from temple gongs, drums, cymbals, conch shells and rocks to whirly tubes, piccolos and several hand-cranked sirens over the approximately hour long performance. Bird songs fluttered out of pitched instruments creating appealing call and response textures. The work builds from a sparsely scored introduction to a thrilling middle before fading back to silence. 

Many attendees wandered the hills taking in the different angles and sounds as seems to be the intent of the piece, but it was interesting to note a number of people who appeared to stay in one spot, engaging deeply with the collage of sounds from only one location.  

As the work ended, audience members strained to listen for any last strands of music - and this may have been the most potent example of the value of a massive environmental work of this nature. In that strain to, the audience listened more closely to their environment than perhaps they ever had before - lured into a world of sounds and interest can be immersive and is constant. 

It was a beautiful day for it and readers should certainly experience it for themselves if possible. If you're in the area, the UConn Percussion Ensemble is performing Inuksuit September 10 of this year.

More pictures from Saturday are below:

Steven Pisano

As I walked up Broadway from the A train on Saturday morning, something felt different. I'd made this walk countless times before, usually rushing to catch a curtain at the Met, the Phil, City Ballet, (or Opera RIP). But, this was the first time I'd made this walk as a performer, and I felt that mix of giddy anticipation and nervous energy that every singer, dancer, musician, or actor feels when they're heading to their first - or in this case, only - performance.

I didn't really have much reason to be nervous. After all, we had prepared for this day for four weeks, some for even longer. We knew the music, we had rehearsed the movements, we even got a sense of what the whole thing would sound like. Now, we just needed to go out and do it.

"It", of course, was the public domain, which we were set to perform in public for the first time on the Josie Robertson Plaza later that afternoon. But, there was still work to do, and all 1,000 of us were told to report to Geffen Hall no later than 11:30 am. A representative from the NYPD told us that rain was in the forecast, in which case the performance would not be rescheduled. He then offered detailed instructions about what to do in the event of an attack, or other unexpected incident. "These are the times we live in, folks." 

I had other plans for Saturday, so Friday was my last opportunity to stop by BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! this summer, where Philly rockers Dr. Dog were joined by openers The Knights and a local gospel choir for an extended set. While their music owes a lot to The Flaming Lips, Pavement, and other 90's indie bands, they have their own infectious energy, propelled by Toby Leaman's urgently delivered vocals and Soctt McMicken's strong guitar work.

Thanks, BRIC, for another amazing summer at the bandshell - though there's more great music to be had this fall at BRIC House in downtown Brooklyn, including the BRIC JazzFest in October, shows by The Knights, and more. I just wish I could walk home from there.

More pics from Friday's show on the photo page.