Call to Order

Kathleen Ritter, Call to Order, 2012, with James B. Maxwell
graphical scores, performance, audio recording from improvised performance
performed by Peggy Lee (violoncelle), Jon Bentley (clarinet), et Chris Gestrin (piano)

Call to Order transforms a prosaic form of administration into material for creative production. Musical scores are created from the meeting minutes of each organization by mapping Robert’s Rules of Order onto the implied rules of Piston’s Harmony and using both texts as comparative guides. The graphical scores are then given to musicians to interpret and perform. Call to Ordercharts an organization’s tendency to work against established models in order to produce something unique, unpredictable, and in constant movement, much like the minor mode in music.