New West Evolving Arts & Music Organization (NWEAMO), founded by composer Joseph Waters in Portland, Oregon, U.S. in 1998, is a nonprofit organization based in San Diego, California that produces the annual international festival of electro-acoustic music.[1]
NWEAMO is dedicated to forging connections between the composers, performers and lovers of avant garde classical music with the DJs, MCs, guitar-gods, troubadours and gourmets of experimental popular music. The organization promotes music that involves the creative use of computers and electronics mixed with acoustics. Today, NWEAMO has showcased artists in prime venues across the world.
In a healthy cultural milieu NWEAMO celebrates both classical and popular music. The idea behind this seemingly controversial connection is that without any connection, both genres suffer. When classical music does not connect with popular culture, it becomes a music of experts, unable to reflect and contribute meaningfully in the broad marketplace of developing ideas and cultural experimentation. Popular music on the other hand, becomes naïve and superficial, untethered to its historical roots and broad cultural underpinnings, without connection and communication with classical music. NWEAMO attempts to generate a synthesis that reveals new possibilities for both.
| NWEAMO | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Electronic music, electroacoustic music |
| Location(s) | California Mexico New York City Venice, Italy Tokyo, Japan |
| Years active | 1998– present |
| Website | The New West Evolving Acoustic Music Organization |
Originally NWEAMO concerts featured a variety of electro-acoustic styles and genres, ranging from Intelligent dance music to the abstract avant garde. Eventually the word "Electronic" was replaced with "Evolving" in the acronym to reflect the inclusion of visual art, installation art, dance, sound art and acoustic music to the festival, and to allow future growth.
In 2002 the festival added San Diego, California to its locations. In 2005 the festival expanded further, with an additional night added in Mexico City. New York City and Venice, Italy were added 2006. The 2007 festival included a summer component in Europe (Berlin, May 18–19; and Venice, May 25–26) in addition to the main autumn festival: San Diego (Oct 5 & 6, 2007); Boulder, Colorado (Oct. 13, 2007); Morelia, Mexico (Oct. 19, 2007) & New York City (Oct. 26 & 27, 2007). Each year the festival supports the work of approximately 30 composers/performers.
Each year the festival focuses on a theme: