“Maceda’s music is a proposal and exemplar for a profound change in our feeling and thinking toward the society and culture in this troubled world. It gives a vision for each of us to investigate.” — Yuji Takahashi
Cassettes 100 is work by pioneering Filipino composer and ethnomusicologist José Maceda. Activated by 100 performers, it creates a shared soundscape built from recordings of indigenous instruments and environmental sounds.
Originally performed in the lobby of the cultural centre of the Phillipines in 1971, we are thrilled to present this reimgination of Maceda's work in collaboration with SITE under the guidance of artist and curator Aki Onda, with choreography devised by Lisen Ellard and technical support by Benedic Justine Velasco.
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José Maceda (1917—2004) was a Filipino composer, ethnomusicologist and university professor whose interdisciplinary works have been performed throughout the world. A number of his works have also been recorded and released via John Zorn's Tzadik label who called him "one of the the most original and underappreciated composers in contemporary music."
Maceda studied piano at the Academy of Music in Manila and later at the École Normale de Musique de Paris and during his early career introduced new works to the Philipines as a performer. He undertook further studies in the USA, studying musicology at Queens College and Columbia University before earning a PhD in ethnomusicology from the University of California. From the early 1950s Maceda devoted his time to ethnomusicological studies of the music of The Philippines and Southeast Asia and composed a number of his own works based on Asian musical practices and folkways.
Today José Maceda's archive is managed by the U.P. Center for Ethnomusicology in Quezon City.
Onda’s works are often catalyzed by and structured around memories—personal, collective, historical—such as their widely-known project, Cassette Memories (2004–ongoing), drawn from three decades of field recordings.
Crossing genres, Onda has been active internationally in art, film, music and performance. Their artistic collaborators include Michael Snow, Ken Jacobs, Paul Clipson, Raha Raissnia, Ho Tzu Nyen, Loren Connors, Alan Licht, Annea Lockwood, David Toop and Akio Suzuki.
Onda has presented their work at The Kitchen, MoMA, MoMA P.S.1, New Museum, Blank Forms, ICA Philadelphia, REDCAT, Time-Based Art Festival, Walker Art Center, Novas Frequências, documenta 14, Louvre Museum, Pompidou Center, Palais de Tokyo, Fondation Cartier, Argos, Bozar, ICA London, La Casa Encendida, Caixa Forum, Serralves Museum, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Nam June Paik Art Center and many others.
Onda has been also active as a curator and organized major performances and exhibitions throughout Asia and North America. They were Guest Director of TPAM-Performing Arts Meeting in Yokohama (current YPAM), Japan from 2016-19 and currenty work as Curator-at-Large at Western Front, Vancouver.
