Program Notes: Kennedy Center

"Peace Streams" is a brain wave multimedia composition that addresses peace and war while questioning the twist of fate that selects one person and not another for misfortune in life. The audio includes original poetry, brain wave music, and drumming on hand made drums. Additionally, the audio includes trance tracks, which are audio tracks that are healing visualizations spoken by a psychic healer. The composition is dedicated to Kaul's cousin, Elaine Duch, burn victim from the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. Seventy-seven percent of her body was burned, and she was the next to the last person to leave the Cornell burn center. After three months in a coma, she returned to her home on June 5, 2002.

The psychic healer, recorded in the audio, was also a burn victim from an accident that was not related to September ll. Since his past mirrors Kaul's cousin's recent experience, a synergistic relationship exists between them on subtle levels. Kaul believes the psychic's words, woven into the healing visualizations, have had a healing effect on her cousin, who survived from a 10% chance for survival.

The music tracks were generated from Kaul's neural activity, which activates a Roland keyboard synthesizer, thus producing brain wave music. Several of the brain wave music tracks were produced during the healing session with the psychic. As a result, these tracks were influenced by special frequencies evoked in Kaul's brain wave activity during this recording session.

While this multimedia composition was inspired by an event that occurred on September 11, 2001, its theme is universal and, therefore, not limited to the events of that day. The intent is to produce a brain wave multimedia composition with the potential of evoking healing processes in the body.

The visual portion of the work is intended to heighten the experience evoked by the audio composition. The animation combines layers of digital video, which include the eyes of the psychic layered wit brief glimpses of Elaine on video, taken by CNN when she left the burn center on January 29, 2002. Additional layers include nature scenes and a computer animation of fire and chaos. The layers from nature coupled with the fire and chaos layers, were intended to appear as images in the psychic's mind, juxtaposing the fear of fire with the healing spirit of nature.

Audio thanks are extended to the psychic healer, James Mastbrook; the percussionist, Alison Krayer, and the technical direction of music composer, Steve Antosca. Visual thanks to CNN News, Paras Productions, Inc., McLean, and Bill Vitucci.