Across six lectures, participants will explore the history of free improvisation, practices of deep listening and experimental performance, as well as the ideas of influential figures in improvisational music, including Pauline Oliveros, John Cage, Cornelius Cardew, Anthony Braxton, Mauricio Kagel, and others.

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Programme

1. The Presence of Rhythm

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This lecture explores rhythm not only as a musical element but also as a way of organizing time, movement, and perception. Participants will examine different approaches to rhythm through the musical traditions of the Balkans, India, and Turkey, alongside contemporary jazz and twentieth- and twenty-first-century classical music.

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2. Graphic Scores and Alternative Notation

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This session introduces unconventional approaches to musical notation. Participants will explore graphic scores and discover how music can be represented through colour, shape, and text, while considering different methods of interpretation and performance.

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3. Guest Lecture: Viktor Khomenkov — Improvisation as Practice

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Guest musician Viktor Khomenkov will discuss free improvisation in jazz and contemporary music, open-form composition, and share insights from his own experience as an improvising performer.

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4. The Materiality of Instruments

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Focusing on the physical nature of musical instruments and extended performance techniques, this lecture examines how materials, construction, and modes of interaction shape sound. Participants will engage with works by Helmut Lachenmann, John Cage, George Crumb, Krzysztof Penderecki, and other composers.

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5. Listening Practice I: Building Your Own Instrument

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Participants will investigate the sonic qualities of everyday objects, create their own sound palettes, and experiment with alternative methods of sound production. The session combines practical exercises with a listening walk through the city.

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6. Listening Practice II: The Environment as Musical Material

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The concluding session focuses on listening to the urban environment. Participants will explore methods of observing, recording, and interpreting environmental sounds while engaging with the work of Olivier Messiaen, John Cage, and Annea Lockwood.

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Language: Russian

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Alen Lee is a researcher, curator, and composer-performer based in Almaty. His practice lies at the intersection of open musical improvisation, experimental composition, and alternative notation. A graduate of the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts), he studied music theory and composition with improviser Dr. Tim Feeney, and jazz performance under the guidance of Joe LaBarbera and Bennie Maupin. In recent years, Alen has performed in Kazakhstan with the qazaq indie supergroup and the performance artist Kokonja.

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Participation Fee

Single lecture — 4,000 KZT

Full lecture series (6 lectures) — 20,000 KZT