Speaker 1: (00:00)
Music that's out of the mainstream can be left unheard, but that hasn't been the case in San Diego for the last 24 years. One woman has maintained a series of concerts devoted to cutting edge music. This Friday, the last fresh sound concert takes place and it's curator producer manager and creator Bonnie. Right? We'll move on to her. Next thing, Bonnie has become an icon in San Diego and throughout the avant garde music world for her fresh sounds concerts. It's a pleasure to have her on midday, Bonnie. Welcome.
Speaker 2: (00:35)
Thank you. Nice to be here.
Speaker 1: (00:37)
How difficult was it to make the decision to wrap up the fresh sound series?
Speaker 2: (00:43)
Oh, it was very hard. The word that comes to mind that I've used is bittersweet and what I said again and again, but I like it is, I've had 224 concerts in 24 years. I'm now 83 and eight times three is 24. So that was my signal.
Speaker 1: (01:07)
And it's as good a reason as Eddie said, I suppose, is that right?
Speaker 2: (01:11)
I guess
Speaker 1: (01:14)
Now for someone who's never been to one of the fresh sound concerts, can you describe the kind of music they might've heard there?
Speaker 2: (01:23)
My idea was to bring music to San Diego that they wouldn't otherwise here. And so I had spent a lot of time in New York and I got to know musicians there. So I bring them here. Well, at first I brought people from San Diego, UCLA because I went back to school as an older person, uh, in the music department. So the first concert was Steve Schick and I should bring up my history. But then after I went to New York, I, um, I've started bringing them here. How
Speaker 1: (02:00)
The concerts been difficult to maintain through the years?
Speaker 2: (02:04)
No, they haven't. The main thing is to not do it for, for money because you'd never ever make any money on this. So if you do it for the love of music, then it's easy.
Speaker 1: (02:16)
Here's a track featuring UC San Diego, professor of music, Steven Schick, no stranger to fresh sound, along with the bang on a can, all stars and others in a piece called cheating, lying, stealing. How many people show up to an, a typical concert? Well,
Speaker 2: (03:10)
I'm always pleased or was always pleased, uh, when, at least 40 to 45 people showed up, but sometimes there was less for this final concert we're sold out, which is a hundred and twenty-five people.
Speaker 1: (03:26)
And what about that thing about getting artists to perform for these concerts? How have you managed that?
Speaker 2: (03:33)
Mainly when, like for people, the artists from out of town, I would ask them, you know, when they're in the neighborhood in LA or San Francisco, then come on down to San Diego and they were always happy to perform. They, you know, especially the, I guess you could call it avant-garde or contemporary music. People don't get that big of opportunity because people like what's familiar
Speaker 1: (04:00)
And you would sometimes put them up at your
Speaker 2: (04:02)
House. I'll almost always yes. And that was really the fun part. Cause I got to know them and that was always good.
Speaker 1: (04:11)
And, and so many heavy hitting names and cutting edge music have performed at fresh sound concerts. Can you, can you remind us of some, well,
Speaker 2: (04:19)
Joey Godrey who played solo bassoon and is now become well known? I had a lot of them before they were well-known Gian Riley, Mary Oliver, who is from San Diego, but now lives in Amsterdam. Um, Matt, well, two plays bagpipes, which was fun. Uh, Nelson, Alex Klein.
Speaker 1: (04:43)
You have had Anthony Davis who won the Pulitzer for his central park five. He's been on our show as well. And your mentor, George Lewis.
Speaker 2: (04:54)
Oh, well, he, he has been a good friend since 1993, since I went back to UC SD and the music department is a in quotes, older student and he's remained a good friend, but he helped me get started. He had the first ideas of who should perform and he just helped me along the way. And of course you perform there too.
Speaker 1: (05:20)
This kind of music is often difficult for people to understand or enjoy. Do you agree? It's an acquired taste.
Speaker 2: (05:28)
Yes. Because people like what's familiar and I never presented anything that was familiar because my whole idea, as I said before, was to open ears. You have to listen to everything because if you don't, how do you hear what you like? Some you won't like some you do, but you gotta listen.
Speaker 1: (05:52)
What advice would you give to someone? You know, who'd like to start maybe dipping a into cutting-edge music. How should they start?
Speaker 2: (06:00)
I would say by listening to people like Carrie Riley, which is what I did and how I learned. And he did, uh, in C, which was very new back in those days.
Speaker 3: (06:14)
[inaudible]
Speaker 2: (06:32)
And then I, and I listened to him and then that moved me forward to Steve Reisch and Phillip glass and all kinds of other, uh, more contemporary composers.
Speaker 1: (06:44)
And what's next for you now?
Speaker 2: (06:45)
Oh God, I wish I knew I have to find something that's for sure. I'm thinking maybe I could have some house concerts, so we'll see, I'm going to give myself a month or two, but then I'll start plotting. And the next thing.
Speaker 1: (07:00)
So Bonnie what's on the program for the final fresh sound concert. This Friday,
Speaker 2: (07:05)
Steven Schick will be performing. He's playing music by Frederick Schiff, ski Vinco global car, Eric Griswold and Roger Reynolds.
Speaker 1: (07:18)
This Friday, the final fresh sound concert takes place at the San Diego dance theater at Liberty station. And the performer is Steven Schick, UC San Diego music professor who opened the fresh sound series. And now we'll close it out this Friday night. I've been speaking with Bonnie Wright creator of the fresh sound concert series, Bonnie. Thank you very much.
Speaker 2: (07:40)
You're very welcome. And thank you.
