Pamela
Z, Voici
By Stephanie Nolasco Recently
on a vibrant New York evening, performing artist Pamela Z
swept her audience away with "Voci" (Voices), an
affair of voices overpowering modern technology. With the
usage of a mere Apple laptop and electronic processing, Pamela
Z creates solo pieces with vocal experimentation, consisting
of opera, spoken word, and contemporary home objects. As described
in her official web site, Pamela Z used a MIDI controller,
known as a "BodySynth, which allows her to manipulate
sound with physical gestures." Using only her voice as
a prime instrument, Pamela Z creates erratic tunes, orchestral
masterpieces, and lyrical poetry, which moves all who listen.
 Pamela
Z, wearing an elaborate couture of Victorian Goth and East
Village wear designed by herself and Amy Trachtenberg, she
is confidently seen in layers of shadowy laces, with glittery
stones sparkling towards the theatre lights. Tied up in layers
of electrical cords, she prances at each end of the stage,
having her voice evolve from fragile and whispery, to loud
and animated. Her tone rises up like a whining child, to a
dark, eerie sneer, slowly stating, "I hear voices"
in "Voices in Your Head." Pamela Z explores the
various aspects individuals use their voice, such as singing
in the shower or speaking to an annoying voice answering system
on the telephone. She releases inner emotions of agony, sorrow,
and anger expressed in "That Tone," where she explores
how one’s voice changes in certain situations. Rather
than merely state actual facts about vocals, which she did,
she tested such facts that were studied by scientists for
years in "Voice Studies." Her voice evolved into
a soft-spoken chirp of a sparrow In "Bird Voices."
One minute, she is the performing Pamela Z, the next minute
she is her brother, bearing a cavernous vocal energy, echoing
to the audience. She also made her concert a personal recital,
where she told stories about her childhood, finding her inner
voice. At times, her presentations were amusing, such as "Voice
Lesson," where she attempts to please her vocal tone
with strange stretches and squeals. Being a true artist, she
becomes her own instrument in "Cellovoice," where
her vocals project the similar sounds of a cello.
Not
only did Pamela Z engage her audience in hearing her voice
transforming to different sounds, but she also had her audience
participate. In "Keitati," the audience had an opportunity
to explore the various vocal tones that exist in the city
itself. Exchanging cellular numbers on a random raffle, each
audience member called another individual at the show, repeating
a robotic, identical message. Not only was the audience pleased
with the outcome of hearing themselves, but also applauded
themselves with cheering and whistling.
Although
the performance was nothing short of excellence, there were
various times where Pamela Z’s confidence, or at least
her voice performance, was in question. In the first act,
Pamela’s voice was often overshadowed by constant static,
coming directing from the electronically cords. At times,
she seemed unable to move with the various cords that connect
to various functions in her laptop. She constantly cleared
her voice in various presentations, especially in the shower
scene. During her opera finale in "Divas," her voice
wouldn’t reach as high in tone, and she even coughed
at times. Yet, in the second round, her voice was perfectly
clear, confident, and reaching high and low peaks. Audience
members couldn’t help, but wonder if the mishaps in
part 1 were mistakes or intentional.
Despite
the unknown calamities, the media couldn’t help, but
praise the San Franciscan vocal queen. Electro-Music.com,
an online publication dedicated to electronic music, praised
Pamela Z as "an explorer of the sonic, cultural, physical,
and artistic worlds of the voice, celebrating the broad range
of colors in the singing voice and speaking voice, and examining
scientific and cultural phenomena around the voice and the
many metaphors for voice."  The
"New York Times" stated that "if the evening
wasn't quite so powerful overall as some of its individual
parts, it was always fun to watch. Ms. Z has created a kind
of contemporary-music vaudeville, offering a lot of entertainment,
a lot of quality and some fine nuggets to mull over on your
way home." Whether online or offline, many agree that
Pamela Z’s performance at "The Kitchen" will
capture your attention with her voice.
photo credit Lori Eanes
Stephanie
Nolasco is a young writer currently residing in New
York City. She is attending Eugene Lang College in the East
Village, with a concentration on non-fiction writing. To learn
more about Nolasco and her writings, please visit her official
site at: http://www.angelfire.com/freak2/snolasco/
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