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Soundweavers

Soundweavers

By Chamber Music & Jazz Conversations

A bi-weekly podcast, Soundweavers explores the triumphs and tribulations of the chamber music community through conversations with emerging and established performers, composers, and educators. Through dialogue with guest artists and ensembles, we delve into what it means to present contemporary and traditional classical, jazz, and folk music in today’s ever-shifting gig economy.
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Currently playing episode

2.8 Putting Yourself "Out There" vs. Having Patience: Aquarelle Guitar Quartet

SoundweaversDec 15, 2021

00:00
31:35
3.04 Juliani Ensemble
May 24, 202359:19
3.03 Derby City Music Festival
May 10, 202349:57
3.02 Arthur Keegan
May 03, 202301:00:07
3.01 Icarus Quartet
Apr 26, 202356:44
3.00 Season Introduction - What is a "Soundweavers"?

3.00 Season Introduction - What is a "Soundweavers"?

Welcome to Season 3 of the Soundweavers Podcast!

In this short introductory episode, host Rosanna Moore, editor Evan Henry and producer Nikolas Jeleniauskas chat about the direction they are hoping to take the show this season. They also discuss the upcoming guests for the next four episodes: Icarus Quartet, Arthur Keegan, Derby City Music Festival and the Juliani Ensemble.


Apr 19, 202322:19
Hiatus Message

Hiatus Message

Soundweavers Podcast will be on hiatus until next year.

Nov 23, 202201:51
2.24 UpBeat Collaboration
Aug 24, 202243:09
2.23 Playing Classical Music on Electric Guitar: DJ Sparr

2.23 Playing Classical Music on Electric Guitar: DJ Sparr

Guitarist and composer DJ Sparr joins us to chat about the central role that the relationships built in school play in securing future work. He shares about his experience performing Kenneth Fuch’s Electric Guitar Concerto with JoAnn Falletta and the London Symphony Orchestra and the difference between performing his vs. others’ works. We also talk about the typical day-to-day schedule of a performer-composer, and working this into family life.

Electric guitarist and composer D. J. Sparr, who Gramophone recently hailed as “exemplary,” is one of America’s preeminent composer-performers. He has caught the attention of critics with his eclectic style, described as “pop-Romantic…iridescent and wondrous” (The Mercury News) and “suits the boundary erasing spirit of today’s new-music world” (The New York Times). The Los Angeles Times praises him as “an excellent soloist,” and the Santa Cruz Sentinel says that he “wowed an enthusiastic audience…Sparr’s guitar sang in a near-human voice.”

He was the electric guitar concerto soloist on the 2018 GRAMMY-Award winning, all-Kenneth Fuchs recording with JoAnn Falletta and the London Symphony Orchestra. In 2011, Sparr was named one of NPR listener’s favorite 100 composers under the age 40. He has composed for and performed with renowned ensembles such as the Houston Grand Opera, Cabrillo Festival, New World Symphony, Washington National Opera, and Eighth Blackbird. His music has received awards from BMI, New Music USA, and the League of Composers/ISCM. Sparr is a faculty member at the famed Walden School’s Creative Musicians Retreat in Dublin, New Hampshire. His works and guitar performances appear on Naxos, Innova Recordings, & Centaur Records.

D. J. lives in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with his wife Kimberly, son Harris, Nannette the hound dog, and Bundini the boxer. D. J. Sparr’s music is published by Bill Holab Music.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about DJ Sparr, please visit his website.

Jul 20, 202227:25
2.22 Using Brass Quintet to Promote Female Voices: Calypsus Brass

2.22 Using Brass Quintet to Promote Female Voices: Calypsus Brass

Jacquelyn Lankford and Stephanie Ycaza of Calypsus Brass join us to chat about the significance of being an all-female-identifying group in the world of brass ensembles. They speak with us about the workshops, which range from discussions on military and orchestral work to musician wellness. We talk about their involvement with Rising Tide Music Press and how they tackle the challenges associated with funding the commissioning and recording of new works.

Founded in 2021, Calypsus Brass is a professional chamber ensemble performing new works recitals, creating high-level professional recordings for composers, and working with chamber musicians at all levels. The five founding members are avid performers and educators touring around the world, giving masterclasses and recitals.

