ERIC LEONARDSON at Peter White Library

by Ron Caspi for Marquette Magazine

The Peter White Library hosted visiting Chicago based performance artist, Eric Leonardson as part of the Marquette Arts & Culture Center’s “First Thursdays” concert series. Leonardson is a composer, radio artist, instrument inventor, visual artist, and teacher here to share his fascination with the art of creating and designing sounds.

Eric Leonardson a Chicago based composer and sound designer performs on his musical instrument invention. Marquette Magazine photo by Ronen Zilberman.

Leonardson performed a solo sound exploration on his self-made instrument the “springboard” a modern musical innovation made from a wooden board mounted on a metal walker.  Other implements were utilized in playing such as springs of various sizes, metal goblets, rubber mallets, and bows creating a multitude of haunting sounds as unique and other worldly as the sight of the instrument itself.

Perhaps not a concert for those wishing to be lulled by melodies and rhythms in the 4/4 time our ears are generally accustomed to. This was a performance for those wishing to push the boundaries of what defines music and to explore a means of designing sound.  Leonardson uses his musical invention to investigate not just sounds but also the effects of silence.

The performance was followed with a lecture-demonstration about the technical, historical, and musical aspects of the Springboard.  Leonardson’s performance generated lots of curiosity and questions from the audience a few of whom may very well go on to build their own Springboard innovations in the spirit of sound exploration.

by marquette_magazine