Roper: Events of Interest - 2025
- November’s big news: The Village will release on LP and digitally my project Lost in the Sands. This project reflects my association with P.A.P.A. over four decades. The LP has no compositions by Horace Tapscott or recordings of the ARK. It contains compositions and performances for small ensembles by myself and people who have played with Horace and the ARK or have been associated with him. They include Devin Daniels, Joseph Mitchell and Vinny Golia. Get your turntables ready.
- 11/18 Brightwork NewMusic’s series Tuesdays @ Monk Space, will present a program of my compositions (TBD). Click here for info.
- 11/08 Wild Up at the Nimoy performs one of my pieces (TBD) and has me as a guest artist! Fun times! Click here for info.
- 09/18-20 appearing as a member of Purple Gums (Francis Wong, Bobby Bradford and me) in a residency in the East Bay area. Details to be announced.
- 09/18-20 appearing as a member of Purple Gums (Francis Wong, Bobby Bradford and me) in a residency at Wyldflower in Oakland. INFO HERE
- 09/07 appearing as a guest for a celebration for Terry Riley’s 90th birthday under a full moon at The Ford in Los Angeles, for an In C jam alongside Bang on a Can All-Stars and Gyan Riley. INFO HERE
- 09/05 appearing with the Pan Afrikan People’s Arkestra at 2220 Arts & Archives @ 8PM. INFO HERE
- 08/17 appearing with the trio Tall Tales - Georgia E. Bell - bass, Josh Gerowitz - guitar, William Roper - tuba, on Lisa Mezzacappa & Friends. Sunday August 17, 2PM at Healing Force of the Universe, 1200 E. Walnut St., Pasadena. This is a FREE program - In lieu of tickets, accepting donations for the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA). INFO HERE"
- 08/14 appearing as a member of Bobby Bradford and Friends playing Bradford’s “Stealin’ Home:a Tribute to Jackie Robinson,” as part of the Hammer Museum’s JazzPOP 2025 series. @ The Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., L.A., 90024. INFO HERE
- 08/03 I will present a yet to be determined group on the long-standing Open Gate 1st Sundays concert series. @ the Neighborhood Universalist Unitarian Church, 301 North Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena, 91103.
- 07/25-27 appearing in collaboration with Jeff McMahon as lead artist, in West Hollywood’s AiOP. Three performances in three locations. Click HERE for details.
- 07/18-19 appearing as part of quintet led by Karl Evangelista with Bobby Bradford, Andrew Cyrille and Rei Scampavia. Presented by Ars Nova Workshop @ Solar Myth, 1131 South Broad Street, 19147.
- 07/12 a fire relief benefit concert put on by Andrew Choate and Black Editions very kindly put on for me. @ 2220 Arts and Archives. Details when they are finalized. If you don’t know what happened, here is a glimise.
- 06/20 appearing with the Dog Star Orchestra at Dog Star 21 performing selections from “A Year of Deep Listening,” an evening of readings and performances inspired by the work of Pauline Oliveros. @ The Battery Books & Music, 26 South Los Robles Ave, Pasadena, 91101.
- 06/14 Judicanti Responsura (Joseph Mitchell - percussion, William Roper - tuba and whatnot) present a program of their compositions celebrating Juneteenth. Edendale Up Close concert series @ Edendale Library, 2011 Sunset Blvd., L.A., 90026.
- 05/17 appearing with a new trio, The Lip-Reeds, assembled by Marc Perez with Marc Perez, Dan Clucas and William Roper. “Marc and Friends,” @ Healing Force of the Universe, 1200 E. Walnut Street, Pasadena. 2 - 4PM.
- 05/14 Screening of Roper - An Altadena Documentary, a short documentary of the aftermath of the Eaton Wildfire by Pitzer College students August Koskoff, Chloe Heath and Rachel Ma.
- 05/04 San Francisco International Arts Festival, performing in Francis Wong’s “Wong Wei’s Legacy.” @ Monkeybrains, 933 Treat Ave., San Francisco, 94110. 3 - 4:15PM.
- 04/24 A Day for Us - Fire Relief Festival produced by Sudden Somethings and IAC. @ The Count’s Den, 1035 S. Olive St., L.A. 90015.
- 04/20 The release of Solace Angels, by the Karl Evangelista Quintet featuring Bobby Bradford and yours truly.
- 03/28 Oozing Into the Night, readings and music. Performing “The Clarinet Rap,” with Alicia Byer on clarinet. @ The Folcrum, 422 Ord Street, L.A. 90012. 8PM.
