PUNTO is a composer-based ensemble founded in 1990 committed to the performance of works conceptual and experimental in nature. The group utilizes new and old technology to develop aural and visual materials which combine to convey the processes and ideas inherent in each piece
The ensemble, founded by Venezuelan composer Gustavo Matamoros and Cuban composer Armando Rodriguez Ruidiaz, organized concerts in venues such as the Miami Dade Community College, the Miami Dade Downtown Library and the Cameo Theater in Miami Beach during the 1990s. The ensemble soon incorporated Cuban composer Julio Roloff as a core member and worked with numerous guest artists including Miami sound poet Robert Gregory and Miami Beach sound artist Russell Frehling among others. Most recently, after a decade of inactivity, the members of PUNTO have reunited to continue their activities with the presentation of FLOW, an electroacoustic installation created by Gustavo Matamoros and Armando Rodriguez Ruidiaz for the Listening Gallery of the South Florida Composers Alliance. The installation was opened to the public on June 5, 2013
Performance History
19910205
PUNTO •
conceptual and electroacoustic music
World Premiere Concert
music by Julius, Hopson, Matamoros and Rodriguez
members: Gustavo Matamoros and Armando Rodriguez
Performing Arts Series
Bonnie Miller, Program Coordinator
M-DC, North Campus, North Miami, Florida
PROGRAM
Solitary Piano Concerto by Rolf Julius realized by PUNTO
Quartet 60 x 88 x 120 x 208 by Holland Hopson
Occupied Space by Armando Rodriguez
In Memory of Gentle Giant by Gustavo Matamoros
Triangular (world premiere) by Armando Rodriguez
19910413
PUNTO •
conceptual and electroacoustic music
music by Hopson, Matamoros-Gregory and Rodriguez
performed by Robert Gregory, Gustavo Matamoros and Armando Rodriguez
Subtropics 3 Marathon
Miami-Dade Public Library, Main Branch, Miami, Florida
PROGRAM
Quartet 60 x 88 x 120 x 208 by Holland Hopson
Occupied Space by Armando Rodriguez
Lo Bueno Sería by Gustavo Matamoros with poetry by Robert Gregory
19910627
PUNTO •
conceptual and electroacoustic music
Music Out of a Cage
music by Brown, Cage, Gregory, Matamoros and Rodriguez
performed by Robert Gregory, Gustavo Matamoros and Armando Rodriguez
Center for the Fine Arts (now PAMM), Miami, Florida
PROGRAM
Cartridge Music by John Cage
Triangular by Armando Rodriguez
Crypsis by Robert Gregory and Gustavo Matamoros
Mobile Textures by Armando Rodriguez
To The Victims by Gustavo Matamoros
December 1952 by Earle Brown
Lo Bueno Sería by Gustavo Matamoros with text by Robert Gregory
Miami Beach guest sound artist Russell Frehling performing the world premiere of his piece, Fluxation #2, during PUNTO: In a State of Fluxus at the Cameo Theater in Miami Beach, Florida
1992.04.05
PUNTO •
conceptual and electroacoustic music
In State of Fluxus
a program of classic Fluxus works co-curated by Gustavo Matamoros & Russell Frehling from the Ruth and Marvin Sackner Collection
Subtropics 4
Cameo Theater, Miami Beach, Florida
PUNTO Ensemble
Core members: Gustavo Matamoros, Armando Rodriguez; with special guests, Robert Gregory and Russell Frehling
Guest Performers: Eduardo Amaral, FIU Winds, Orlando Garcia, Jeff Laibson, Bobby Lombardi, Jon C. Nelson, Robert Mark Paker, Barbara Rodriguez, Doris Ronai, Adriana Sauchenco, Arline Sobalvarro & Deborah Vuxum
PROGRAM
Overture, Benjamin Patterson; Orchestra Piece #4, Ben Vautier; Organic Music, Takehisa Kosugi; Pendulum Music, Steve Reich; Piano Piece #11, George Maciunas; Audience Variation #10, Ben Vautier; Piano Piece #5, Tochi Ichiyanagi; Solo for Conductor, George Maciunas; Symphony #2, George Brecht; Disappearing Music for Face, Chieko Shiomi Octet for Winds, George Brecht; Fluxation #2, Russell Frehling; Heavy Metal, Gustavo Matamoros; Event 10, Robert Watts; Flux Radio Video, Takehisa Kosugi;
