CIMA of PA Gatherings Graphic

Robert Rich Sleep Concert

Live at

The Gatherings Concert Series

Sunday 4 June 2017
Midnight to 8:00AM

Doors Open:
Saturday 3 June 2017
10:30PM-11:30PM

PLEASE NOTE LOCATION

The Rotunda Sanctuary
(Front Entrance of Building)
4014 Walnut Street in Philadelphia, PA

Attendance Limited to 100 Sleepers

Limited Admission
Available at the Door

 

Robert Rich returns to Philadelphia and The Gatherings Concert Series for an eight hour sleep concert performance, from Midnight to 8AM, on Sunday 4 June 2016, within The Rotunda Sanctuary, 4014 Walnut Street in Philadelphia. Attendance is limited to 100 quietly prone attendees with proper sleeping apparatus.

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Robert Rich

Robert Rich finds expression in his works by fusing nature, technology, art and craft into a sonic replica of our earthly macrocosm. His music is concise, exhilarating and charged by a keen sense of drama. Moving through his many albums we find multi-layered realizations enlivened by misty flute solos, floating glissando guitar, and ethereal synth pads. Less active areas within the meshes of musical fabric are like an oasis nestled inside his ambitious design.

Conjuring soundscapes derived from the darkest regions of the earth, to the brightest grain of stardust, Rich's performances evoke the enigmatic nature of the universe while emphasizing its harmony with the human spirit. With his steel guitar, flutes, field recordings, synthesizers and samplers Robert Rich delves into the mysteries of the cosmos, and our place in it.

 

Robert Rich The term "Sleep Concert" can be a bit misleading, as it implies that this music is intended to help the listener sleep deeply. On the contrary, at this unique all-night event, the audience may find that they sleep less deeply, and wake up more often. The idea is to let the music incorporate itself into our perceptual framework during the night, to create a sonic surround, an environment for unique states of consciousness.

The music is aimed at the nebulous territory that exists in our minds when we are hovering between awake and asleep, and still aware of our environment - yet detached, as the half-sleeping mind wanders into the realm of hypnogogic images and dreamlike non-linearity. This music may be found to act as a trigger for these flowing thoughts, and the activation of the surrounding environment can help us skate around the edges of sleep, with part of us in the dream world, and part in the physical space where we are sleeping.

The experience of listening privately will differ from the experience of audience members during the Sleep Concert. In the concert situation, an additional state of heightened arousal can occur from social factors, whereas the environment of the home is more relaxed.

People become more physiologically activated merely by being in the proximity of other people. Perhaps this arousal is a purely chemical phenomenon - which is an interesting feature that distinguishes a live Sleep Concert from listening to a recorded version at home. In the act of bringing a group of people together in the same room, we create an energized environment, which can contribute to the intensity of personal experiences. But for these factors to contribute to an interesting aesthetic experience, listeners must combine this activation with an increase in attention to internal states of mind. The music hopes to intensify this internal focus.

Robert Rich Sleep Concert

Certain things happen when many people sleep in a room together. In general, due to the simple noises of others, people sleep less deeply. One of the more mundane reasons for this is snoring. An estimated 10% of the population snores, which means that in a room with 50-100 people, some will snore. Since the music is generally very quiet, snoring can become invasive. Besides snoring, other interruptions will doubtless invade the Sleep Concert ambience. Among these may be traffic sounds, car alarms, sirens, or people walking around in the space as they move to use the bathroom. Audience members may also notice the presence of Robert Rich in the room, the musician working behind the mixer.

The musical environment of a Sleep Concert may act like a lens to sharpen mental images, a stimulus to help attendees generate internal realities. Some of the sounds are abstract, blurry, hard to separate from the background. Other sounds evoke natural environments, open spaces, insects and animal calls, wind or rain. The music can replace the acoustics of a room with a shifting virtual soundscape.

 

Robert Rich To get the most out of our Sleep Concert, Robert Rich recommends that we focus on several aspects of the sleeping experience - the most interesting of which will occur in the transitions between sleeping and waking, and later when we are dreaming. During this transition, we may have dreamlike thoughts and visions called hypnogogic images - which are often less organized than true dreams, and frequently come blended with a semi-awareness of the surrounding environment. Passing from this stage into a deeper sleep yields no memory of these images and thoughts. But if we can linger at the edge, slipping in and out of the first stage of sleep, we may ride along the edge of our own awareness. The music may be used as a focal point to hold one's self right at the brink of sleep. During these experiences, we may find that the sonic environment has triggered dream activity, evoking fragile new mental landscapes.

Throughout the Sleep Concert, the music gets quite deep, it explores the shadows. The music is also quite gentle, and asks that we encounter our mental states with an attitude of openness. Even the shadows contain useful information. The more we pay attention, the more we might find.

 

Rotunda Sanctuary interior

Special notes on the Robert Rich Sleep Concert of 4 June 2017...