Calypsus Brass is a groundbreaking musical group founded by five women who earned a doctoral degree in music, the first of its kind. Between them, members hold 5 doctorates, a total of 14 degrees, 3 minors, and 4 advanced certificates in cognates such as pedagogy and jazz improvisation. Calypsus Brass serves as a recording ensemble for composers whose works have never been recorded. Founded in 2021, Calypsus members perform at the highest level of excellence in musical performance and education.

Calypsus Brass is committed to prioritizing recording and performing works of historically marginalized composers to uplift the highest quality of music. To further this mission, Calypsus Brass is proud to be the Ensemble in Residence for Rising Tide Music Press, an organization that publishes and promotes BBIA (Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Asian) musicians in their 10 years of professional-level work as composers and arrangers.

Because professional recordings can be cost-prohibitive for composers and many composition competitions and calls for scores require recording with real instruments for consideration, Calypsus Brass is committed to recording works by emerging artists. We encourage all musicians to program music by a diverse array of composers so that the music we perform is inclusive of the community we serve as artists. Calypsus is proud to lead by example in this mission with recording and commissioning projects. When premiering and recording works, Calypsus Brass creates a relationship with composers, helping to build their portfolios with recordings that the composers are proud to showcase while providing expert advice and coaching regarding idiomatic writing for brass instruments.

As devoted educators, Calypsus members bring a robust pedagogical background to each masterclass and outreach event. Combining 80 years of educational experience, Calypsus Brass presents specialized masterclasses and clinics on topics including: chamber music, classical, orchestra, and jazz performance, wellness, audition preparation, military and orchestral careers, performance anxiety and psychology, music career development, marketing and branding, arts administration and nonprofit management, commissioning, audio engineering, and intersectionality in the music community.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about Calypsus Brass, please visit their website.

Jul 07, 202237:13
2.21 Giving All Kids a Chance to Play: Music Haven

2.21 Giving All Kids a Chance to Play: Music Haven

Violist Annalisa Boerner of Music Haven and the Haven String Quartet joins us to discuss the organization's mission to enhance access to chamber music education for the students of New Haven, Connecticut. We chat about how the organization works to connect the work their students are doing in the studio with the world beyond their practice, and how they work to counter the violence and hostility of society through community-building. We speak about the ways in which the organization is currently striving to improve inclusivity in employment and programming, and how they manage to provide learning opportunities 100% tuition-free to students in need.

Featured in the New York Times and on NPR, and sought after for both their command on the concert stage and their mastery as teachers, Haven String Quartet has been described as “exquisite” by the NH Register.

Its four members represent the world’s top conservatories and bring outstanding chamber music performances to New Haven neighborhoods and throughout the region with a full season of concerts, recitals, educational workshops, and performances for diverse audiences in public spaces.

The Quartet serves as the permanent quartet-in-residence and teaching faculty for Music Haven, and  spearheads the organization’s tuition-free strings program for youth, which has been recognized as a top 50 after-school arts program in the country by the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities for six years. Each member of HSQ teaches a full studio of 15-20 Music Haven students in private lessons, group classes, studio classes, chamber groups, and an advanced chamber orchestra.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about Music Haven, please visit their website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.


Jun 22, 202224:41
2.20 Introducing Evan Henry: Cast Chat

2.20 Introducing Evan Henry: Cast Chat

Our new producer, Evan Henry, joins us to discuss his life as a student and composer and how he found his way into audio engineering as a segment of his professional career.

Evan Henry is a composer and music copyist (and now, podcast producer, it seems!) currently living in Eugene, Oregon. His formal musical study began at the Eastman School of Music in 2008 as a jazz trumpet major. After switching focus to composition and piano, he graduated with a BM in composition in 2013, and briefly continued his studies at the University of Pennsylvania in 2016. In 2017, he began exploring Balinese gamelan music extensively, performing, teaching, and composing for Eastman's two ensembles, Gamelan Sanjiwani and Gamelan Lila Muni. In 2021, he won the Random Opera New Works Competition, and his opera The Heavenly Ledger will be premiered online in September 2022. His musical influences draw from his eclectic background and include everything from Stravinsky to Eric Dolphy to David Wise to Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon.

