
bio | projects
cenOte is experimental free improvisation by Gregory Hoffman and Gwen Young.
Aural explorers to the core, cenOte actively engages with unforeseen circumstances and outcomes as an essential component of their work. catalyst flux cross-genre investigative negotiates investigates new relationship between sonorities
cenOte casts their wave-net wide,
christian markley weatherspoon - 4.11.2017 ‘Graffiti Composition’
john cage black mountain museum
tatsuia nakatani shadowbox
workshop
site-specific interactions with outsider artist environments
site-specific improvisations: landscapes / biospheric interactions / natural phenomena / historical sites / curiosities / etc.
natural / man-made // wonders / disasters
collaborations with poets / authors / spoken word performers
collaborations with dancers
video artifacts and reinterpretations of performances

cenOte is experimental free improvisation by Gregory Hoffman and Gwen Young. A cenote (se-nOHtay) is a geological formation, a kind of sunken pool open to the sky. The word originates from the Mayan word dz’onot meaning “a cave with accumulated water." These subterranean lakes were considered gates to the underground world,¹ and in performance, cenOte maps a sunken dominion, enters a fugue state, summons the uncanny. Layering acoustic and electronic timbres, they create otherworldly, off-kilter soundscapes with prepared instruments, extended techniques, circuit bent toys, damaged record players, radios, tape machines, contact mics, analog synths, electronics, and anything else within reach. Complex textures and surprising sonorities bubble up from the collective subconscious, creaking, moaning, and slithering like the serpents, supernatural animals, and anthropomorphic beings which have been linked, along with witchcraft, to cenotes in folklore.²
In addition to live performance, the cenOte project encompasses collaborations and improvised site-specific interactions. These include:
-
Site-specific interactions with outsider artist environments
-
Site-specific activation of natural/man-made // wonders/disasters, including biospheric interactions, landscapes, historical sites, curiosities, etc.
-
Collaborations with poets, authors, spoken word performers, dancers, film makers, and other like-minded artists
-
Video artifacts of performances and improvised sound for self-produced film projects
As individual musicians, Gwen Young and Gregory Hoffman have participated in ensembles performing improvised pieces by
-
Graffiti Composition by Christian Marclay - April 11, 2017. Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC. More info. here. [Greg, prepared guitar and electronics; Gwen, flute and electronics]
-
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra by John Cage - April 27, 2019. S.E.M. Ensemble, directed by Petr Kotik, with Joseph Kubera, piano. Neo-Pastiche Festival, Black Mountain College + Art Museum, Black Mountain, NC. More info. here and here. [Greg, viola; Gwen, flute]
-
A Page of Madness by Teinosuke Kinugasa - a live improvised soundtrack to the 1926 silent film by the Tatsuya Nakatani Orchestra - November 1, 2022. Shadowbox Studio, Durham, NC. More info. here. [Greg, prepared guitar; Gwen, flute]
Greg and Gwen have also taught improvisation workshops at the UNC School of the Arts contemporary music festival in the summers of 2023 and 2024.
1. Szeroczyńska, Krystyna & Zawisza, Edyta. (2015). Cenotes – Lakes of the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico). Studia Quaternaria. 32. 53-57. 10.1515/squa-2015-0005.
2. Montes, Khristin & Clark, Dylan & McAnany, Patricia & Batun, Adolfo. (2023). Cenotes and Placemaking in the Maya World: Biocultural Landscapes as Archival Spaces. 10.1007/978-3-031-38739-5_10.
short bio
cenOte is experimental free improvisation by Gregory Hoffman and Gwen Young. In performance, the duo maps a sunken dominion, enters a fugue state, summons the uncanny. Layering acoustic and electronic timbres, they create otherworldly, off-kilter soundscapes with prepared instruments, extended techniques, circuit bent toys, damaged record players, radios, tape machines, contact mics, analog synths, electronics, and anything else within reach.
bio
cenOte is experimental free improvisation by Gregory Hoffman and Gwen Young. A cenote (se-nOHtay) is a geological formation, a kind of sunken pool open to the sky. The word originates from the Mayan word dz’onot meaning "a cave with accumulated water." These subterranean lakes were considered gates to the underground world,¹ and in performance, cenOte maps a sunken dominion, enters a fugue state, summons the uncanny. Layering acoustic and electronic timbres, they create otherworldly, off-kilter soundscapes with prepared instruments, extended techniques, circuit bent toys, damaged record players, radios, tape machines, contact mics, analog synths, electronics, and anything else within reach. Complex textures and surprising sonorities bubble up from the collective subconscious, creaking, moaning, and slithering like the serpents, supernatural animals, and anthropomorphic beings which have been linked, along with witchcraft, to cenotes in folklore.²
In addition to live performance, the cenOte project encompasses collaborations and improvised site-specific interactions, including:
-
Site-specific interactions with outsider artist environments
-
Site-specific activation of natural/man-made // wonders/disasters, including biospheric interactions, landscapes, historical sites, curiosities, etc.