Please be advised that the Robert Rich Sleep Concert of Sunday 4 June 2017 is not a typical installment of The Gatherings Concert Series. The remarkable location of this one time special event is The Rotunda Sanctuary, the front entrance of which is at 4014 Walnut Street in Philadelphia, PA. This space does not offer any conventional seating whatsoever.

The Robert Rich Sleep Concert of Sunday 4 June 2017 is only open to 100 attendees. A limited number of admissions will be available at the door. Each attendee must arrive to The Rotunda Sanctuary between 10:30PM-11:30PM on Saturday 3 June 2017, and so will enter and become settled well in advance of the performance, which will begin promptly at midnight.

Admission after midnight will be at the discretion of the management.

Each attendee must provide their own sleeping bag, pad, blanket, pillow, or other reasonable and sensible sleeping apparatus, which will be used to recline or sleep upon. A floor area of approximately 6 feet x 8 feet will be allocated to each attendee, 100 of which will be arranged in a logical order of rows and aisles, allowing for ease of movement throughout the sanctuary space.

The quiet and fragile nature of this concert will not allow for socializing, the use of personal electronic devices, or late arrival. Please attend this event with the expectation of silent listening/resting and minimal disturbances.

Attendees may leave the sanctuary space at any time for the bathrooms located within The Rotunda. Once an attendee exits the building for the outside, they cannot be re-admitted.

The expectations and requirements of the Robert Rich Sleep Concert of Sunday 4 June 2017 are rather different from those of a conventional musical concert. Sound levels will be very low, distributed evenly throughout the space through an array of speakers. The duration of the Sleep Concert will be approximately eight hours. By complying with the criteria outlined above, we will respectfully encounter the artistry and musicianship of Robert Rich, commemorate the 40th anniversary of STAR'S END, and the 25th anniversary of The Gatherings Concert Series, as well as take part in a singular and unique communal experience.

Sincere Thanks for your attention to these details and for your enduring support!

 

Robert Rich Artist Profile - April 2016

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Robert Rich Interview - 11 April 2015

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Robert Rich: Live at The Gatherings 2015 Robert Rich: Live at The Gatherings 2015

The local independent record label industry8 is set to release the double CD Robert Rich Live at The Gatherings 2015. All music on this album was realized live in concert by Robert Rich on 11 April 2015 as part of The Gatherings Concert Series at St. Mary's Hamilton Village in Philadelphia, PA.

This double CD is limited to 300 copies, and features the complete concert length, its sequence and encore (without any performance edits or overdubs), and has been split at an appropriate point so as to fit its content onto two discs.

Robert Rich: Live at The Gatherings 2015 is being released to coincide with his 4 June 2017 Sleep Concert for The Gatherings Concert Series in Philadelphia.

For more about the Robert Rich: Live at The Gatherings 2015 CD, please access: www.projekt.com

40th Anniversary Robert Rich Sleep Concert - Broadcast Live on WXPN/STAR'S END

To mark the 40th anniversary of the STAR'S END radio program on public radio station WXPN in Philadelphia, the Robert Rich Sleep Concert of Sunday 4 June 2017 will be broadcast in its entirety live throughout a special expanded edition of STAR'S END from Midnight to 8:00AM. Please tune in to STAR'S END for details.

For more on STAR'S END, please access: www.starsend.org

For more on WXPN, please access: www.xpn.org

The Rotunda The Gatherings Concert Series presents the Robert Rich Sleep Concert on Sunday 4 June 2017 from Midnight to 8:00AM (doors open from 10:30PM-11:30PM Saturday 3 June 2017) in the sanctuary of The Rotunda 4014 Walnut Street (front entrance - near the corner of 40th & Walnut) on the Penn campus in West Philadelphia. Admission: $40 cash at the door, night of show. Space is limited to 100 quietly prone attendees with proper sleeping apparatus.

Sincere Thanks to Mike Courter, IsoTank, Barb & Don Knabb, Projekt, Robert Rich, The Rotunda, WXPN and to all supporters of The Gatherings Concert Series.

Additional Material:

CIMA of PA CIMA of PA - The Corporation for Innovative Music and Arts of Pennsylvania

The Robert Rich Sleep Concert at The Gatherings Concert Series on 4 June 2017 is funded by CIMA of PA (The Corporation for Innovative Music and Arts of Pennsylvania), the all-volunteer, non-profit organization responsible for organizing and producing The Gatherings Concert Series. The basic mission of CIMA of PA is to bring innovative music concerts to the public and further the advancement of this form of art.

Continuing to further the cultivation of innovative music by exciting the efforts of musicians, gradually to unfold, enlighten, and invigorate the talents of our community, in 2017 The Gatherings Concert Series marks the 25th anniversary of its first event.

For more about CIMA of PA, please access the Mission Statement

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For more about Robert Rich, please access the: For more about The Rotunda, please access the:

The Gatherings Concert Series is presented by the all-volunteer staff of The Corporation for Innovative Music and Arts of Pennsylvania

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