The Empress

The Empress is an immersive audiovisual composition of about twelve minutes that blends live voice and instrumental performance with electronics, video and interactive lighting. It explores the transformation of acoustic gesture through voice, bass trombone and double bass, extended by fixed and real-time electronic processing: the ensemble operates as a dynamic system in which breath, noise and pitch continuously interact and reshape one another.

The work unfolds as a performative trajectory between control and instability, where physical presence and sonic material become inseparable. Each action generates both a sonic and a perceptual consequence, forming a continuous feedback between performer, space and electronic response. All amplified signals are processed in real time into extended resonances, filtered spectra and granular transformations that remain perceptually integrated with the acoustic sound — one hybrid timbre rather than a separate layer. The vocalist stands centre stage inside a fan of LED light on the floor, pulsing in colour and casting upward-moving shadows, in a costume fitted with lights synchronised to the sound; trombone and double bass stand in the ambient light of the projection, to her left and right. The score is graphic, read against a stopwatch and the video’s timecode.

The Empress is the tarot card of power held in the body. The piece explores themes of power, femininity and identity through layered sonic textures and visuals, inviting the audience into an introspective journey. It was premiered on 9 May 2024 at Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley, by the Eco Ensemble — Brendan Lai-Tong (bass trombone) and Richard Worn (double bass) — with the composer as vocalist.