The Sonic Circuits International Electronic Music Festival

The Sonic Circuits International Electronic Music Festival originated in Minnesota 12 years ago when the national office of the American Composers Forum solicited works using electronic technology in new or experimental ways, but it wasn't until 2001 that a National Endowment for the Arts grant allowed the Washington branch of the forum to support several concerts here and in Baltimore.

According to Jonathan Morris, who heads the local American Composers Forum, "the national program is gone now after it was unable to raise money to support it, but Sonic Circuits is still going strong here." It will take place throughout October in various venues. (For information, visit http://scdc.alkem.org/ .)

Performances will include a concert Oct. 22 at the new GALA Theatre-Tivoli featuring the world premiere of "Efficiency," by local dancer Jane Jerardi, integrating video, choreography and music by British electronic music composer Robin Rimbaud, aka Scanner, along with a live performance by sound artist Stephen Vittellio of a piece done in collaboration with Scanner, and a sound installation by visual art curator Welmoed Laanstra, who will place sound booths outfitted as surround-sound portable toilets outside various gallery spaces Oct. 14 through Nov. 5. Contributing will be local artists Alberto Gaitan and Alex van Oss, Germany's Helmut Kopetsky (the latter two using "sounds of Washington buildings") and New Yorker Jennie C. Jones, with a sound art piece inspired by native son Duke Ellington.

Thank you to Washington Post for this information.