Deep listening sos
2024
with

Avery Riel

Musician, Songwriter, Deep Listener, Arts Administrator

Deep Listening: The Story of Pauline Oliveros— That's deep

Iconic American composer, performer, teacher, philosopher, inventor, and humanitarian Pauline Oliveros (1932–2016) was one of the world’s original electronic musicians (and the only female amongst notable post-war American composers), as well as a master accordion player, a mentor, a gateway to music and sound for non-musicians, and a technical innovator who helped develop everything from tools that allow musicians to play together while in different countries to software that enables those with physical limitations to create beautiful music. Featuring Laurie Anderson, Terry Riley, Thurston Moore, and others, DEEP LISTENING presents a holistic portrait of the woman and her practice. Preceded by a Deep Listening exercise led by Avery Riel (they/them).

Gene Siskel Film Center Chicago, IL

Film Synopsis

Tells the story of the iconic composer, performer, teacher, philosopher, technological innovator and humanitarian.

Deep Listening: The Story of Pauline Oliveros tells the story of the iconic composer, performer, teacher, philosopher, technological innovator and humanitarian Pauline Oliveros. She was one of the world's original electronic musicians, one of the only females amongst notable post-war American composers, a master accordion player, a teacher and mentor to musicians, a gateway to music and sound for non-musicians, and a technical innovator who helped develop everything from tools that allow musicians to play together while in different countries to software that enables those with severe disabilities to create beautiful music. On the vanguard of contemporary American music for six decades, her story illuminates the pathway to how we got where we are and where the future will take us in the worlds of music, the philosophy of sound, and the art of listening.

About the Speaker

Avery Riel is a musician, songwriter, Deep Listener, and arts administrator living in Chicago. Their creative research explores text scores, movement interlaced with sound, composition, music therapy, and sonic archiving. As a Deep Listener, they have worked alongside Stephanie Loveless at the Center for Deep Listening at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and with Brian Pertl and Leila Ramagopal Pertl at Lawrence University. They received their BM in Violin Performance from Lawrence University in 2023, and currently work as the Program Director at the Hideout and as a freelance musician.