Chain of Events [2010], for percussion ensemble, actor, and interactive visuals, was performed in Naperville by the students of the Drumshow. John Pobojewski /3st created the music and visuals for this intermedia work, in close collaboration with Drumshow conductor Ben Wahlund.

The piece in is 3 movements that explore a sequence of events taking place after an unexplained dramatic moment:

1. MINUTE LATER
2. DAYS LATER
3. MONTHS LATER

1. MINUTE LATER [2:58] The setting for the first movement is 60 seconds after this dramatic moment occurs — the lead is in a panic reacting to the swirling thoughts and emotions in his head. The ensemble (4 players) is his physiological response: getting more and more frantic as the movement goes on. Psychosomatic visuals by former 3st apprentice Jason Mcaloon punctuate the mood and place the audience into a cold sweat.

2. DAYS LATER [3:30] The second movement takes place two days later, with a group of friends (played by the ensemble) gossiping online on instant messaging about the trainwreck that the lead has caused. Their conversation is displayed overhead in realtime, tightly synced to the score.

3. MONTHS LATER [4:20] The closing third movement occurs much later, as the lead reflects in his journal. The ensemble accompanies here on marimba and vibes, as our protagonist’s thoughts appear scribbled on screen in front of blurry memories coming in and out of focus.

JP/3ST:

After any event… any tragedy, any victory, any birth, any death… we live through a chain of perceptions that embed that event into our memory. Over time, our view of any situation ultimately changes. No one can predict how we will perceive our own history: while some may speculate, the end view is always a mystery.