Incidental Music #2, George Brecht; Piano Piece #13 for Nam June Paik, George Maciunas
“Avant-garde Sights And Sounds At Subtropics Music Festival – Sun Sentinel” — Articles.sun-sentinel.com. 1992-03-08. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
1992.04.13
PUNTO •
conceptual and electro-acoustic music
Hexagonal Galleries | world premiere
music by Armando Rodriguez based on Jorge Luis Borges’ short story Library of Babel
Subtropics 4
Wolfson Auditorium, M-DC, Miami, Florida
PROGRAM
The Hexagonal Galleries, Armando Rodriguez
1- The Hexagonal Galleries
2- The Mirror
3- The Spiral Staircase
4- MCVMCVMCVMCVMCV
5- Labyrinth
6- Cryptographs
7- Limitless and Periodic
PUNTO Ensemble
Armando Rodriguez, keyboards; Gustavo Matamoros, keyboards; Guest artist: Carmen Carrodeguas, piano
“PUNTO hexagonal galleries — Calendar, Miami New Times” 1992.04.08. Subtropics Archives
Subtropics explora el sonido, Al Ritmo – Paloma Villaverde, El Nuevo Herald. 1993.03.26. digital image [png]. Subtropics Archives
1993.03.26
PUNTO •
conceptual and electroacoustic music
Round Trip Miami/Madrid
music by Gonzales-Arroyo, Manchado, Matamoros and Rodriguez
featuring guest artist, percussionist Keith Aleo
Subtropics 5
Wolfson Auditorium, M-DC, Miami, Florida
PROGRAM
Portrait of Keith Aleo (1991) | world premiere
by Gustavo Matamoros – performed by percussionist Keith Aleo
d MnStR (1988) for Tape by Ramon Gonzalez-Arroyo (SPN)
Obertura (1990) for Tape | world premiere
by Marisa Manchado (SPN)
A Quiet World (1993) for voice and tape | world premiere
by Armando Rodriguez – Armando Rodriguez, voice
1994.04.30
PUNTO •
conceptual and electroacoustic music
Of Cycles And Water
a 2.5-hour performance/sound installation by Gustavo Matamoros and Julio Roloff
Center for the Fine Arts (now PAMM), Miami, Florida
1995.04.05
PUNTO •
conceptual and electroacoustic music
Fluxfested
featuring Shahreyar Ataie, Steve Bolman, Amy Cappallazzo, Russell Frehling, Jef Laibson, Ricky Leath, Gustavo Matamoros, Nina Plot, David Weisbrot
Subtropics 7
Centre Gallery, M-DC, Miami, Florida
PROGRAM
Audience Piece, Gustavo Matamoros; Hens, Ben Vautier; Instruction for Radio, George Brecht; Fluxaction IV Variation 1, Russell Frehling; Zyklus, Tomas Schmit; Cheaper Imitation, Gustavo Matamoros; Drip Music, Fluxversion 1 Nº2, George Brecht (Arr. PUNTO); In Memoriam to George Maciunas Nº2, Robert Bozzi (Arr. PUNTO); Fluxation III, Russell Frehling
Flux Radio/TV Piece, Takehisa Kosugi; Solo for Rich Man, George Maciunas
Piece for Winds, Joe Jones; South Nº2 (to Nam June Paik), Takehisa Kasugi (Arr. PUNTO); Fluxversion I, George Brecht; C/T Trace, Robert Watts (Arr. PUNTO); Music for Two Players, Mieko Shiomi; Fluxversion V, George Brecht (Arr. PUNTO); Flute Solo, George Brecht; Orchestra, Ken Friedman; Fluxaction V, Russell Frehling; Incidental Music: Nº2 & Nº3, George Brecht (Arr. PUNTO); 12 Piano Compositions for Nam June Paik: Nº8 & Nº9, George Maciunas; Piece for Any Number of Vocalists, Alison Knowles
1995.11.30
PUNTO •
conceptual and electroacoustic music
RE Disobedience — Songs of Order and Disorder
featuring Shahreyar Ataie, pails; Gustavo Matamoros, electronics, voice; Armando Rodriguez, voice; Julio Roloff, percussion and electronics; special guest: Jan Williams, clay pots, snare drum and voice
The Black Box Project
Ground Level Gallery, Miami Beach, Florida
PROGRAM