Jun 08, 202220:14
2.19 Making Music for Silent Films: FRAME Ensemble
May 25, 202229:18
2.18 Using Music To Explore Identity: Nina Shekhar

2.18 Using Music To Explore Identity: Nina Shekhar

Composer Nina Shekhar joins us to chat about her work exploring identity, vulnerability, love, and laughter in her work and her process for exploring such complex aspects of humanity in seemingly mundane experiences, such as the car horns on the streets of India. We talk about how she approaches the business side of a professional career in composition, and how her work as a flutist, saxophonist, and pianist has informed her comfort with a wide array of compositional styles. And we speak about how we can all be more mindful to empower and promote the agency of composers and performers from marginalized communities and avoid the risks of exploiting any individual's otherness.

Nina Shekhar is a composer who explores the intersection of identity, vulnerability, love, and laughter to create bold and intensely personal works.

Described as “tart and compelling” (New York Times), “vivid” (Washington Post), and “surprises and delights aplenty” (LA Times), her music has been commissioned and performed by leading artists including LA Philharmonic, Albany Symphony, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, New World Symphony, Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Eighth Blackbird, International Contemporary Ensemble, JACK Quartet, New York Youth Symphony, Alarm Will Sound, The Crossing, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, ETHEL, violinist Jennifer Koh, saxophonist Timothy McAllister, Ensemble Échappé, Music from Copland House, soprano Tony Arnold, Third Angle New Music, The New York Virtuoso Singers, Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Lyris Quartet, Ray-Kallay Duo, New Music Detroit, and Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra. Her work has been featured by Carnegie Hall, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Walt Disney Concert Hall (LA Phil’s Noon to Midnight), Library of Congress, National Gallery of Art, National Sawdust, National Flute Association, North American Saxophone Alliance, I Care If You Listen, WNYC/New Sounds (New York), WFMT (Chicago), and KUSC and KPFK (Los Angeles) radio, ScoreFollower, and New Music Detroit’s Strange Beautiful Music. Upcoming events include performances by the New York Philharmonic, LA Philharmonic (joined by soloists Nathalie Joachim and Pamela Z), Minnesota Orchestra, Seattle Symphony, and her Hollywood Bowl debut with the LA Philharmonic. Current projects include commissions for the Grand Rapids Symphony, 45th Parallel Universe Chamber Orchestra (sponsored by GLFCAM), and Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA) (sponsored by LA Phil and New Music USA). Nina is the recipient of the 2021 Rudolf Nissim Prize, two ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Awards (2015 and 2019), and the 2018 ASCAP Foundation Leonard Bernstein Award, funded by the Bernstein family.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about Nina Shekhar, please visit her website, Facebook, and Instagram.

May 11, 202232:21
2.17 Enlivening A Cappella Music: Gesualdo Six

2.17 Enlivening A Cappella Music: Gesualdo Six

Owain Park of Gesualdo Six joins us to discuss the origins of the ensemble. We chat about the many traditions for a vocal consort, from the sacred elements associated with a cappella music to the members' conventional training as pianists and organists and backgrounds working at cathedrals. We talk about their recent pandemic-inspired projects recording Héloïse Werner's Coronasolfège and their new(ish) podcast, G6. We speak a bit about their composition competition, and the typical challenges associated with composing for an a cappella ensemble.

The Gesualdo Six is an award-winning British vocal ensemble comprising some of the UK’s finest consort singers, directed by Owain Park. Praised for their imaginative programming and impeccable blend, the ensemble formed in 2014 for a performance of Gesualdo’s Tenebrae Responsories in Cambridge and has gone on to perform at numerous major festivals across the UK, Europe, North America and Australia. Notable highlights include a concert as part of the distinguished Deutschlandradio Debut Series, debut at Wigmore Hall in 2021, and collaborations with the Brodsky Quartet, London Mozart Players, Luxmuralis, William Barton and Matilda Lloyd.

The ensemble integrates educational work into its activities, regularly holding workshops for young musicians and composers. The Gesualdo Six has curated two Composition Competitions, with the 2019 edition attracting entries from over three hundred composers around the world. The group have recently commissioned new works from Joanna Ward, Kerensa Briggs, Deborah Pritchard, Joanna Marsh, and Richard Barnard alongside coronasolfège for 6 by Héloïse Werner.