-
Collaborations with poets, authors, spoken word performers, dancers, film makers, and other like-minded artists
-
Video artifacts of performances and improvised sound for self-produced film projects
As individual musicians, Gwen Young and Gregory Hoffman have participated in ensembles performing pieces by composers working with improvisation:
-
Graffiti Composition by Christian Marclay - April 11, 2017. Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC. More info. here. [Greg, prepared guitar and electronics; Gwen, flute and electronics]
-
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra by John Cage - April 27, 2019. S.E.M. Ensemble, directed by Petr Kotik, with Joseph Kubera, piano. Neo-Pastiche Festival, Black Mountain College + Art Museum, Black Mountain, NC. More info. here and here. [Greg, viola; Gwen, flute]
-
A Page of Madness by Teinosuke Kinugasa - a live improvised soundtrack to the 1926 silent film by the Tatsuya Nakatani Orchestra - November 1, 2022. Shadowbox Studio, Durham, NC. More info. here. [Greg, prepared guitar; Gwen, flute]
Greg and Gwen have also taught improvisation workshops at the UNC School of the Arts contemporary music festival in the summers of 2023 and 2024.
1. Szeroczyńska, Krystyna & Zawisza, Edyta. (2015). Cenotes – Lakes of the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico). Studia Quaternaria. 32. 53-57. 10.1515/squa-2015-0005.
2. Montes, Khristin & Clark, Dylan & McAnany, Patricia & Batun, Adolfo. (2023). Cenotes and Placemaking in the Maya World: Biocultural Landscapes as Archival Spaces. 10.1007/978-3-031-38739-5_10.
short bio
cenOte is experimental free improvisation by Gregory Hoffman and Gwen Young. In performance, the duo maps a sunken dominion, enters a fugue state, summons the uncanny. Layering acoustic and electronic timbres, they create otherworldly, off-kilter soundscapes with prepared instruments, extended techniques, circuit bent toys, damaged record players, radios, tape machines, contact mics, analog synths, electronics, and anything else within reach.
short bio
cenOte is experimental free improvisation by Gregory Hoffman and Gwen Young. In performance, the duo maps a sunken dominion, enters a fugue state, summons the uncanny. Layering acoustic and electronic timbres, they create otherworldly, off-kilter soundscapes with prepared instruments, extended techniques, circuit bent toys, damaged record players, radios, tape machines, contact mics, analog synths, electronics, and anything else within reach.
bio
cenOte is experimental free improvisation by Gregory Hoffman and Gwen Young. A cenote (se-nOHtay) is a geological formation, a kind of sunken pool open to the sky. The word originates from the Mayan word dz’onot meaning "a cave with accumulated water." These subterranean lakes were considered gates to the underground world,¹ and in performance, cenOte maps a sunken dominion, enters a fugue state, summons the uncanny. Layering acoustic and electronic timbres, they create otherworldly, off-kilter soundscapes with prepared instruments, extended techniques, circuit bent toys, damaged record players, radios, tape machines, contact mics, analog synths, electronics, and anything else within reach. Complex textures and surprising sonorities bubble up from the collective subconscious, creaking, moaning, and slithering like the serpents, supernatural animals, and anthropomorphic beings which have been linked, along with witchcraft, to cenotes in folklore.²
1. Szeroczyńska, Krystyna & Zawisza, Edyta. (2015). Cenotes – Lakes of the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico). Studia Quaternaria. 32. 53-57. 10.1515/squa-2015-0005.
2. Montes, Khristin & Clark, Dylan & McAnany, Patricia & Batun, Adolfo. (2023). Cenotes and Placemaking in the Maya World: Biocultural Landscapes as Archival Spaces. 10.1007/978-3-031-38739-5_10.
projects
In addition to live performance, the cenOte project encompasses collaborations and improvised site-specific interactions, including:
-
Site-specific interactions with outsider artist environments
-
Site-specific activation of natural/man-made // wonders/disasters, including biospheric interactions, landscapes, historical sites, curiosities, etc.
