Organizer: International public organisation "Association New Music" (the Ukrainian section of the ISCM), president Karmella Tsepkolenko

Financial support: International Renaissance Foundation (under "Cultural Links" program)

Participating Foundations:

Open Society Institute Armenia

Open Society Institute Azerbaijan

Fundacja im. Stefana Batorego - Poland

Open Society Institute Kyrghyzstan

Open Society Institute Macedonia

There is no need to deny the fact that improvisation is the highest level of art and it is still significant kind of art regardless its style. Its importance is mostly determined by its role in the development of artist's creative potential and self-realization. The main difference of improvisation is that success is directly dependent on the audience response and mood, performing conditions, and finally - performer's ability to feel and to display current situation in sounds, gestures and movements here and now.But improvisation is still ejected by the mass culture, because it never supports stereotypes and cliches, which are definitely based on them.

Improvisation is misunderstood by non-professional artists, and thus looses its real meaning. A lot of people try to improvise and sometimes they forget that good improvisation requires better skills, than traditional art. It requires additional education, exchange of experience, self-evaluation and feedback. Now it is necessary not just support improvisational art itself, but promote educational and exchange activities.

The efforts to change situation and solve the problem were done during previous events (1999 and 2001), when it becomes clear that performing and training techniques are developed insufficiently and special attention should be paid to the educational aspect and to the promotion of the experience exchange between artists.

Given project is aimed at the development of professional improvisation, stimulation of special education and exchange of experience at national and international levels.

Improvisational Roundabout is the combination of performances, workshops, experimental games in theatre, musical, and plastic forms of improvisation. Artists from different Central and East European countries are involved in.

The program of Improvisational Roundabout contemplates the creation of open art environment for participants and audience and consists of three sub-parts:

1. Author's performances - introduction into the features of this direction and performance of actor's improvisational skills to audience.

2. "Creative workshop of fantasy" - the author presents his work and shares experience of the improvisational technique.

3. Sessions, games - sporadic joint improvisation of participants and spectators according to the proposed idea.

A series of author's performances-games, creative workshops of fantasy, concerts - performances, game session were included in the Program. It is noteworthy that concerts took place in different sites: Great Hall of Odessa Philharmonic Society, Gold Hall of Odessa Literary Museum. Most of actions were in Odessa Actor's Club, where specific art atmosphere was created and where audience and actors were single organism. The fact that Improvisational Roundabout was realised in different places is extremely important, because a number of audience was enlarged. Besides, guests from different countries were impressed by Odessa as a true cultural centre in Ukraine, where are various special sites for successful realisation of cultural actions. There were no entry tickets and all events of Improvisational Roundabout as well as the Booklet-programme were free of charge for all interested in persons.

Extraordinary creative atmosphere for communication and exchange of opinions and experience were created. Audience, musicians, actors and performers were joined by single creative idea. They communicated and formed definite open art environment promoting the maintenance of the creative atmosphere as well as performer self-expression, it provoked strong emotional feelings of the audience. Undoubtedly, interest in the genre of improvisation is growing.

Participants from all countries demonstrated the highest professional level of their artistic skills and shared the experience. Thus in performance of Taalai Beisheev (Kyrghyzstan) were involved participants from other countries: Eldar Kafarov (Azerbaijan) and Yuri Vanik (Ukraine).

Among participants were actors, who came in Odessa for the first time as well as our good friends, for example, musicians of Bakustic Jazz Group (Baku, Azerbaijan) - Salman Gambarov, Eldar Kafarov, Fahraddin Dadashev. Producer and film critic Ayaz Salaev joined to the group of Azerbaijan musicians and as a result extremely interesting Game-programme were presented by them. It was novel form of performance - a combination of cinema without words "Latif" (created in 1930) and "life sound". Cinema was accompanied by live music of Bakustic Jazz Group. Introduction to this GAME was made by Ayaz Salaev. It should be noted that it was not simple work so called "ballroom pianist". This was true work of art created here and now with inclusion of improvisational technique. Additionally, cinema "Letuchaya mysh" ("Bat") by A.Salaev was demonstrated besides main Programme of the event. It was an example of application of some improvisational elements and its technique in cinema production. Besides, audience had opportunity to compare cinema art of past century with new art. It was true roundabout improvisation art.

