Skydrift was realized on December 11, 1977 at Little Blair Valley within the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California. The work required ten voices, sixteen instrumentalists, and four channels of electronic sounds derived from materials generated at the performance site. Over a thirty-minute period the instrumentalists slowly moved outward from the central circle of voices and electronic sound sources, while performing in response to information from the environment, until reaching the perimeter of audibility from the center of the space. This configuration resulted in an expanding sonic formation which ultimately occupied a space a half-mile in diameter, remaining audible for approximately two miles from the sound source. The project was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.
from
Music, Language and Environment,
released June 14, 2021
Voices – Ellen Band, Ric Cupples, Dennis Dunn, Peter Hamlin, Gene Johnson, Phil Keeney, Chris Robbins, Ron Robboy, Peter Seibel, Paul William Simons
Flutes – Norbert Bach, Donna Caruso, David Savage, Jeri Webb
Clarinets – Duane Lakin-Thomas, David Marlowe, Robert Paredes, Larry Rhodes
Trumpets – Alan Brewer, David Dickey, Larry Fant, Jack Logan
Trombones – Bob Burns, Russell Estes, Mark Mayer, Jeff Peterson
Sound engineer – Eugene Wahl