In the heart of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the Beethoven and Banjos Festival continues its tradition of creative exploration with the 2024 theme, The Space Between. This year’s event offers an immersive experience that blurs the lines between film, live music, visual art, and audience interaction, aiming to create what the artists describe as an "altar for the unnamable."
Evan Premo, a composer and improviser rooted in this collaborative project, describes the concept as a journey into the mysterious and often indescribable spaces of artistic inspiration. “We wanted to explore the creative process, what it means to create as an artist, and where inspiration comes from,” Evan shared. “There are really no words for that place of inspiration. It’s kind of a space between—a space between many things, one of which is the space between words that allow us to name the inspiration that we’re finding. It’s an unnamable inspiration.”
Evan's role in this festival goes beyond traditional composition. His contributions include an improvised soundtrack created during the filming of a 30-minute piece in Vermont last fall. This soundtrack, layered with double bass loops and spontaneous creations, forms the foundation upon which further improvisations are built, allowing the performance to evolve organically with the energy of the moment.
The film, created by Andreas John, reflects a similarly unstructured yet profoundly intentional process. “When we created this film, it was very much an in-the-moment, almost dance-like experience,” Andreas explained. “We didn’t use a storyboard or a shot list. Instead, we let the environment and the moment guide us.” The result is a visual piece that seems to transcend its creators, something Andreas and the team realized when they rewatched it during their residency. “It feels like there’s something beyond all of us that came through,” he added.
This seamless blending of film and live music serves as a core element of The Space Between, but the collaboration extends further into the realms of visual art and sound healing, brought into the mix by Jan Sandman. Jan’s role as a painter and sound healer is not separate from the music or film but is intertwined, creating a unified vibrational experience. “The painting, the filming, the music, the improvisation were all happening together,” Jan said, emphasizing the holistic nature of the project. “It’s all vibrational... the interconnectedness is creating a vibration that then is carrying and directing the whole experience.”
For Jan, the collaboration represents a profound connection, not only between the artists but with the audience as well. “There was no sense of being watched or separated,” she reflected. “We’re all together in this, and the trust that was necessary for this to happen was key.”
Laurel Premo, who joined the collaboration later, brings her own unique perspective as a musician who frequently navigates the boundaries between traditional and contemporary styles. For her, this project feels like a natural continuation of her recent work, which has increasingly embraced improvisation and a lack of rigid planning. "It feels like my life has been leading me in a lot of good practices that have helped make me capable of adding to this collaboration this week," she said.
Kurt spoke by phone with all four collaborative participants:
This year's Beethoven and Banjos Festival is an invitation to explore the uncharted territories of creativity, step into the space between, and experience the magic that happens when artists and audiences come together to embrace the unknown.
Beethoven and Banjos' 2024 season:
Marquette
August 23 @ 7:00 pm ET
Forest Roberts Theatre, NMU Campus, 1401 Presque Isle Ave, Marquette, MI 49855
Hancock
August 24, 7:00 pm ET
Finnish American Heritage Center, 435 Quincy St., Hancock, MI 49930
Crystal Falls
August 25, 2:00 PM CT
The Crystal Theatre, 304 Superior Ave, Crystal Falls, MI 49920
All concerts are "come as you are, pay what you can," with no ticket sales.
Find more information at beethovenandbanjos.com.
