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About Sound Currents In his book Silence, John Cage writes, "I determined to consider a piece of music only half done when I completed a manuscript. It was my responsibility to finish it by getting it played." We, a group of Seattle composers, have taken this resolution to heart and committed to creating an ongoing series of concerts dedicated to presenting music by living Northwest composers. The first Sound Currents concert took place on February 25, 2003, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church on Mercer Island; the concert was attended by over 100 people and received favorable mention in the printed press and on the radio. The composers founding Sound Currents were Ben Houge, Mike Min, Geoff Ogle, and Korby Sears, with assistance from Harry Love at the initial meetings. Composers and audiences both benefit from this series. For composers, Sound Currents provides an avenue in which to present new work, the healthy and educational experience of recruiting and rehearsing performers, and an opportunity to learn about concert production first hand. We encourage the creation of new concert works, particularly from composers active in arenas other than the traditional concert setting. In addition, we hope Sound Currents will serve as a unifying event for the Seattle new music community, which encompasses a great breadth of activity and several composer organizations, including the co-sponsors of our series, the Washington Composers Forum and the Seattle Composers Alliance. We seek to enrich our environment by providing greater access to new music. A healthy society creates and consumes its own art, enabling a situation in which artist and audience engage in an ongoing conversation. In addition to the concerts themselves, we seek out new ways to interact with our community through pre-concert discussions with the composers and presentations in local schools. We want to engage and educate people about music composed in the same neighborhoods in which they live. Sound Currents demonstrates our determination to make our music heard. We acknowledge that developing an interest in new music takes time, and that is why Sound Currents is a continuing series. It is our goal that other composers will join our efforts for future concerts, to the benefit of everyone living in the Seattle area. Ben Houge Seattle composer and Sound Currents co-founder