DEBORAH HENSON-CONANT with Special Guests

"Inviting Invention" --A Performance Exploration Series

Tuesdays Sep 19 through Oct 24 at 7:30pm

Tickets:$8

Inviting Invention
A Performance Exploration Series

WHAT IS IT? Weekly performance exploration series with performer/composer Deborah
Henson-Conant and special guests from the fields of music, theater, dance, science,
philosophy, writing, poetry, sports, medicine, journalism ... and everything else!
The show combines performance, interview, and collaboration between host Deborah Henson-
Conant and guests. Through the creative exploration of diverse minds, the audience is invited
into the worlds of INVENTION (individual creativity) and ALCHEMY (creative minds exploring
together). Example: How is being a nuclear physicist like being a musician, and how can the
two possibly create something together — right now — in front of an audience?.

SHOW FORMAT: Each show is in 3 segments, with a brief intermission.
7:30 – 8:00 INVENTION: DHC and guest present their individual work for 15-20 min.
8:00 – 8:20 MUTUAL INTERVIEW / EXPERIMENT PROPOSITION: DHC and guest
interview each other about the ideas and structures in their work, based on the
presentations each just gave. At the end of the interview they propose a collaborative
experiment to take place immediately after intermission.
INTERMISSION
8:35 – 9:15 ALCHEMY: DHC and guest perform a spontaneous collaboration based on
the proposition. If time permits, audience will be invited for a Q & A.
FOR MORE INFO about the series or Deborah Henson-Conant: www.HipHarp.com /
www.InventionAndAlchemy.com.

Why is this Series being Developed?
INSPIRATION #1: In 2004 Deborah Henson-Conant and producer Jonathan Wyner received a grant
to produce a DVD based on Henson-Conant’s performances of her original work with symphony
orchestras. During the two-year production process, they became fascinated with the interplay
between individual creativity ("Invention") and the seemingly magical transformation of that invention
through collaborative performances ("Alchemy"). They called their recently released DVD “Invention
& Alchemy” and decided to continue exploring the concept.

INSPIRATION #2: In 2005 Henson-Conant was invited to participate in the Boston Globe’s “Ideas
Conference,” a two-day event featuring 20-minute mini-lectures by an elite group of creative minds
from diverse fields. Henson-Conant was profoundly inspired by the series and the impact of such
diverse ideas on her own work. "The Ideas Conference expanded my idea of collaborative performance
to include cross-discipline collaborators as diverse as physicists, entrepreneurs, farmers or doctors. I
began to wonder why musicians only invite other musicians as 'opening acts' or special guests. Why
not collaborate on stage with people who can present concepts to put my work into a much broader
context -- for both me and the audience. That broader context is especially important to me, because
my performances aren’t "about the music." For me the music is just one way to explore and express
what’s important to me."
The “Inviting Invention” Exploration Series is an opportunity to allow Henson-Conant and other
creative minds a chance to invent something new and imperfect in front of a live audience, yet within
the safety net of performance exploration.

WHERE DOES THIS SERIES FIT IN THE BIG PICTURE?
"We see this initial 6-week series as an experiment," says producer Jonathan Wyner. "Our long-term
plan is to develop an ongoing series, to connect with a video production company, film the shows, edit
them, podcast them and then use them as a pilot for a television series. The Sept/Oct series is the
initial experimental phase. At this point everything is open: the list of special guests, the show's
format - and even the series' name. This initial six week series is a chance for people to be a part of
experimentation at its inception!"

Deborah Henson-Conant (DHC) – Short Bio
Composer, performer, singer, songwriter, author, cartoonist, entertainer, comedian, electric harpist –
mix those together and you can just begin to describe Deborah Henson-Conant. Whether she’s tearing
up the Edinburgh Fringe festival with her one-woman show, touring the country with the Boston Pops,
opening for Ray Charles at Tanglewood, or mesmerizing a theater-full of children at the Kennedy
Center, Henson-Conant, live, on stage, is a powerful experience.
Henson-Conant rocked onto the jazz charts in the late 80’s with her albums on the GRP label. Since
then she’s established her own record label and released a dozen other albums from Latin Jazz to
Celtic, Blues, Folk-Pop and Spoken Word. She’s jammed, on-stage and off, with the likes of Steven
Tyler, Bobby McFerrin, Rufus Reid, Keith Lockhart, Doc Severinsen and Marvin Hamlisch. She’s
premiered her compositions with countless symphonies, lectured at the Paris Conservatory, and
received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and “Meet the Composer”. She’s been
featured on NBC, CBS, and CNN, and starred in the PBS Special “Celtic Harpestry”. Her recently
released DVD "Invention & Alchemy" - a one-woman show with 80-piece orchestra - has just hit the
stands. Henson-Conant has revolutionized her instrument. She’s brought vibrant passion and
individuality to its sound - and in the process she herself has been transformed. Her work is an
exploration of possibilities – a transformation that moves her audience out of the ordinary and into the
extraordinary.
For more info about DHC, visit www.HipHarp.com or contact: info@HipHarp.com / 781-483-3556

Special Guests: On Sept. 19th Performer/composer Deborah Henson-Conant &
Producer Jonathan Wyner kick-off the series with a solo performance exploration and release of the
list of upcoming special guests.

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