Videos of the ensemble performing a diverse selection of works filmed in Ely Cathedral have been watched by millions online. The group released their debut recording English Motets on Hyperion Records in early 2018 to critical acclaim, followed by a festive album of seasonal favourites in late 2019, Christmas, and an album of compline-themed music titled Fading which was awarded Vocal & Choral Recording of the Year 2020 by Limelight. A programme celebrating the 500th anniversary of Josquin des Prez titled Josquin’s Legacy followed in late 2021, and Tenebrae Responsories for Maundy Thursday was released in Lent 2022.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about Gesualdo Six, please visit their website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and SoundCloud.

Apr 27, 202230:42
2.16 Managing a Modern Quartet: Attacca Quartet

2.16 Managing a Modern Quartet: Attacca Quartet

Domenic Salerni of the Attacca Quartet joins us to chat about what it means to "live in the present…without rejecting the virtues of the past" and how the ensemble approaches breathes new life into traditional projects. We discuss the ins and outs of artist management, and how the ensemble approaches commissions. And, Domenic shares how the quartet searches for a recording label and how up-and-coming artists can develop the skills needed for the recording process.

Grammy award-winning Attacca Quartet, as described by The Nation, “lives in the present aesthetically, without rejecting the virtues of the musical past”, and it is this dexterity to glide between the music of the 18th through to 21st century living composer’s repertoire that has placed them as one of the most versatile and outstanding ensembles of the moment – a quartet for modern times.

Touring extensively in the United States, recent and upcoming highlights include Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concerts, New York Philharmonic’s Nightcap series, Lincoln Center White Lights Festival and Miller Theatre, both with Caroline Shaw, Phillips Collection, Wolf Trap, Carolina Performing Arts, Chamber Music Detroit, Red Bank Chamber Music Society, Chamber Music Austin and a residency at the National Sawdust, Brooklyn. They recently performed at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, where they will return in 2020 and have performed a series of Beethoven String Quartet cycles both at the historic University at Buffalo’s Slee Beethoven Quartet Cycle series and at the New York and Trinity Lutheran Church, Manhattan, where they have a longstanding partnership. The upcoming season will see them debuting at the Trinity Church at Wall Street as part as their 12 Night Festival where they will perform the complete cycle of the Beethoven String Quartets. Attacca Quartet has also served as Juilliard’s Graduate Resident String Quartet, the Quartet in Residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Ensemble-in-Residence at the School of Music at Texas State University.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about eighth blackbird, please visit their website, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Apr 13, 202232:20
2.15 Inside Internships: Cast Chat

2.15 Inside Internships: Cast Chat

Lydia Becker, former intern with Pegasus Early Music, joins us to discuss the experience of interning for a major arts organization, from the ins-and-outs of everyday business to the more memorable moments that led her toward the work she is doing today. Lydia shares some advice for students looking to intern with major ensembles, and talks about her experience moving from intern to employee for the same institution.

Lydia Becker is an innovative violinist who is passionate about building a vibrant audience relationship through historical performance practices, artistic diversity, and effective arts administration. Her quest for authenticity in all areas of life has forged her eclectic career path.

Lydia always loved Baroque music, but got swept into the exciting world of historical performance when she first met Christel Thielmann and Paul O’Dette at the Eastman School of Music as an undergraduate violinist. The freedom and creativity allowed in these older performance practices immediately sparked Lydia’s passion for exploring new music from the past. Having earned three degrees in Violin Performance and Early Music with high distinction from the Eastman School of Music, Lydia is continuing her graduate studies in Historical Performance at the Juilliard School.

Curiosity fuels Lydia’s music-making; consequently, she strives for musical excellence in all musical styles and genres. Lydia has performed internationally in numerous festivals and concerts, sharing the stage with renowned artists, including Paul O’Dette, Monica Huggett, and Maxim Vengerov. She is a founding member of the Berwick Fiddle Consort, a historically-informed folk band; Luminaria, a multi-sensory watercolor-harp-violin duet; and the Kenaniah Project, an eclectic jazz-classical-folk chamber ensemble that presents sacred Christian music from a fresh perspective.

