Solo and duo works for violin, singing saw, voice, radio and electronics. First set, uncluttered and singular; second set, individual vocabularies organized into complementary combinations and open instant compositions. Johnsen in his Chicago debut.

C. Spencer Yeh (b.1975, Taipei, Taiwan) moved to the U.S. in 1980, and now lives in Cincinnati. He is active both as a solo and ensemble artist, as well as with his primary organized sound project, Burning Star Core. As an improviser, Yeh has focused on developing a personal vocabulary using violin, voice and electronics. Collaborative partners include Tony Conrad, Evan Parker, Thurston Moore, Vito Acconci, Paul Flaherty and Chris Corsano, John Wiese, Lee Ranaldo, Rafael Toral, Aaron Dilloway, John Olson, LaDonna Smith and many others. He has performed in festivals across the U.S. and Europe, and appeared in the Lampo series in January 2007, when he presented two new works: Two Mouths Breath as One and Amplified Violin at the Renaissance Society.

Michael Johnsen (b.1968, Pittsburgh, Penn.) lives and works in Pittsburgh. A tinkerer’s curiosity with commercial electronics led eventually to the design and construction of his own integrated system of devices specifically for live performance whose idiosyncratic behaviors are revealed through their complex interactions. The extensive patching of large numbers of devices produces simple sounds, sudden transients and charming failure modes; embracing the dirt in pure electronics. As an antidote to all that wire, he is equally devoted to the singing saw, a simple folk instrument. Recent/important partners include Margaret Cox, Jack Wright, Pascal Battus, Thomas Lehn, Michel Doneda, Michael Zerang, Joe McPhee, Bhob Rainey, Tom Djll and Greg Pierce.