Last Minute Duo from Poland - Tomash Duda (Warsaw) - saxophonist, Marek Choloniewski (Krakow) - producer and composer - provoked significant interest in auditory and especially workshop given by Choloniewski, who presented interactive instruments and informed about his creative activity as well as about development of this trend in music composition in Poland. Audience received advanced knowledge as to the creation of music with the help of PC and electronic equipment, which give new opportunity for creative improvisation. Marek Choloniewsky demonstrated his work "Global mix", that was created jointly with 124 composers from different countries.

Special attention was paid to the training aspect. Young musicians, composers as well as pupils and students were united together in the Fantasy workshops. Thus, students from Odessa Special Music Stolyarski School and Odessa State A.V.Nezhdanova Conservatory participated actively in workshop by composer from Macedonia Sonni Petrovski. He informed about repertoire of Contemporary Music Ensemble Alea (Vladimir Kostov - violin, Igor Mitasev - double bass, Marija Vrskova - piano, Alexander Stefanovski - flute), about role of improvisation element in composition techniques as well as use of folklore motives in contemporary music by Macedonian composers. Such meetings, surely, promote the experience exchange between representatives of young generation of creative professions.

It should be noted that monodrama "iOzart" performed by THEATRE iO (director Mikayel Vatinyan - Yerevan, Armenia) and actor Sergey Danielyan was accepted by audience especially warm. Armenian Mediaeval Music presented by singer Arthur Manukyan from Yerevan has opened for Ukrainian audience the level of unknown vocal culture. At the same time, participation of these actors in the Game Session proved that creative activity range is not limited by the single genre and artists improvised, they felt and reflected that situation in voices, movements and gestures. To all persons interested in manifestation of their skills were given chance to show it during total Game Session. Thus, few students of Odessa Conservatoire and flutist from St. Petersburg were actively involved in final Improvisational Game. The performance was an example of contemporary improvisation given by professional artists. It has proved once more that such artistic action has positive influence on audience and give strong impulse for the development of creative potential of all persons, who participate in such kind of event.

Journalists, representatives of newspapers, broadcasting radio companies and TV channels realized mass-media coverage of Improvisational Roundabout. Radio Company "Iryna" prepared a series of programs with interviews by producer and film critic - Ayaz Salaev (Azerbaijan), composer and producer - Marek Choloniewski (Poland), actor - Sergey Danielyan (Armenia).

All persons, involved in the realization of the Improvisational Roundabout evaluated this action as a great international event being extremely important for their professional career and promotion of experience exchange, they have expressed intention to participate in continuation of given project and to make such art action as tradition. Good chances for fruitful cooperation and creative relationships have been appeared.

 

•	programme:

 

TUESDAY, 25 June 19.00 GAME 1 | East-West. Piano Improvisations Salman Gambarov piano, percussion (Azerbaijan) Yuri Kuznetsov piano, percussion (Ukraine)   WEDNESDAY, 26 June 16.00 GAME 2 | Improvisations Taalai Beisheev piano (Kyrghyzstan) In the programme compositions: Impromptu, Ballade, Jayloo 17.00 GAME 3 | Evening Performance Alea Contemporary Music Ensemble (Macedonia) Programme: Jana Andreevska Etude for piano Goge Kolarovski Prelude for violin and piano Tome Mancev "DD…" for flute Frederick Oesterling Dua Sensua for violin and flute Soni Petrovski Bric-a-brac for violin Svitlana Azarova "…are not the alternative for you?" for flute, piano, violin, double bass Performed by: Alexandar Stefanovski flute, Marija Vrskova piano, Vladimir Kostov violin, Igor Mitasev double bass 18.00 GAME 4 | Arthur Manukyan vocal (Armenia) Armenian Mediaeval Sacred Music   THURSDAY, 27 June 16.00 FANTASY WORKSHOP 1 | Salman Gambarov (Azerbaijan) 17.00 GAME 5 | Chamber Concert Ensemble of the contemporary music The Harmonies of the World (Ukraine) Programme: Anton Bruckner String quartet Franz Schubert Trio for 2 violins and cello Mikhail Bronner Garden of dreams for accordion and cello Hanna Havrylets Reminiscences for quintet Eric Satie Jack in box, ballet music for string quartet Àstor Piazzolla Big Tango for viola and accordion Àrvo Part Psalm for string quartet Alberto Hinastera First quartet (Ukrainian premiere) Performed by: Gennadiy Komarov accordion, Natalia Lytvynova violin, Leonid Piskun violin, Iya Komarova viola, Serhiy Scholz cello, art director 19.00 GAME 6 | Interactive Performance Marek Choloniewski (Krakow, Poland) Programme: Lighting | Odessa Tunnel | Dark & Light Zone | Last Minute Grooves | WYSYG (What You See You Get) | Still | Going Performed by: Last Minute Duo (Krakow, Poland): Tomasz Duda saxophone, Marek Choloniewski interactive instruments