- 03/25 Master Class and concert by Bobby Bradford and his CuZns (Bobby Bradford-cornet, William Roper-tuba, etc., Garth Powell-drums & percussion, Brian Walsh-reeds. @ Saddleback College - Studio Theatre (accessible from Lot 12), 28000 Marguerite Parkway Mission Viejo, CA 92692
- 03/16 Francis Wong's ensemble drawn from Asian Improv Arts members @ Thi Ca Su Viet, Legion of Honor, Gunn Theatre in San Francisco, CA.
- 03/14 in duet with Francis Wong on the Other Dimensions in Sound series @ Medicine for Nightmares, 3036 24th St, San Francisco, 7 - 9PM. Also appearing - GREX & Black Edgar.
- 03/09 performing with the freely improvising quartet MEHUMS: Joe Baiza-guitars, Matt Crane-drums, Joseph Mitchell-percussion. Jazz Vespers @ Northridge United Methodist Church, 9650 Reseda Blvd, Northridge, CA. 6PM. FREE
- 03/06 performing duo with Joshua Gerowitz (possibly a trio with mystery musician) in a program presented by Weird Cry Records. Method Machine Lab, 226 W. Ojai Ave #102, 7PM, $10.00
- 02/23 as part of Corey Fogel’s Very Large Ensemble. Open as part of trio with Corey Fogel-drums and Davin Givhan-guitar. Zubulon, 8PM
- 02/15 & 16 performing with the Long Beach Opera in Pauline Oliveros’ El Relicario de Los Animales. Heritage Square Museum, Los Angeles, 15th @ 7:30PM, 16th @ 2:30PM
- 01/08 House burns down.
- 01/07 Eaton Wildfire begins.
2024
- 12/15 I will perform in Long Beach Opera’s production of Pauline Oliveros’ Earth Ears - A Sonic Ritual, at Angel’s Gate Cultural Center. 3 PM. Tickets.
- 11/23 tuba and percussion duo Judicanti Responsura is joined by violist Cassia Streb, for two programs featuring compositions by Joseph Mitchell and William Roper. An afternoon program will be presented at the Edendale Branch Library and an evening show at Automata in Los Angeles’ Chinatown.
- 11/16 The Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra performs on the L.A. Philharmonic’s Noon to Midnight Festival.
- 10/24 The Unwrinkled Ear pairs CuZns - Bobby Bradford and William Roper, with guitarist Jeff Parker for an evening of free improvisation.
- 10/21 a screening of my documentary “Sidelining the Sidemen (and Women). Screened at the Edendale Branch Library.
- 10/10 premiering Solange Knowle’s piece for two tubas, “Not Necessarily In Arms Reach” at Walt Disney Concert Hall.
- 10/01 a screening of my documentary “Sidelining the Sidemen (and Women). Screened at October Revolution in Jazz 60th Anniversary Celebration ‘24 Los Angeles, CA at CalArts.
- 09/07 a screening of my documentary “Sidelining the Sidemen (and Women). Screened at The Healing Force of the Universe.
- 07/30 release of the recording project FRICE, featuring Bobby Bradford, Frode Gjerstad, William Roper and Alex Cline.
- 07/19 a musical celebration of Bobby Bradford’s 90th birthday at The Healing Force of the Universe.
- 07/13 a screening of my documentary “Sidelining the Sidemen (and Women). Screened at The World Stage Performance Gallery.
- 06/21 Just Jazz Monterey presents The Francis Wong Trio (Francis Wong, Karl Evangelista, William Roper). Wave Street Studios in Monterey. 8PM.
- 06/17 Aaron Hynds performs my composition “Procyon lotor,” at the Midwest Regional Tuba Euphonium Conference, in Bowling Green, OH.
- 05/04 performing in Pearl Ubungen and Salim Washington’s “Cabaret Sandia - watermelon cabaret.” Clarion Performing Arts Center, 2 Waverly Place, San Francisco, CA
- 06/01 - 06/30 Music For Your Inbox presents CuZns (Bobby Bradford & William Roper) in a special video performance. Available for viewing for the month of June.
