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Published on: 2/9/2008
Last Visited: 2/9/2008
Gary Hill, Director of Bands, ASU Herberger College of the Arts
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But Gary Hill, director of bands in the ASU Herberger College of the Arts, doesn't think it has to be that way.That's how he came up with "Wikivent: YouDesign," a concert Tuesday from the ASU Wind Symphony in which the set list will consist solely of songs requested online.
"The whole participatory culture that's growing in the arts is fantastic to watch, and so this is just sort of playing on that," says Hill, whose research includes applying digital technologies to conducting."Why not let everyone help design a concert?"
As the name of the concert implies, the Web site was designed like the Wikipedia encyclopedia site.Anyone could edit the page and add whatever they wanted.The site took requests between Sept. 1 and Dec. 31 and didn't inspire a huge response - about a dozen suggestions in total - but Hill was pleased with the results.
"I put together what seemed to be a logical combination, a real potpourri of things," he says."The range of things is wild.We've got a James Brown tune arranged, we're doing a novelty piece called 'Godzilla Eats Las Vegas.' It's going to be crazy."
There will be some more traditional tunes as well, like Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture.""We've got a range of things from popular music to classical musical," says Hill.
With a site like this, there's always the potential for abuse from troublemaking users - Wikipedia articles are vandalized on a daily basis - but Hill says that wasn't a problem.
"We took all suggestions seriously," he says."I was willing to do whatever people nominated."
Pairing a wind concert with new technology seems like a radical idea, but Hill says it actually harks back to a time when wind instruments represented a cultural vanguard.
"In its history, the wind band actually was at one point a popular musical vehicle, before the turn of the last century," says Hill.
This isn't the first innovative concert idea from the ASU Wind Symphony.In April 2005 it produced "Musical Survivor," a "musical reality show," where pieces were chosen by audience request.There will be two performances of "Wikivent," and Hill likes even the venues to be unconventional - the afternoon show will be at the Hayden Library mall
"We're also into surprising when we show up and play," says Hill."I doubt very many students on campus will expect us to be playing Tuesday afternoon at lunchtime."Last fall, the group also played outside in downtown Tempe."It's like surprise musical attacks," he says.