TWIST! by Jonathan Pitkin

➡️ This presentation is part of IRCAM Forum Workshops Paris / Enghien-les-Bains March 2026

TWIST! is a compositional study which takes advantage of the unique capabilities of the ISiS vocal synthesizer, exploring extremes of musical speed, agility, precision, stamina and clarity of articulation that would otherwise be impossible. The ‘libretto’ consists almost entirely of French tongue-twisters, and the only other sounds used are sampled footsteps which help to create the illusion of a singer that (/who) is virtually present in the performance space, moving around the audience in both realistic and rather more disruptive ways. The ‘performer’ of TWIST! may appear to take on various characteristics at different times: tentative, exploratory, didactic, cheeky, ostentatiously virtuosic, obsessive and even hysterical.