Relevant Tones: Bonnie Whiting

Bonnie Whiting is a percussionist, composer, and educator based in Seattle. She’s the Chair of Percussion Studies at the University of Washington and the Co-Artistic Director of the Seattle Modern Orchestra. In her work, she seeks out projects involving the speaking percussionist, non-traditional notation, improvisation, and interdisciplinary performance. 

Whiting also performs frequently with percussionist Jennifer Torrence, giving concerts of new experimental work for speaking percussionists throughout Norway and the US. 

Join me as I sit down with Bonnie at her studio at the University of Washington. We talk about pieces from her speaking percussionist repertoire, the music of John Cage, narratology in music, her project Through the Eye(s), and more!

You can listen to our conversation here.

FEATURED MUSIC:
A Flower, John Cage
51’15.657″ (excerpt), John Cage
…perishable structures that would be social events, IV., Bonnie Whiting
To the Earth, Frederic Rzewski
Sixth Artifact, James Falzone, Bonnie Whiting, Lisa Kay Miller