Experiencing Interruptions?

The Search for Up

From ancient times to NASA’s current Artemis missions, humans have been looking up at the sky with wonder. In this short film, Duo Extempore explores human curiosity, connection, and our cosmos with improvised music. In collaboration with Hartwick College students and Departments of Physics and Music, duo members Nicole Brancato (keys) and Evan Jagels (bass) recorded the featured music and interviews at the Wright Observatory. Duo Extempore’s curated improvisations weave together storytelling, history, science, and audience interaction - all to create music that pushes the boundaries of what piano and bass can do together.

  • Nicole Brancato
    Director
    it’s nice to be on the island, 9 Ways to Destroy a Violin, Fire in which we Burn
  • Evan Jagels
    Director
    A League of Their Own, BET Shorts, it’s nice to be on the island
  • Duo Extempore
    Director
    it’s nice to be on the island
  • Nicole Brancato
    Writer
    it’s nice to be on the island, 9 Ways to Destroy a Violin, Fire in which we Burn
  • Evan Jagels
    Writer
    A League of Their Own, BET Shorts, it’s nice to be on the island
  • Duo Extempore
    Writer
    it’s nice to be on the island
  • Nicole Brancato
    Producer
    it’s nice to be on the island, 9 Ways to Destroy a Violin, Fire in which we Burn
  • Evan Jagels
    Producer
    A League of Their Own, BET Shorts, it’s nice to be on the island
  • Duo Extempore
    Producer
    it’s nice to be on the island
  • Nicole Brancato
    Key Cast
    it’s nice to be on the island, 9 Ways to Destroy a Violin, Fire in which we Burn
  • Evan Jagels
    Key Cast
    "A League of Their Own, BET Shorts, it’s nice to be on the island"
  • Parker Troischt
    Key Cast
  • Greg Hammontree
    Key Cast
  • Meghan K. Sheehy
    Key Cast
  • Meghan K. Sheehy
    Key Cast
  • Duo Extempore
    Key Cast
    it’s nice to be on the island
  • Nicholas F. Volk
    Astrophotography
  • Meghan K. Sheehy
    Project Coordinators
  • Parker Troischt
    Project Coordinators
  • Hartwick College
    Sponsor
  • Nicole Brancato
    Music
    it’s nice to be on the island
  • Evan Jagels
    Music
    it’s nice to be on the island
  • Duo Extempore
    Music
    it’s nice to be on the island
  • Greg Hammontree
    Filmography
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Music Video, Short
  • Runtime:
    19 minutes 59 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 21, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    15,000 USD
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Hartwick College Earth Day Festival
    Oneonta
    United States
    April 22, 2023
    World Premiere
Director Biography - Nicole Brancato, Evan Jagels, Duo Extempore

Duo Extempore interprets history, art, and space through music. By composing frameworks for improvisation with storytelling arcs, the performance space itself becomes the score for bold, inventive music, bringing stories of the past into the present-day imagination. Through this process, Evan Jagels (bass) and Nicole Brancato (piano) capture time and space in custom musical creations unique to the communities for which they are designed, creating “a new experience that leaves guests wanting more” (Colin Havener, Hyde Hall).

In 2022, Duo Extempore released "it's nice to be on the island," a music film celebrating the history of New York City's Roosevelt Island. To shoot the film, they created a custom mobile stage, performing through the streets of New York City with a piano in tow. Another recent project, a highly-acclaimed concert that told the hidden stories of the historic Hyde Hall, incorporated innovative techniques and contemporary improvisations on 19th-century instruments. And at New York's Carefree Gardens, they featured the biorhythms of plants live-translated into sound.

Evan and Nicole's performance credits include Carnegie Hall (NYC), the Banff Centre of the Arts (Canada), Bellas Artes Centro Cultural Ignacio Ramírez (Mexico), the Blue Note (Germany), and the UniJazz Festival (Czech Republic). They are touring nationally as Duo Extempore during the ‘22/’23 concert season, including the film festival Glimmerglass Film Days in collaboration with the acclaimed filmmaker Bill Morrison.

Duo Extempore’s distinct programs, ranging from museum concerts on period instruments to indie music films to performances with amplified plants, "capture many moods through considerable charm and creativity” (Jonathan Maney, writer). Their curated improvisations draw from classical and jazz virtuosity, and weave together storytelling, local history, architecture, and audience interaction — all to create music that pushes the boundaries for what a piano + bass can do together.

To learn more, visit: www.nicolebrancato.com/projects/duo-extempore

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