6067 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90036

"The Inquisitive Musician" is a translation and adaptation of a 17th century German satire attributed to Johann Kuhnau pitting itinerant “beer fiddlers” against the official “Kunstpfeifer” in an argument over who is the better musician – those who play tunes by ear and memory or the “Kunstpfeifer” who relies on printed music in order to perform.
Although the original play is situated in the world of music of the 17th century when the financial stresses of war prompted an increase in the hiring of itinerant musicians, the tension between academic and self-taught forms of production continues to this day.
The text acts as a metaphor for similar struggles both creative and class based.

The Inquisitive Musician is produced by Cindy Bernard for LACMA and for the the Kunsthaus Dresden (Summer 2011).
The Los Angeles cast includes Dick Hebdige, Dave Muller, William Roper, David Watson, Tom Watson, Mike Watt and Marnie Weber.

Cindy Bernard works with a variety of media. She takes an active interest in social exchange and is the founder of SASSAS (Society for the Activation of Social Space through Art and Sound) in Los Angeles.

The performance at LACMA is supported in part by the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles.

Added by Goethe-Institut on May 2, 2011

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