Part 1: Made in Kansas City: Nuclear Bombs for the World
The Kansas City National Security Campus features a new nuclear weapons plant at Botts Road and Missouri Highway 150 in southern Kansas City. Their 1.36 billion dollar budget supports the “life-extensions” of the B61 thermonuclear devices deployed at Whiteman AFB and at least five other nuclear bases around the world. The updates keep these nuclear devices fresh and deployable. They include new Boeing tail-kits that make them maneuverable “smart” bombs.
The music in this special program features data sonifications of a B61 detonation event as performed by the newEar contemporary chamber ensemble. About 50 of these weapons are believed to be stockpiled at Whiteman Air Force Base.
Composers Michael Henry and Dwight Frizzell mapped data to the scored parts using x-y graphs showing the bombs’ short and long term effects including shock waves, atmospheric impacts, electromagnetic pulse readings and biological aberrations. The music was conducted by Sarah McKoin for players Thomas Aber (clarinets), Alexander East (cello), Jan Faidley (saxophones), Johanna Lalka (horn), Tomoko Iguchi (violin), Mark Lowry (percussion), Bill McKemy (bass), Jessica Nance (viola) and Lyra Pherigo (flutes). Supported by the New Music Institute of Kansas City and Missouri Arts Council. Produced by Dwight Frizzell for the From Ark to Microchip series.
Read more about the Kansas City National Security Campus at:
https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/readers-opinion/guest-commentary/article298718513.html#storylink=cpy
See excerpts from newEar’s performance at:
Part 2: Coronal Mass Ejections: New Music from the Sun
Coronal mass ejections, like those pointed toward Earth on January 16, are immense blobs of plasma carried by energetic magnetic lines shot out from the Sun over the course of several hours. These massive releases form twisted braids of plasma which scientists call “flux ropes”, and are part of the pulsing world of solar music.
The sun is a magnificent instrument ringing like a bell every 4 minutes 48 seconds. The ritual time-space of the music created for this program has been mapped from the sun, with a gong corresponding to the sun’s neutron-spewing inner core, the listening audience situated in the resonating convection zone, and the musicians on the boiling solar surface. Harmonic overtones pulse in quadra-pole rotation in sync with the sun’s bi-polar magnetic field. The massive coronal ejections are performed by instrumental duets arcing like the twisting magnetic fields that animate the maelstrom.
Our program was recorded in 2024 at performances by the Myth-Science Ensemble at the international Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center and Charlotte Street Foundations Stern Theater featuring Thomas Aber (bass clarinet, bari sax), Tony Brewer (gong and Foley), Patrick Conway (drums and alto sax), Norbert Herber (bass clarinet, bari sax), Joe MF Stone (drums), Chris Rall (guitar and woodwinds), Marty Belcher (woodwinds), and Dwight Frizzell (midi-wind instrument and electronics). Supported by Charlotte Street Foundation, Writers Guild at Bloomington, National Audio Theater Festivals, Indiana Art Commission and Kansas City Art Institute. Production assistance from Tony Brewer, Mazzy Woodring, Marty Belcher and Pat Alexander. Produced by Dwight Frizzell for the From Ark to Microchip series.
See an excerpt from Myth-Science Ensemble’s performance at: