Ambicon 2013, billed as the nation’s first annual Ambient Music Conference and Live Concert, takes place May 3–5 at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in San Rafael. Hosted by Stephen Hill, producer of the nationally syndicated Hearts of Space ambient/space music radio program that first aired on KPFA-FM in Berkeley in 1983, the conference celebrates the 40th anniversary of the HOS program and its 30 years in syndication.
The term ambient music, according to Hill and author Mark Prendergast, refers to a genre of music that began with Debussy, Ravel, and Satie. It extends into the rise of electronic ambience and minimalism — genres pioneered by LaMonte Young and Terry Riley that made a conscious break from classical formalism.
At the core of the conference are four live, surround-sound concerts, scheduled for Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evenings. Each features artists long associated with HOS: Hans Christian, Stephan Micus, Jeff Pearce, Robert Rich, Steve Roach, Michael Stearns, Stellamara, and Tim Story. A 10 a.m. Artist/Label Discussion and Q&A, led by Hill on Saturday morning, precedes the afternoon’s opening concert. Sunday’s events begin with a presentation by Prendergast, author of a book called The Ambient Century.
“The consciousness of ambient music is a significant event, and a significant trend in both art music and popular music.” – Stephen Hill
“Ambient music is a wildly popular niche in the world of music,” says Hill, who has been one of the genre’s main promulgators since he began producing radio programs and CDs some four decades ago. “Somewhere between 35 and 40 percent of people who hear ambient music will say that they either like it or listen to it regularly. There is a substantial argument to be made that the consciousness of ambient music is a significant event, and a significant trend in both art music and popular music.”
The artist lineup is impressive. Hans Christian, who initially trained as a classical cellist and professional bassist, now focuses mainly on the New Age spiritual and ambient music genres. Stephan Micus, known for his 20 recordings on ECM, writes and performs contemplative music that incorporates rare instruments from throughout the world, which he plays in nontraditional ways. Robert Rich and Steve Roach are prolific ambient music composers, as is Michael Stearns, of late known for his soundtracks for the wordless journey films Chronos and Baraka.
Ambicon … focuses on the serious contemplative music composers who, in Hill’s words, create “music as landscape, music as inner experience.”
The group called Stellamara is a Balkan world-music fusion ensemble whose original music integrates Balkan, Middle Eastern, and ambient sounds. Tim Story, originally known for his contributions to the widely regarded Windham Hill Records compilations, is known for his ambient chamber music, electronic music, and collaborations with pioneering German ambient artists. Finally, Jeff Pearce’s recordings of space-guitar and contemplative piano music have earned him a large following.
While a few major ambient music events have taken place in the U.S. and abroad — Echoes, another NPR-syndicated radio show, hosted a conference in the 1990s, and a significantly smaller annual ambient music event, called The Gatherings, is presented annually in Philadelphia — Ambicon is a first attempt at a major conference that attracts ambient-music lovers from around the globe, and that focuses on the serious contemplative music composers who, in Hill’s words, create “music as landscape, music as inner experience.”