The Improvisation Unit

The Improvisation Unit was founded in January 2008 at Southern Illinois University Carbondale by its artistic director, Prof. Ron Coulter. The Improvisation Unit was an ensemble that studied and performed non-idiomatic improvisation and was one of the few of its kind to exist in the academic world. The primary objectives of The Improvisation Unit were to reexamine individual and cultural preconceptions of musicking, explore generative modes of musicking, and examine traditional concepts of instruments and performance protocol. Collaborations across disciplines resulted in intermedia events involving theater, film, sculpture, dance, experimental video, and performance art. The Improvisation Unit performed in concerts, master classes, and/or workshops with The Chance Operations Collective of Kalamazoo, Kerry Laitala, William O. Smith, Wende Bartley, Gino Robair, Tatsuya Nakatani, Evelyn Glennie, Michael Zerang, Chris Corsano, Steve Butters, Jim Staley, and others. The Improvisation Unit performed by invitation at Elastic (Chicago, IL), Lemp Neighborhood Arts Center (St. Louis, MO), Chicago State University, University of Chicago, the 2012 a.pe.ri.od.ic Music Series: John Cage Festival, 2011 ReVIEWING Black Mountain College-3 International Conference, Big Muddy International Film Festival (2010 & 2011), Outside the Box New Music Festival (2009-2014), Southern IlliNOIZ Summit, All Together Now Arts Festival, WSIU Radio, the combined International Society for Improvised Music Conference and University of California Santa Cruz Improvising Artists Festival in Santa Cruz, CA, the Southern Illinois Improvisation Series, and many other venues. Members of The Improvisation Unit have included: Ron Coulter – percussion, electronics, found objects Eric Mandat – clarinet, toys Joel Auringer – clarinet, piano, vox John McCowen – clarinet Bill Shotton – piano Trefan Owen – electric guitar Justin Rodig – guitar Karthik Kakarala – various Derek Smith– percussion, found objects Jim Beers – percussion Nathan Staley – percussion Eric Hendrickson – percussion Josh Fielder – percussion Evan Romack – percussion Shannon Schmidt – percussion