beth fleenor

Bio:

*all audio is from 2005....will update someday soon...

CALENDAR: http://www.thefrankagency.org/bfcalendar.htm

I am a maker of "thingys" - sometimes these "thingys" take the form of various sounds or sentiments. Sometimes these "thingys" are visually oriented. Sometimes the "thingys" are conceptual projects or performance pieces. Sometimes the "thingys" are completed by myself and sometimes the "thingys" can only be complete through working with someone else. and sometimes the "thingys" manifest as organized patterns of intention that I generate in support of other artists' desires for their "thingys."

Translation: music + exploration + philosophy + vision + the frank agency + advocates for abundance through action in the arts = Beth Fleenor (see below for the version with some specifics and some names you might recognize)

"Beth 
Fleenor 
transcends 
labels
‐
a
 multi-talented, 
creative 
force 
in
 Seattle."
 ‐
City 
Arts
 Magazine


"An 
adventurous
 clarinetist"

 ‐
The 
Stranger


"Fleenor
 performs 
with 
emotional 
immediacy
 and
 good
 humor. 
Her
 tone 
is 
vibrant
 and 
full



























 

bodied, 
and
 her
 ideas 
fertile."


 ‐
All
 About
 Jazz

Since
 arriving 
 in
 Seattle
 in
 1998, 
 clarinetist
 /
 vocal
 percussionist
 /
 composer
 Beth
 Fleenor
 has
 carved
 a 
 place
 for
 herself
 as
 an
 energetic
 multi‐instrumentalist
 and
 dynamic
 generative
 artist.
 Her
 robust
 sound, 
 organic
 approach
 to
 improvisation, 
 and
 openness
 to
 experimentation
 in
 all
 forms, 
have
 fueled
 a
 list
 of
 collaborations
 ranging
 from
 performances 
 in
 nightclubs, 
 festivals,
 concert
 halls, 
prisons 
and
 schools, 
to 
guerilla 
street
 and
 performance
 pieces, 
recordings, 
theater,
 modern
 dance, 
sound
 art
 and
 art 
installations. 


Subscribing 
to
 the
 principle
 that
 "art
 is
 the 
discipline 
of
 being,"
Fleenor
 harbors
 a 
strong
 love
 for
 variety
 and
 all
 forms
 of
 sonic
 manipulation. 
 Such
 flexibility
 has
 allowed
 her
 to
 move
 freely
 through
 genres
 including, 
but
 not
 limited
 to, 
jazz, 
rock,
 classical, 
contemporary
 chamber, 
metal,
 folk, 
ambient, 
surf,
 and
 noise.


In
 2004, 
 Fleenor
 commissioned
 and
 premiered
 ten
 works
 for
 clarinet
 ‐
 compositions
 ranging
 from
 standard
 ensemble
 configurations 
 and
 notation,
 to
 works 
 that
 included
 laptop, 
 found



 instruments
 and
 electronics, 
 prepared
 instruments
 and
 conducted
 improvisations. 
 A
 recording
 of
 her
 commission
 Dubious
 Diversions, 
 for
 clarinet
 and
 piano,
 by 
 composer
 Tom
 Swafford, 
 is
 included 
as 
part
 of
 the
 audio
 guide
 at
 Seattle 
Art
 Museum. 


In
 2007,
 Fleenor
 was
 awarded
 an
 Earshot
 Golden
 Ear
 award
 for
 Performance
 of
 the
 Year, 
 as 
 a
 member
 of
 the
 Monktail
 Raymond 
Scott
 Project. 
That
 same
 year
 she 
launched
 the
 sonic
 module
 Figeater, 
a 
performance‐process
 emphasized
 ensemble 
that
 serves
 as 
the 
primary
 vehicle 
for
 her
 compositions
 and
 performance 
 instigations.
 In
 Figeater, 
 the
 audience
 and
 environment
 are
 recognized
 members 
of 
the 
configuration
 performing 
and
 each 
interaction
 is
 met
 as
 a 
collaboration. 
 Figeater
 was
 accepted
 to
 the
 2008
 Jack
 Straw
 Artist
 Support
 Program, 
 in
 support
 of
 the
 project ’s 
performative
 box‐set, 
Sweet 
Figeater
 Surprise. 


Fleenor
 is
 honored
 to
 have
 performed
 new/commissioned
 works
 by 
composers
 Robin
 Holcomb,
 Denney 
Goodhew, 
Wayne
 Horvitz, 
Butch
 Morris, 
Jim
Knapp, 
Bill
 Patton, 
Yemin
 Kim, 
Paul
 Moore,
 Timothy 
Young, 
William
 O. 
Smith, 
Eyvind
 Kang, 
Jherek 
Bischoff, 
Joshua
 Kohl,
 Gretta
 Harley, 
Tiflin,
 Jeff
 Huston, 
Tom 
Swafford,
 John
 Burrow, 
Johanna
 Kunin, 
Brad
 Hebert, 
Matthew
 Richmond, 
 Stephen
 Parris, 
Mark 
Ostrowski, 
Izaak
 Mills
 and 
Zachary 
Watkins, 
among 
others. 


Currently
 she
 can
 be
 found
 performing
 with
 Bling, 
 Figeater, 
 Owcharuk 
 5,
 Double
 Yoko, 
 Crystal Beth, Chick
 Influenza, 
and
 projects 
of
 the 
Monktail
 Creative
 Music
 Concern. 
She
 has 
also
 been
 sited
 ensuing
 mayhem
 with
 Balkan
 punk
 shaman
 clan
 Kultur
 Shock 
including
 performances
 at
 the
 Creation
 of
 Peace
 Festival
 (Russia)
 and
 Sayan
 Ring 
(Siberia). 
Fleenor
 holds
 a 
Bachelor
 of
 Music
 degree
 from
 Cornish
 College
 of
 the
 Arts. 


Member Since:

April 28, 2006

Members:

fleenor = clarinet / bass clarinet / beth boxing / vocal rampaging

FIGEATER = fleenor parameter instigations and controls + collaborators + time + environment

BLING = fleenor + Denney Goodhew, pianist

DOUBLE YOKO = fleenor + Paris Hurley, multidisciplinary artist

CRYSTAL BETH = solo project

CHICK INFLUENZA = sgt. fleenor + professor shnack + detective mulvihill + queen maeg + the librarian

additional projects:
Owcharuk 5 led by Michael Owcharuk, composer, pianist, accordionist

Sounds Like:

metal and lace