GTLork at the Goat Farm thanks to JT and the Varsity

A great event in a great space and I almost didn't go. As we approached, ambient music wafted from Goodson Yard. From the door we could see the long line of laptopers beneath giant screens.<br /><br />It was free, it was odd, it was at the Goat Farm, a <a href="http://www.gtcmt.gatech.edu/node/4434">performance of student works by the Georgia Tech Laptop Orchestra (GTLork) & New Music Ensemble</a>.<br /><br />On Thursday I was eating at the Varsity next to a man and his teenage sons. Turns out it's<a href="http://www.jtgphoto.com/"> music photographer Jim 'JT' Gilbert</a> from upper New York state visiting Georgia Tech where his 18 year old has been accepted. They'd been told to eat the at the "V" while they were in Atlanta - good choice.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8udbAgZKMCFyAwXaweyR7PTymGvWxfWrXCOnjPGtrUwrUVGLhQ1WRoxKCdCK8kv0NVNRlHHIx-3kGfgx118piicCHRZu7BxsLnvFQNmNWCKROrwGcgmeQbBjwNQM-MiwLHxIRpXaRnkm/s1600/IMG_4134++2014-04-17+GTlork++GaTECH+Laptop+Ensemble+&+New+Music+Ensemble+at+the+Goat+Farm+Arts+Center+Georgia+Tech+Music.jpg"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho8udbAgZKMCFyAwXaweyR7PTymGvWxfWrXCOnjPGtrUwrUVGLhQ1WRoxKCdCK8kv0NVNRlHHIx-3kGfgx118piicCHRZu7BxsLnvFQNmNWCKROrwGcgmeQbBjwNQM-MiwLHxIRpXaRnkm/s1600/IMG_4134++2014-04-17+GTlork++GaTECH+Laptop+Ensemble+&+New+Music+Ensemble+at+the+Goat+Farm+Arts+Center+Georgia+Tech+Music.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />Y'all know me: We chatted it up and bonded over french fries. They'd spent a long day at Tech and were heading back to the hotel before driving home to New York on Friday.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/terrykearns/13918095955" title="IMG_4140 2014-04-17 GTlork | GaTECH Laptop Ensemble & New Music Ensemble at the Goat Farm Arts Center Georgia Tech Music by Terry Kearns, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4140 2014-04-17 GTlork | GaTECH Laptop Ensemble & New Music Ensemble at the Goat Farm Arts Center Georgia Tech Music" height="500" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2924/13918095955_78c8ea172f.jpg" width="375" /></a> <br />So I asked if they wanted to go to the Goat Farm to hear the Georgia Tech Laptop Orchestra. They said yeah and we headed out.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/terrykearns/13894988586" title="IMG_4138 2014-04-17 GTlork | GaTECH Laptop Ensemble & New Music Ensemble at the Goat Farm Arts Center Georgia Tech Music by Terry Kearns, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4138 2014-04-17 GTlork | GaTECH Laptop Ensemble & New Music Ensemble at the Goat Farm Arts Center Georgia Tech Music" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/13894988586_6261e5949f_z.jpg" width="640" /></a> <br />My wife said, "They actually went with YOU?<b> Didn't they know how strange you are?</b>"<br /><br />They didn't exactly go with me, they followed in their car. What were they thinking as we turned into the dark Goat Farm drive and parked in the grass?<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/terrykearns/13894985442" title="IMG_4143 2014-04-17 GTlork | GaTECH Laptop Ensemble & New Music Ensemble at the Goat Farm Arts Center Georgia Tech Music by Terry Kearns, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4143 2014-04-17 GTlork | GaTECH Laptop Ensemble & New Music Ensemble at the Goat Farm Arts Center Georgia Tech Music" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7109/13894985442_fbc412ba12_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />It was odd and wonderful, thirty+ musicians and a few hundred fans in Goodson Yard.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/terrykearns/13894985421" title="IMG_4141 2014-04-17 GTlork | GaTECH Laptop Ensemble & New Music Ensemble at the Goat Farm Arts Center Georgia Tech Music by Terry Kearns, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4141 2014-04-17 GTlork | GaTECH Laptop Ensemble & New Music Ensemble at the Goat Farm Arts Center Georgia Tech Music" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7229/13894985421_0f90f82d50_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />It was dark, there were three giant screens, there were a few traditional instruments. I had no idea what would happen next.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/terrykearns/13894986081" title="IMG_4142 2014-04-17 GTlork | GaTECH Laptop Ensemble & New Music Ensemble at the Goat Farm Arts Center Georgia Tech Music by Terry Kearns, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4142 2014-04-17 GTlork | GaTECH Laptop Ensemble & New Music Ensemble at the Goat Farm Arts Center Georgia Tech Music" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7231/13894986081_e3cda47130_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />A score.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/terrykearns/13894993726" title="IMG_4147  2014-04-17 GTlork | GaTECH Laptop Ensemble & New Music Ensemble at the Goat Farm Arts Center Georgia Tech Music by Terry Kearns, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4147  2014-04-17 GTlork | GaTECH Laptop Ensemble & New Music Ensemble at the Goat Farm Arts Center Georgia Tech Music" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7050/13894993726_82c5bc2ce6_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />Title: “Fusiform” Members: Chris Howe, Raja Raman, Ziwen Fan, Xinquan Zhou Description: <b>A performance controlled by facial expressions</b>, wherein laptop performers affect the acoustic musicians signal with various effects via web cam control. <br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/terrykearns/13894986292" title="IMG_4144  2014-04-17 GTlork | GaTECH Laptop Ensemble & New Music Ensemble at the Goat Farm Arts Center Georgia Tech Music by Terry Kearns, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4144  2014-04-17 GTlork | GaTECH Laptop Ensemble & New Music Ensemble at the Goat Farm Arts Center Georgia Tech Music" height="480" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3674/13894986292_1e75103978_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />This trio played over ambient music and it was wonderful.<br />Title: “Impossible Mission” Members: JUAN MARTINEZ-NIETO, Shuo Liu, IMANKALYAN MUKHERJEE, Cian O’Brien Description: A piece written for Trumpet, Tenor Saxophone, Euphonium, 3 laptop musicians and 3 puzzle solvers. The music tells a story of solving a jig-saw puzzle that eventually unfolds the score for the musicians to play.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/terrykearns/13894989672" title="IMG_4149 2014-04-17 GTlork | GaTECH Laptop Ensemble & New Music Ensemble at the Goat Farm Arts Center Georgia Tech Music by Terry Kearns, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_4149 2014-04-17 GTlork | GaTECH Laptop Ensemble & New Music Ensemble at the Goat Farm Arts Center Georgia Tech Music" height="480" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7152/13894989672_5ea3500af3_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />Weird and wonderful and I almost didn't go. Thanks to JT and sons.<br /><br />I don't know if the <a href="http://www.gtcmt.gatech.edu/news/events">Georgia Tech Center for Music Technology has a mailing list, so we'll need to check their event calendar</a>.

GTLork at the Goat Farm thanks to JT and the Varsity

A great event in a great space and I almost didn't go. As we approached, ambient music wafted from Goodson Yard. From the door we could ...

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