Further Upstream

Mission Statement

The Upstream Music Association is an organization that thinks globally and acts locally. We strive to strike a balance of activities that are rooted in our sense of place through performance, education and cooperation and attract the attention of he rest of the world through touring Upstream artists, distribution of our recordings and presentation and collaboration with international musicians. Our vision is that the UMA, through local, regional, national and global activities will participate in the worldwide development of a new kind of new music that is spontaneous, authentic and relevant. It is within us waiting to be discovered. Our mission is to bring it back alive.

“We are coming to realize what has been known in the East for centuries, that we are not one unified Self, but each of us is a bundle of countless selves formed by memory, conditioning, beliefs, these masks forming our Ego, the “I” we present to the world. If we could strip all this away we would find we are all related in a vast energy field which is the universe, that “Mighty Something” as the Hopi Indian says, which contains everything that has been, is, and will be, and which is beyond any illusion of flowing time implicit in the concept, past, present, future. And music can express this. No composer or improvising musician can create original music out of his ego-memory mind. The new original music can only be discovered in the sense that Columbus discovered America. Well, America was already there.” Al Neil – Changes, Nightwood Editions, 1989.

Intent

The central shared vision of the Upstream Music Association is to produce and present concerts of the utmost intensity that sharpen our wits and increase our awareness of truth. We accomplish this “ecstatic equilibrium” most consistently through the precise articulation of relevant musical work that leaves room for the music of the moment to emerge, surprise and inform.

Living as we do on the edge of the continent, we are metaphorically ideally placed to throw ourselves into the abyss. In Upstream, wild abandon is the essential attitude and we are supportive of the courage it represents. We are also mindful as any professional explorers of the risks and are constantly taking steps to manage the focus of attention to ensure that the ball is never dropped.

The knowledge that we are a part of a global consciousness is a powerful driving force and we are highly motivated to discover other groups like ours and make exchanges and collaborations. The events of “9-11” have certainly underscored the urgency for these kinds of initiatives.

The Future

There is an ever-expanding list of people and organizations locally, nationally and internationally that share our vision and intent. In the coming years Upstream Music Association plans to expand this list of links by doing more co-productions and sharing of artists and tours to help create a truly vibrant milieu across the country and abroad for contemporary creative music.