Experiments in Sonic Potential

Musicians from the Bay Area’s rich improvisational jazz scene perform live music in conversation with Annabeth Rosen’s ceramic sculptures. Experiments in Sonic Potential was developed in partnership with the Center for New Music.

Lisa Mezzacappa is a San Francisco Bay Area-based composer, acoustic bassist and ensemble leader. Called “one of the most imaginative figures on the Bay Area creative jazz scene” by the Mercury News and “a Bay Area treasure” by KQED public radio, she has been an active part of California’s vibrant music community for nearly twenty years. Mezzacappa’s music encompasses ethereal chamber music, electro-acoustic works, avant-garde jazz, music for groups from duo to large ensemble, and collaborations with film, dance, and visual art. In addition to leading her own projects in the United States and abroad, Mezzacappa has performed with Fred Frith, Rhys Chatham, the Paul Dresher Ensemble, Mark Dresser’s SIM Bass Ensemble, Nicole Mitchell, Ned Rothenberg, Vinny Golia, and many others.

Kara Davis, Co-Artistic Director of project agora, has danced for Atlanta Ballet, Ohio Ballet, and Ballet Jörgen in Toronto, Ontario. She is a founding member of KUNST-STOFF and Janice Garrett & Dancers, both of which she danced with for ten years. She has performed choreography by Margaret Jenkins, Alex Ketley, Val Caniparoli (ACT), Amy Raymond (formerly of Dutch National Ballet and Ballet Frankfurt), Kathleen Hermesdorf, and Robert Moses. She has received multiple Isadora Duncan awards and nominations. Her choreography has been presented at the Bates Dance Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, ACDA Nationals at the Kennedy Center, YBCA, Headlands Center for the Arts, and SFMOMA. Davis has taught and choreographed at Alonzo King’s LINES Dominican University and Training Programs since 2005.