- 05/19 Performance with Heidi Duckler Dance in collaboration with Jessie Cox, Los Angeles, CA
- 03/10 Duo Roper v Wong @ Studio Gen Japan Center East Mall, S.F., CA
- 03/10 Francis Wong's ensemble drawn from Asian Improv Arts members @ Thi Ca Su Viet 11, Legion of Honor Gunn Theatre in San Francisco, CA
- 03/02 Premiere of my composition “Divulgence,”for contrabass violin and soprano. Performed by Zoe K. Elias. San Diego, CA
- 02/10 Premiere of Simon Leung's video opera Act 2 @ ICA, Los Angeles, CA
- 02/10 Purple Gums (Bobby Bradford, Francis Wong, William Roper) @ Byrd and Beckett Books, San Francisco
- 01/07 Mark Menzies plays “My Head Is Always Down For I No Longer Look For You,” at the 16th Annual SoundON Festival Series, La Jolla, CA
2023
- 12/30 My Name is Friday We're a Cop (Vinny Golia/William Roper) @ Gold Diggers, Los Angeles, CA
- 12/14 w/ Wasteland Ensemble performing Chacon's American Ledger I, Los Angeles, CA
- 10/16 w/ Vinny Golia and Josh Gerowitz @ the Angel City Jazz Festival. Los Angeles, CA
- 10/14 My Name is Friday We're a Cop (Vinny Golia/William Roper) @ High Desert Soundings Festival of New Music, Wonder Valley, CA
- 09/03 P.A.P.A. @ Zebulon, Los Angeles, CA
- 08/30 P.A.P.A. @ L.A. Metro, Los Angeles, CA
- 08/25 Trio with Marc Perez and Ethan Marks @ Automata, Chinatown, Los Angeles, CA
- 07/18 – 08/14 Resident Artist @ Oberfalzer Künstlerhaus, Schwandorf, Germany
- 07/14 CuZns (Bobby Bradford/William Roper) @ Automata, Chinatown, Los Angeles, CA
- 06/18 Orchestre Surreal @ Artist's Theater, Laguna Beach, CA
- 06/17 P.A.P.A. @ Levitt Pavilion – McArthur Park, Los Angeles, CA
- 06/16 P.A.P.A @ The World Stage, Los Angeles, CA
- 06/04 appearing with the Pan African Peoples Arkestra at National Sawdust in Brooklyn.
- 05/19 & 20 Remembrance Rising, An interdisciplinary work featuring poetry, dance, and music in dialogue with the public art piece Comfort Women Column of Strength Memorial in St. Mary’s Square in San Francisco Chinatown. Featuring composer/saxophonist Francis Wong, dancer and poet Lynn Huang, dancer Flora Hyoin Kim Han, tuba performer William Roper, violinist Sandy Poindexter, and multi-percussionist Karen Stackpole. Parallel to the performing arts work is a companion zine set, created and illustrated by Katie Quan, focusing on the experiences of comfort women, Jan Ruff-O’Herne and Maria Rosa Henson. Both projects are made possible through the inaugural Comfort Women Research and Creative Scholarship Small Grant Awards program. Presented by Asian Improv aRts, API Cultural Center, and Lenora Lee Dance.
Performances: Admission - free
May 19, 2023 7pm-8pm, Manilatown Heritage Foundation, 868 Kearny St., San Francisco, CA 94108
May 20, 2023 2pm-3pm, St. Mary’s Square, 651 California St., San Francisco, CA 94108
- 04/28 My work West Adams Onigiri, is incorporated into John Kennedy's new work Sidewalks! Premiere at Luckman Theatre, Luckman Fine Arts Complex, CSULA.
- 04/22 participating as a member of the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra in Horn Calls, a collaborative performance between members of the AACM & PAPA.
- 04/17 guest speaker at CalArts Performance Forum in ROD Hall 11:00AM.
- 04/14 appearing with Pablo Calogero & Christopher Garcia's "Aya y Ma" at The World Stage.
- 04/07 Purple Gums at The World Stage. Purple Gums is Bobby Bradford, Francis Wong, William Roper. 8:00PM.
- 03/19 Francis Wong's ensemble drawn from Asian Improv Arts members at Thi Ca & Su Viet 10. 1:30PM. Legion of Honor Gunn Theatre in San Francisco, CA.
- 03/16 Francis Wong's Special Quartet at Bird and Beckett Books. 8:30PM. 653 Chenery Street, San Francisco, 94131
- 03/12 appearing with the Pan Afrikan Peoples Arkestra, Townhouse, 52 Windward Ave., Venice, CA 6-10PM.
- 03/05 CuZns (Bobby Bradford & William Roper) appearing in collaboration with Garth Powell on Open Gate Theatre's New Music Sunday series returns with a bang. Neighborhood Unitarian Church, 301 N Orange Grove Blvd, Pasadena..
- 02/03 appearing with Southland Ensemble to perform James Tenny's Harmonium 1, Harmonium 7 & In A Large Open Space.
