Draw a Note is a concept for collective composing, developed in collaboration with ensemble EMN with support from a Musikfonds grant in late 2021.

The concept is inspired by the practice of “drawing a number.” Before each rehearsal or performance, both the performers and the audience are invited to write down short musical ideas—phrases, rhythms, tonal frameworks, or playing instructions, whether musically precise or freely associative.

These new instructions are then mixed with a randomly chosen selection from the ensemble’s archive of instructions gathered from previous performances. Each player draws the same number of notes from a hat, with the number of notes determining the length of the performance.