Captured Signals and Radio Ephemera is built on original broadcasts of jammed radio signals drawn from German radio archives. Radio jamming is a wartime technique used to block an opponent’s radio transmission by broadcasting noise, speech, or other sonic effluvia on the same frequency. These odd sounds are mixed with electronically altered string sounds that evoke the unique processes of radio jamming. This atmospheric and varied palette of sounds was edited, altered, and sculpted to create a loosely structured duet for sampler and guitar that draws largely on improvisation and extended techniques.

Long Waves and Random Pulses is a duet for violin and jammed radio signals that incorporates original recordings of jamming sounds that were used to block radio transmissions in Italy, Germany, and the Soviet Union in World War II. The violin merges and emerges, shifting from music, to noise, to pure signal while fading in and out of the sounds of intentional radio interference. The electronic backing track includes a repeated six-note figure that was drawn from original recordings of an Italian radio jamming device, a buzzing pitched pulse from a German jamming device, a quote from J. S. Bach’s Chaconne in D Minor as it could have been heard in a jammed broadcast, and many extended techniques that evoke the sounds of these otherworldly radio signals. The violin part alternates between virtuosic and textural playing, shifting between notes and noise. As for the title, Long Waves refers to the long wave radio frequencies that many of these interrupted signals were broadcast on. Random Pulses represents a method of radio jamming that uses a random pulse noise to override the program broadcast on the target radio frequency.

Book-Bark-Tree-Skin-Line- Stage 1 is a structured improvisation with collaborator/ turntablist ,electronic musician Joke Lanz . and a query into the process of creating Hirsch’s Harvestworks AIR Project and new choral work commissioned by Harvestworks with funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, which will be presented in 2017. The work is a musing on the words of the title which are investigated for their sonic/etymological/ poetic properties, where the music of language is celebrated, It is as well a demonstration of how songs and stories grow out of primal utterances and voiced gestures which are intrinsically located in the body-the recorder Hirsch will be using various electronic devices to localize and process her “voices” live. Hirsch and Lanz would like to dedicate this performance to the late great Tony Conrad who was an extremely enthusiastic audience member for the 1st NYC performance by Hirsch/Lanz which took place just a block away. They will attempt to honor his sense of freedom and boundless energy.

Harvestworks presents experimental art in collaboration with their Technology, Engineering, Art and Music (TEAM) Lab. Since 1977 they have been supporting the creation of work that explores new and evolving technologies. In line with the historical E.A.T. (Experiments in Art and Technology) they provide an environment for experimentation with technicians, instructors and innovative practitioners in the electronic arts. Former Harvestworks’ residents, who have also used remixing in their art process, include established artists, such as Christian Marclay, Luke Dubois and Pauline Oliveros.