2 pieces

halves of a story

halves of a story is a fixed-media composition for a speaking choir and a soloist. the piece engages with questions related to the constitution, agencies, and possibilities of voice in the 21st century, with a particular focus on the political aspects of vocality. the piece aims to allow for a conversation about the relationships between voices, activism, and protests to emerge and invites the listener to join in as an active interlocutor. this project was conceived in collaboration with the rapper sammus, who is featured in the piece and wrote original verses for it. all materials for this project were gathered at the height of the covid-19 pandemic and were recorded over zoom. the quality of audio coming out of zoom was not treated as means to comment on the tragic time in which this project was created, and in order to maintain the sonic characteristics of human communications in 2020.

composition by lee gilboa || verses by sammus || mix by daniel neumman

through the halls

through the halls was never intended to become a piece. it is the result of a dialogue between new york-based vocalist chanan ben simone and myself that was meant to be an exploration of different acoustic and electronic techniques for vocal manipulation. while talking, we started sending each other bits and pieces of ideas. when i heard chananís recitation of the text, I could not help but set it up in its own sonic world. through sampling various vocal gestures, including but not limited to long tones, speech, clenching teeth, and whispers, as well as through their electronic manipulation, through the halls became an electronic love letter. the piece invites the listener to wander through the halls of the grieving mind with us, in search of a loved one that may or not be found.

composition by lee gilboa || mix by lee gilboa || recitation and vocalizations by chanan ben simone

lee gilboa, 2023