Lydia is equally skilled as an arts administrator, and recently was the administrative manager for Pegasus Early Music and NYS Baroque for three years. Since 2017, Lydia has served as assistant to the orchestra director at the Boston Early Music Festival summer season, helping to coordinate the orchestra’s logistics at one of the largest early music festivals in the world. Lydia is a Catherine Filene Shouse Arts Leadership Program fellow and earned a Certificate in Arts Leadership at the Eastman School of Music.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about Lydia, please visit her website.

Mar 30, 202219:46
2.14 The Evolution of an Ensemble: Eighth Blackbird

2.14 The Evolution of an Ensemble: Eighth Blackbird

Pianist Lisa Kaplan of eighth blackbird joins us to chat about the many evolutions of their organization, from the original ensemble to their many teaching endeavors. We chat about the Chicago Artists Workshop and Blackbird Creative Lab, two of the ways in which they continue to “move music forward” beyond their primarily performance-based projects. Kaplan shares about how the ensemble conceptualizes and puts projects—such as This is my Home—into action. We speak about how the organization integrates interns into their administrative process. And, we ask, "why 'eighth blackbird'?"

Born in Motown, Lisa Kaplan is a pianist specializing in the performance of new work by living composers. Kaplan is the founding pianist and Executive Director of the four-time Grammy Award-winning sextet Eighth Blackbird. Kaplan has won numerous awards, performed all over the country and has premiered new pieces by hundreds of composers, including Andy Akiho, Jennifer Higdon, Amy Beth Kirsten, David Lang, Missy Mazzoli, Nico Muhly, George Perle, and Pamela Z. She has had the great pleasure to collaborate and make music with an eclectic array of incredibly talented people - Laurie Anderson, Jeremy Denk, Bryce Dessner, Philip Glass, Bon Iver, J. Ivy, Glenn Kotche, Shara Nova, Will Oldham, Natalie Portman, Gustavo Santaolalla, Robert Spano, Tarrey Torae, Dawn Upshaw and Michael Ward-Bergeman to name a few. As a proud, single-mama-by-choice, Kaplan has been having an incredible time raising and learning from her happy-go-lucky 4 year old, Frida. Musically as of late, she has also greatly enjoyed and appreciated the opportunity to do both composing and arranging for Eighth Blackbird as well as some producing. In 2019, Kaplan co-produced her first record, When We Are Inhuman with Bryce Dessner.  Kaplan is a true foodie, gourmet cook, avid reader, crossword and Scrabble addict, enjoys baking ridiculously complicated pastry and loves outdoor adventures. She has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, braved the Australian outback, stared an enormous elephant in the face in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater and survived close encounters with grizzly bears in the Brooks Range of Alaska.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about eighth blackbird, please visit their website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Spotify.

Mar 19, 202232:03
2.13 The Magic of Storytelling: Kincaid Rabb

2.13 The Magic of Storytelling: Kincaid Rabb

Composer Kincaid Rabb joins us to discuss the consortium model for commissioning new works, how their composition approach does and doesn’t change when composing for a consortium, and the basics on how to put consortia together. They chat with us about their research into the music of theme parks, and how they’ve integrated this research into their composition. We talk about how one approaches the challenges of balancing one’s privileges with one’s identity, and how this manifests in the small ensemble industry. We speak about their new ensemble, Basket of Owls, and finish the conversation by exploring what magic actually is.

Kincaid Rabb (b. 1993, they/them pronouns) is an award-winning composer, working at the intersection of storytelling and new music. Kincaid is an artist-scholar whose research includes musical narratology, emotional catharsis, and the phenomenon of the theme park as inspiration.  Using narration, worldbuilding, and a strong sense of fun and play, Kincaid creates musical experiences that immerse audiences into intimate spaces and that reward waders, swimmers, and divers alike. Kincaid produces works that trapeze artistic disciplines, curating performances that seamlessly integrate different sensory experiences and create lasting memories through music.

Kincaid’s collaborations have included Paradise Winds, The _____ Experiment, the Driftwood Quintet, Kontra Duo, Keyed Kontraptions, Duo R2, the Brelby Theatre Company, and the faculty and students at the University of Arizona and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Kincaid is a founding member of Basket of Owls, an ensemble of musician-narrators dedicated to curating spaces for unheard stories. Their principal teachers have included Douglas Harbin, Daniel Asia, Pamela Decker, Diego Vega, and Jennifer Bellor.

