Cough Piece (after Ono)

Clear throat during a concert or recital, to be performed during a leap second.

Composer's statement: Cough Piece (after Ono) continues in the Fluxus philosophy of questioning what constitutes "performance" by using as its medium a gestural act (the clearing of one's throat) usually considered to be prepatory for performance. By placing it in a concert setting, the piece is performed for an audience, albeit one which will likely either ignore or be perturbed by its execution. 

Note: The performance of Cough Piece (after Ono) should not last longer than one second and should only be undertaken at an interval when UTC time is adjusted by one second. A commiserate piece, involving coughing for an hour during a concert when Daylight Savings Time adjustments are made, is also permissible. A third variation, involving coughing for a full day, requires the performer to find and attend (but not organize) a 24-hour concert on February 29 of a leap year.

Performance note: Premiered at the Naumburg Bandshell, Central Park, New York City on January 29, 2015 at 8pm (00:00 UTC) during a performance of John Adams' Shaker Loops by Ensemble LPR. A recording of the performance can be found here. 

For more information, see the Leap Second Event Facebook page.