Jessi Harvey: STRIDULATION
“Nature is a source of endless variety and music can reconfigure any aspect from the quantum to the universal.”
2022 Artist-in-Residence at Emlen Evolutionary Biology Lab
Jessi displaying the sound booth for the beetles.
How was your experience as an Open AIR Artist-in-Residence?
My time during Open AIR was amazing. I was in my birthplace and forever home, Montana while doing what I love with music which has been a goal of mine for the past few years. One valuable aspect was the time to explore and develop my compositional skills in ways I hadn’t before; with Ableton, a flute and piano duet aimed at a particular level of player, and the start to future larger work. Another highlight was the ability to get a deeper connection to research which forms the backbone of my music. Being at the Emlen Evolutionary Biology Lab, talking and learning from the team there, was invaluable.
The rhino beetles’ recording studio
What was your research process during this time?
I started with the basics. I watched the rhino beetles and how the experiments into their songs and dances were being led. Doug sent me an entire folder about insect stridulation and its purposes in mating which I read through to gain a deeper understanding of the scientific processes behind the sounds. Sophie, who is the lead in the experiments, gave me access to about 50 hours of sound files from 2021’s experiments. From the files, I found sections of charismatic sounds, isolated them, made them into usable clips for the techno piece, and transcribed the rhythms and pitches for use in my other works.
Throughout the research process, I shared my synthesis of information with the lab team and my cohort, Julynn. and played clips of the music I was creating to get their responses and ideas.
A rhino beetle relaxing The Denver Botanic Gardens
What are you up to now (post Open AIR)?
Right after Open AIR, I headed to Colorado for the in-person visit for the Landline Residency with the Denver Botanic Gardens. This was followed by trips to Portland, Maine, Seattle, and back to Missoula. I am now settling down in Saint Paul for the winter to finish the composition of my string quartet, Shades of Colorado, to complete the Landline Residency with its premiere in June of 2023.
How would you describe your work?
I write nature-based music with a good sense of humor that is built from research into each piece’s subject. It combines my love of the western classical tradition with contemporary techniques and a willingness to create whatever sound and technique is needed to bring my subject to life. My aim is to invite people into the music so no matter the background of the listener, curiosity arises.
Lemur Meets Panda Score - composed by Jessi Harvey
What keeps you returning to this subject, body of work?
Nature is a source of endless variety and music can reconfigure any aspect from the quantum to the universal. There is always more to learn and discover and different ways you can approach the information, through data, through emotion, through story, and combinations of. Water is one of the subjects I return to. Pieces have been written about different types of tides, the pattern of waves, and how ice forms. With the rhino beetles, I looked at how the songs they created were combined sonically, the actions behind the movement, and the mating process in its entirety.
Nightwaves score - created by Jessi Harvey
Any new projects in the works?
I’m working on a few long-term projects. One is based on Primo Levi’s The Periodic Table which will be premiered at Bryn Mawr College in April of 2024. Another is a collaboration with lyricist, Kendra Preston Leonard, and visual artist and alternative photographer, Rachel Alana Watson, to create a multidisciplinary experience based on extinction and humanity’s relationship to it.
To learn more about Jessi, visit her website jessiharveymusic.com
Check out Jessi’s SoundCloud too! soundcloud.com/jessiharvey_composer