-
Collaborations with poets, authors, spoken word performers, dancers, film makers, and other like-minded artists
-
Video artifacts of performances and improvised sound for self-produced film projects
See here for more information.
affiliated activities
As individual musicians, Gwen Young and Gregory Hoffman have participated in ensembles performing pieces by composers working with improvisation:
-
Graffiti Composition by Christian Marclay - April 11, 2017. Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC. More info. here. [Greg, prepared guitar and electronics; Gwen, flute and electronics]
-
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra by John Cage - April 27, 2019. S.E.M. Ensemble, directed by Petr Kotik, with Joseph Kubera, piano. Neo-Pastiche Festival, Black Mountain College + Art Museum, Black Mountain, NC. More info. here and here. [Greg, viola; Gwen, flute]
-
A Page of Madness by Teinosuke Kinugasa - a live improvised soundtrack to the 1926 silent film by the Tatsuya Nakatani Orchestra - November 1, 2022. Shadowbox Studio, Durham, NC. More info. here. [Greg, prepared guitar; Gwen, flute]
Greg and Gwen have also taught improvisation workshops at the UNC School of the Arts Summer Contemporary Music Mini-Festival, (July 1, 2023) and UNCSA Experimental Improvisation Summer Mini-Fest (July 6,2024). Both workshops were geared towards high school musicians with little or no improvisation experience.
bio
cenOte is experimental free improvisation by Gregory Hoffman and Gwen Young. A cenote (se-nOHtay) is a geological formation, a kind of sunken pool open to the sky. The word originates from the Mayan word dz’onot meaning "a cave with accumulated water." These subterranean lakes were considered gates to the underground world,¹ and in performance, cenOte maps a sunken dominion, enters a fugue state, summons the uncanny. Layering acoustic and electronic timbres, they create otherworldly, off-kilter soundscapes with prepared instruments, extended techniques, circuit bent toys, damaged record players, radios, tape machines, contact mics, analog synths, electronics, and anything else within reach. Complex textures and surprising sonorities bubble up from the collective subconscious, creaking, moaning, and slithering like the serpents, supernatural animals, and anthropomorphic beings which have been linked, along with witchcraft, to cenotes in folklore.²
In addition to live performance, the cenOte project encompasses collaborations and improvised site-specific interactions, including:
-
Site-specific interactions with outsider artist environments
-
Site-specific activation of natural/man-made // wonders/disasters, including biospheric interactions, landscapes, historical sites, curiosities, etc.
-
Collaborations with poets, authors, spoken word performers, dancers, film makers, and other like-minded artists
-
Video artifacts of performances and improvised sound for self-produced film projects
As individual musicians, Gwen Young and Gregory Hoffman have participated in ensembles performing pieces by composers working with improvisation:
-
Graffiti Composition by Christian Marclay - April 11, 2017. Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC. More info. here. [Greg, prepared guitar and electronics; Gwen, flute and electronics]
-
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra by John Cage - April 27, 2019. S.E.M. Ensemble, directed by Petr Kotik, with Joseph Kubera, piano. Neo-Pastiche Festival, Black Mountain College + Art Museum, Black Mountain, NC. More info. here and here. [Greg, viola; Gwen, flute]
-
A Page of Madness by Teinosuke Kinugasa - a live improvised soundtrack to the 1926 silent film by the Tatsuya Nakatani Orchestra - November 1, 2022. Shadowbox Studio, Durham, NC. More info. here. [Greg, prepared guitar; Gwen, flute]
Greg and Gwen have also taught improvisation workshops at the UNC School of the Arts Summer Contemporary Music Mini-Festival, (July 1, 2023) and UNCSA Experimental Improvisation Summer Mini-Fest (July 6,2024). Both workshops were geared towards high school musicians with little or no improvisation experience.
1. Szeroczyńska, Krystyna & Zawisza, Edyta. (2015). Cenotes – Lakes of the Yucatan Peninsula (Mexico). Studia Quaternaria. 32. 53-57. 10.1515/squa-2015-0005.
2. Montes, Khristin & Clark, Dylan & McAnany, Patricia & Batun, Adolfo. (2023). Cenotes and Placemaking in the Maya World: Biocultural Landscapes as Archival Spaces. 10.1007/978-3-031-38739-5_10.
short bio
cenOte is experimental free improvisation by Gregory Hoffman and Gwen Young. In performance, the duo maps a sunken dominion, enters a fugue state, summons the uncanny. Layering acoustic and electronic timbres, they create otherworldly, off-kilter soundscapes with prepared instruments, extended techniques, circuit bent toys, damaged record players, radios, tape machines, contact mics, analog synths, electronics, and anything else within reach.