Winners

Scott Johnson – composer
Daniel C. Dennett – text and voice
Kasia Nalewajka – video
Alarm Will Sound – performance

“Winners” is a movement from the evening length work “Mind Out of Matter”. In music based on the sampled voice of philosopher Daniel C. Dennett, this piece explores his ideas on the origins and evolution of religion and supernatural belief – which, despite the compassionate intentions of most of their adherents, have in fact been responsible for much cruelty to outsiders. Our altruistic impulses are better understood as innate human drives, growing from our nature as a cooperative social species. Imaginative supernatural beliefs also grow from our grouped nature, as explanatory memes which can take on a Darwinian life of their own, regardless of their accuracy.

Composer Scott Johnson has been a pioneering voice in the new relationship being forged between the classical tradition and the popular culture that surrounds it, and has played an influential role since the early 1980’s in the incorporation of rock-derived musical materials into traditionally scored compositions.Philosopher and author Daniel C. Dennett has explored ideas related to consciousness, free will, evolution, religion, artificial intelligence, and more; all based on a grounding in cognitive science, evolutionary biology, and philosophy of mind, and attention to empirical evidence.Kasia Nalewajka is a Polish animator, director and writer, and the creator of award winning stop-motion and after-effects animation shorts selected for multiple international film festivals.Alarm Will Sound is a world renowned 20 member ensemble that has performed, commissioned, and premiered the music of composers at the forefront of contemporary music for two decades and counting.