- 01/20 Conflict & Mutuality Panel/ Invisible Tea House. Friday, January 20, 2023, 6:30 PM, Pasadena Buddhist Temple, 1993 Glen Avenue, Pasadena CA 91103
- 01/06 Raku Full Moon Project, led by Artist in Residence Alan Nakagawa, the Raku Full Moon Project (Jose Salcedo) will take place with live traditional Koto Music (Hiroko Masuda and June Chin) and Experimental Soundscapes (Nakagawa with Zoe Kumagai and William Roper) at the Pasadena Buddhist Temple. Pasadena Buddhist Temple. 1993 Glen Ave, Pasadena, CA 91103. Register to attend HERE.
2022
- 12/5 CuZns (Bobby Bradford & William Roper) will again share the bill with The Smudges on the Vernacular New Music Series at the Oracle Tavern and Coffee, 1640 N. Spring St., L.A. 90012.
- 12/3 Michiyo Yagi's Talon Hyper - Koto Ensemble Vol. 4 with guest clarinetist Yuko Komori, will premiere my Breeze Through Azabu, for four kotos and clarinet. This piece was commissioned by Michiyo Yagi with support from Arts Council Tokyo. Info at Koen-Dori Classics.
- 11/10 & 12 premiere of Juvenile Terrestrial References - String Quartet #2, by the Koan Quartet at LACSA and YOLA at Torres. These performances are not open to the general public.
- 10/21 & 22 w/ Heidi Duckler Dance and Jessie Cox
- 09/24 w/ Der Madderhorns @ Enegren Brewery Oktoberfest
- 09/16 w/ Bobby Bradford and Friends @ LACMA
- 08/28 w/ Renèe Petropoulos' "Analog Among Nations: 2022" @ The Wende
- 08/27 w/ Renèe Petropoulos @ The Broad
- 08/13 w/ Pan Afrikan People's Arkestra @ Getty 25
- 07/23 w/ Wild Up playing Julius Eastman's Femenine
- 07/16 w/Jonathon Mandabach at a secret location
- 07/15 w/ Ute Wasserman, Danny Frankel & Vicki Ray
- 06/30 w/ Asian Improv aRts 35th Anniversary Festival
- 06/22 an improvised set with vocalist Dominique Matelson at 3141 Glendale Blvd., in Atwater Village. 7PM. Free, though donations are strongly encouraged.
- 06/19 w/Wild Up, playing Julius Eastman's Buddha. All day long 2220 Arts + Archives, Los Angeles, CA
- 06/11 w/ Pan Afrikan People's Arkestra @ The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA as part of Memory - Material
- 06/04 w/ Pan Afrikan People's Arkestra @ RedCat
- 05/30 w/ Francis Wong's Special Quartet @ Bird and Beckett
- 05/29 w/ Asian Improv National Ensemble @ Thi Ca Su Viet 9
- 04/24 w/ B.Bradford_Stealin' Home @ Union Station
- 04/08 w/ Southland Ensemble @ L.A. Philharmonic's Noon to Midnight
- 04/08 w/ Vijay Anderson Quintet - @ 2220 Arts & Archives
- 04/07 w/ Vijay Anderson Quintet doing a workshop and performance - @ CSUFullerton
- 03/30 w/ Alabaster DePlume - @ the Lodge Room
- 03/22 CuZn's doing workshops and a performance with the jazz band @ New Roads School
- 03/13 w/ the Pan Afrikan People's Arkestra - Lodge Room
- 03/12 CuZn's w/ Smudges + premiere of two of three movements of "Choofa," commissioned by The Smudges @ ArtShareLA
- 02/27 Purple Gums @ Bird & Beckett-S.F. stream
- 02/05 Opening-OCCCA Art Opening (two paintings and an assemblage work) Virtual Tour
- 01/24 Edendale Up Close - streaming stream
- View Chung King Corpse, an event that was part of SASSAS' Mapping Sound, day-long extravaganza in Fall 2009.
The "lite" bio The other bio Discography Compositions Judicanti Responsura Chobraty Land Ob Cotton Abe Lincoln
Read commentary and see photos from many of these events on Roper's blog at Peripatetic Roper.
Roper performs his composition Cygnus olor for solo cimbasso (travel tuba, in this case.)
Watch Roper's October 5, 2011 improvised performance on Ear Meal.
William Roper is a Miraphone artist and plays Warburton mouthpieces.
See the video of Fanfares and Arhoolies, a site-specific work for 12 lip-reed and 1 percussion players on youtube
