Elderflora: SCENES FROM THE LIFE OF A TREE
Photograpy by Carlin Ma
ELDERFLORA: Scenes from the Life of a Tree is a series of songs told from a tree’s perspective. Written and performed by Majel Connery (vocals, synths) in collaboration with Felix Fan (electric cello), Elderflora crosses lush electronic landscapes with haunting vocal manipulations to evoke the soul of a very old tree.
“Like a secret collaboration between Laurie Anderson and Arthur Russell.”
BIOS
Majel Connery is a composer, performer, and musicologist who creates immersive musical experiences to dissolve the boundaries between human and natural worlds. Fusing classical precision with the raw force of live electronics, her music has been called “superb” by the New York Times and her music “thoroughly Schubertian” by the Wall Street Journal. Connery has collaborated with Radiolab Live and her music is toured regularly by Grammy-winning choir, Chanticleer. She can most often be found performing in some weird record shop or the basements of strangers.
Felix Fan has performed with Yo-Yo Ma, Gil Shaham and Janos Starker in venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Musikverein and Royal Festival Hall. Fan's interest in contemporary music has led to collaborations with today's leading composers including George Crumb, Tan Dun, Hans Werner Henze, Oliver Knussen, Kaija Saariaho and Charles Wuorinen. He appears frequently as a solo artist and with FLUX QUARTET
Notes:
stage plot/rider here but when playing house concerts I generally bring what I need and run my own sound, so don’t stress
Optional video installation by time-lapse photographer Noah Kalina (famous for his “Everyday” video)
Elderflora premiered at Seattle Symphony/Octave 9 in Sept 2024 and has since been performed at The Exploratorium, UNM Art Museum, Noe Valley Ministry, Reed College, Stanley Art Museum, and a variety of house concerts, churches and unmentionably strange spaces around the country.