FRIDAY, 28 June 15.30 FANTASY WORKSHOP 2 Soni Petrovski Compositional techiques and the element of improvisation (Macedonia) 17.00 GAME 7 | Solo Rechital Tetyana Kravchenko piano (Ukraine) Programme: Louis-Claude Daquin Le Coucou Joseph Haydn Sonate C-Dur Frederick Chopin Fantasy op.49 Jean Roger-Ducasse Four etudes (No. 1, 4) Gabriel Faure Theme with variations op.73 Olivier Messiaen La colombe, Un reflet dans le vent from the cycle of Prelude îp.8 Isaak Albeniz Triana Julia Gomelskaya Seven Touches (No.6) Karmella Tsepkolenko Out of the Blues 19.00 GAME 8 | Theatre Performance Theatre of iO (Armenia) Mono Performance "iOzart" Performed by: Sergey Danielyan actor, Arthur Manukyan light and sound operator, Mikayel Vatinyan director   SATURDAY, 29 June 17.00 FANTASY WORKSHOP 3 | Marek Choloniewski (Poland) 18.00 GAME 9 | Trio AUS-3 (Armenia) 19.00 GAME 10 | Video Performance Cinema and BakuStic Jazz Group (Azerbaijan) Cinema without words "Latif" Azgoskino 1930, screen-player and producer Mikail Mikailov Introduction - Ayaz Salaev, producer, film critic Accompanied by live music of BakuStic Jazz Group: Salman Gamborov piano, Eldar Kafarov nagara, Fahraddin Dadashev kemancha 20.00 GAME SESSION   SUNDAY, 30 June Departure of participants

• Open Society Institute - Armenia (Yerevan):

Theatre of iO

Sergey Danielyan, actor

Arthur Manukyan, singer, light and sound operator

Mikayel Vatinyan, director

Trio AUS-3

• Open Society Institute - Azerbaijan (Baku):

Salman Gamborov, piano

Eldar Kafarov, nagara

Fahraddin Dadashev, kemantcha

Ayaz Salaev, producer, Head of the State Cinema Archiv, film critic

• Fundacja im. Stefana Batorego - Poland (Krakow):

Tomasz Duda, saxophone

Marek Choloniewski, interactive instruments, producer

• Open Society Institute - Kyrghyzstan (Bishkek):

Taalai Baisheev, piano, leader of "Aura" jazz band

• Open Society Institute - Macedonia (Skopje):

Alea Contemporary Music Ensemble:

Vladimir Kostov, violin

Igor Mitasev, double bass

Marija Vrskova, piano

Alexandàr Stefanovski, flute

Soni Petrovski, composer, director

• Participants from Ukraine:

Yuri Kuznetsov, piano

Tetyana Kravchenko, piano

Ensemble The Harmonies of the World:

Gennadiy Komarov, accordion

Natalia Lytvynova, violin

Leonid Piskun, violin

Iya Komarova, viola

Serhiy Scholz, cello, art director