Pauline Oliveros Makes New Music for Minnesotans

In 1980, the Walker Art Center presented New Music America, a nine-day festival of sonic possibilities staged throughout the Twin Cities. Nigel Redden, then Director of Performing Arts at the Walker, outlined that “new music” defies any precise definition. Computers and violins, tape recorders and bicycles, guitars and synthesizers all played a role in the music heard as part of the project. The only common denominator among the work was a sensibility that the composers shared toward experimenting with new techniques, new instruments, and new ideas.

Nearly 100 artists were gathered in the Twin Cities for the project; they included Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, Brian Eno, Philip Glass, Liz Phillips, and Pauline Oliveros. 

Founding member of the San Francisco Tape Music Center in the 1960s, Oliveros was a central figure in the development of post-war experimental and electronic music. Her books, music theories, and new ways to focus attention on music led to her concepts of “deep listening”and “sonic awareness.”

For New Music America, Oliveros created Cheap Commissions. Standing at a podium in Downtown Minneapolis’s outdoor Nicollet Mall, Oliveros produced original works for anyone who approached her.

Marking the 45-year anniversary of this project, we present a selection of video recordings made during the project. 

Interested in learning more? Learn more about ways to explore the Walker’s Library and Archives here.