Kristin Norderval & Kevin Norton, KN2

KN2 is the title of an evening of improvisations with Kevin Norton on percussion and vibes and Kristin Nordeval on acoustic vocals, pre-recorded sounds of prepared pianos, and live audio processing of all of the above. For this performance they were joined by Katherine Liberovskaya working her magic with live video processing. Recorded at EIF by the Experimental Intermedia crew overseen by the maestro Phill Niblock on March 29, 2013.

Kristin Nordeval is a performer, composer and improviser whose career has been two-fold; split between vocal performance and composition. Her performance repertoire spans the renaissance to the avant-garde, and her credits as a soprano soloist include performances with the Oslo Sinfonietta, Philip Glass Ensemble, Pomerium, the Netherlands Dance Theater, and the San Francisco Symphony. She has improvised in a wide range of styles – from free improvisations with Pauline Oliveros to jazz improvisations with composer-vibraphonist Kevin Norton – and has recorded vocal works by numerous prominent American composers, among them Eve Beglarian, David Lang, Tania Leon and Annea Lockwood. Five chamber operas have been composed specifically for Norderval, including Pope Joan, a dance-opera by Anne LeBaron, recorded on New World Records, and She Lost Her Voice That’s How We Knew – a one-woman electro-acoustic opera by Frances White.

Kevin Norton has performed and recorded with a wide array of musicians — from Anthony Braxton and Joëlle Léandre to Milt Hinton and Fred Frith. His compositions are featured on a number of recordings, both with his own as well as other ensembles. Look for more on releases from Barking Hoop, a label dedicated to releasing new and original music.

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