A Quiet World for voice and tape composed and performed by Armando Rodrigues; Zyklus for multiple pails by Tomas Schmit and performed by Shahreyar Ataie; The Williams Tell of Rights a song for snare drum written for Jan Williams by Gustavo Matamoros; Voces for percussion, electronic instruments and tape with text by Jose Martí composed and performed by Julio Roloff with assistance from Gustavo Matamoros; Enclosures With Dreams and Spirits a song for electronic devices composed and performed by Gustavo Matamoros; To The Earth for voice and clay pots composed for Jan Williams by Frederic Rzewski
2013.06.12-07.28
PUNTO •
conceptual and electroacoustic music
Flow | world premiere
Eight-point source sound installation created by Punto—Armando Rodriguez and Gustavo Matamoros
ArtCenter’s Unpredictable Patterns of Behavior
curated by Ombretta Agro
Listening Gallery, Miami Beach, Florida
FLOW is a sound structure based on improvisations by Gustavo Matamoros and Armando Rodriguez performed on acoustic and electric guitars, kemenche, psaltery, bagpipe chanter and percussion instruments. It follows the notion of a “Scattered Unison” – a complex musical texture based a single melodic idea unknown to all but one musician in a group. “It’s like what happens in the moment of “instant listening” when you are focused and you feel like you can speak along with what someone else is about to say, without knowing what the words are going to be”
2013.11.14
PUNTO •
conceptual and electroacoustic music
Vanishing Point
The return of PUNTO with music by Antosca, Matamoros, Rodriguez and Roloff
performed by Gustavo Matamoros, Armando Rodriguez and Julio Roloff
Audiotheque, ArtCenter, Miami Beach, Florida
PROGRAM
Las Arpas y Las Sombras by Julio Roloff performed by Armando Rodriguez, Guitar; Flow composed by Armando Rodriguez and Gustavo Matamoros and performed by Matamoros, Rodriguez and Julio Roloff; Persona 1 by Steve Antosca performed by Armando Rodriguez, viola; Four Images: Carnival, Disintegration, Meditation, and Seascape by Armando Rodriguez; Ludus by Armando Rodriguez performed by Matamoros, Rodriguez and Julio Roloff
2014.02.13
PUNTO •
conceptual and electroacoustic music
Point of Sure Return
featuring music by robert ASHLEY, james TENNEY, julio ROLOFF, armando RODRIGUEZ and gustavo MATAMOROS
Audiotheque, ArtCenter, Miami Beach, Florida
PROGRAM
James Tenney: Collage #1 (Elvis) for tape; Robert Ashley: In Memoriam Esteban Gomez performed by Roloff, percussion, Rodriguez, viola, and matamoros, e. guitar; Armando Rodriguez: Spatial Progression for tape and video; Julio Roloff: Foom performed by Roloff, double bass, Rodriguez, flute in F, and Matamoros, piccolo saw with bow and mallet; PUNTO: Flow performed by Roloff, percussion, Rodriguez, kemence, chanter and bagpipe, and Matamoros, e. guitar; Gustavo Matamoros: Visual Noise in Six Parts a sound video; Armando Rodriguez: Project for a Structure in Homage to Frank Gehry performed by Roloff, double bass, Rodriguez, viola, and Matamoros, electronics
2014.05.10
PUNTO •
conceptual and electroacoustic music
Untitled
music by Jones, Matamoros, Moore, Rodriguez, Roloff, Seigido and Schoenhals
Kendall Sound Art: Concert 13
West Kendall Regional Library, Miami, Florida
2014.08.02
PUNTO •
conceptual and electroacoustic music
The Music of Armando Rodriguez
Kendall Sound Art: Concert 16
West Kendall Regional Library, Miami, Florida
2015.08.08
PUNTO + INLETS + KSA
conceptual and electroacoustic music
Virtual Images: The Music of Armando Rodriguez
performed by Punto, Inlets Ensemble, Lisa Seigido and Federico Bonacossa
Kendall Sound Art: Concert 16
West Kendall Regional Library, Miami, Florida