AC Diamond :: For the April 8, 2024 solar eclipse, I stationed myself at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge in upstate New York, just at the edge of the Path of Totality—where the Moon crosses the Sun and darkness settles over the Earth for a few brief minutes. Having observed coyotes howling at the moon at the moment of Totality during the 2017 eclipse in Eastern Oregon, I knew to expect heightened wildlife activity—and was hoping for coyotes—so I planned to record this rare event.

I made two parallel recordings: one traditional field recording documenting shifts in animal activity across the ambient soundscape, and one experimental recording using a custom four-oscillator square-wave synthesizer I built, which harnesses light to control pitch. The resulting piece is a multichannel, time-aligned mix of both recordings, tracing the ecological, social, and auditory effects of Totality. Situated along a major migratory flyway, Montezuma’s vast wetland landscape amplifies these changes: the recording captures responses from crickets, spring peepers, marsh birds, raptors, warblers, bald eagles, and—although I didn’t hear any coyotes—my own domestic dog.

During the previous eclipse, I learned through social media that the Diné and many Indigenous communities observe eclipses as sacred events that should not be viewed directly. In response, I chose to focus on listening with presence rather than creating a visual spectacle. This iteration honors the natural timeline of the event, preserving its sonic unfolding while introducing a hyperreal layer that remains grounded in attentive, embodied listening.
This New Ear performance for octophonic cube is a world premiere.

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In his live performances trbgt works with real-time audio synthesis utilizing digital/analog physical modelling techniques and feedback networks to explore aspects of texture and structure of sound as well as its presence within space through spatial sound. He is experimenting with perception and ideas of natural / artificial sounds, fluid and ambiguous environments and follows an interested in the possibilities and surprises that emerge when working with systems and situations that involve chance and unpredictability.