Description

Composer, multi-instrumentalist, and TED veteran Matt Venuti opened the 2004 conference in Monterey with a solo from a unique and fascinating device that no one had previously heard of, the Electronic Valve Instrument, or EVI . He went on to play the EVI as lead instrumentalist in Thomas DolbyÍs TED house band throughout the conference. At TEDx heÍll offer another unique musical expression playing something that has created a renaissance in music instrument designƒthe first ñviral instrumentî and arguably the most beautiful and captivating ever, the Pan Art Hang. The name Hang comes from the Swiss German word for hand. A handmade ñsound sculptureî with an innovative design, the PanArt Hang is hand-crafted by only two people in the world, Swiss artists Felix Rohner and Sabina Sh_rer in Bern. Over time the Hang makers and certain players began to realize that the Hang was no typical musical instrument, as reports came back to them many times over of properties in the Hang that had strong and positive effects on the body/mind/spirit of both player and listener. Matt Venuti was one of the first to recognize this phenomenon and set out to explore the effects of the Hang as an instrument of quieting the mind and opening the heart. He performs regular ñHang Immersionî concerts and works with individuals and groups to help awaken inner wisdom, joy, and a sense of wholeness through the resonating sounds of the Hang.