Currently residing in San Diego, California, Kincaid graduated with a Master of Music in Composition in 2021 from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where they held a graduate assistantships in theory, composition, and musicology. They graduated from the University of Arizona with a Bachelor of Music in Composition in 2017. Kincaid is affiliated with ASCAP and is a NextGen Member of the Themed Entertainment Association. When not working on making more music about dinosaurs, superheroes, or wizards, Kincaid can be found riding roller coasters at local Southern California theme parks.

Resources

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about Kincaid Rabb, please visit their website, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, SoundCloud, and Spotify.

Mar 02, 202228:35
2.12 When Brass Join the Party: Riot Jazz
Feb 16, 202230:26
2.11 Engaging a Screen-Centric Audience: fivebyfive

2.11 Engaging a Screen-Centric Audience: fivebyfive

Laura Lentz, Marc Webster, and Eric Polenik of fivebyfive join us to chat about how they tailor their work to screen-centric audiences, and how their video projects have led to particularly interesting collaborations throughout their existence. They share about their approaches to successful grant writing, and how they've found themselves working not just as grant recipients, but also as grant-writing mentors. We also speak about the role that community plays in their work, and how they continue to search for new ways to deepen their ties to their community at every level.

fivebyfive (flute, clarinet, electric guitar, bass and piano) performs music of today’s leading and emerging composers from around the world, advocates for creators who are underrepresented in the field, and collaborates with artists across the disciplines. Through its workshops and educational concerts, fivebyfive aims to spark young people’s unlimited creative potential and inspire a deeper understanding of today’s chamber music. With a commitment to accessibility, fivebyfive performs in a variety of settings, offering affordable or free programming and sensory-friendly events.

fivebyfive’s events often involve community-building experiences in real-time during performances. Examples of these programs include: “Music/Glass” at the 2019 Rochester Fringe Festival, where audiences were free to move throughout the space during the performance and participate in creating a fused glass art work while hearing the music performed live, Meet the Composer events where audiences were a part of the conversations bringing new works to life and its educational programs in the schools working with young people to spark their unlimited creative potential and inspire a deeper understanding of today’s chamber music. These have included collaborations with students of the RocMusic Collaborative, Strings for Success, 12 Corners Middle School, among others.

The winner of the 2018 Eastman/ArtistShare New Artist Program and a New Music USA grant recipient for its commissioning project for new works inspired by the stained-glass artist Judith Schaechter, fivebyfive was awarded a second New Music USA project grant for a collaboration with the George Eastman Museum, commissioning new works inspired by photographer James Welling’s collection “Choreograph.” In 2020 fivebyfive was selected as one of 16 recipients for a Chamber Music America Commissioning Grant with composer/harpist Amy Nam, and in 2021 the group was chosen as a New Music USA Organizational Development Fund Recipient which recognizes outstanding organizations that work regularly with, & support the development of, music creators & artists, offering a crucial resource in their community.

fivebyfive has appeared on WXXI Classical 91.5’s programs Backstage Pass and Live from Hochstein, featured on Performance Rochester and Performance Upstate, and has also appeared nationally on American Public Media’s Performance Today program with host Fred Child.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about fivebyfive, please visit their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Feb 02, 202230:50
2.10 Reflections on DEIA: Cast Chat
Jan 19, 202223:18
2.9 Founded on Representation: Imani Winds

2.9 Founded on Representation: Imani Winds

Monica Ellis from Imani Winds joins the Soundweavers team to chat about their ensemble's origin and the gradual development of their mission over their first several years. She shared about Imani's really interesting experience with having "in-house" composers in the ensemble. We chat about the evolution of their recording process and how they have sought out new ensemble members. And, we speak about the ensemble's new gig as faculty members at the Curtis Institute of Music.

Celebrating over two decades of music making, the Grammy nominated Imani Winds has led both a revolution and evolution of the wind quintet through their dynamic playing, adventurous programming, imaginative collaborations and outreach endeavors that have inspired audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

The ensemble’s playlist embraces traditional chamber music repertoire, and as a 21st century group, Imani Winds is devoutly committed to expanding the wind quintet repertoire by commissioning music from new voices that reflect historical events and the times in which we currently live.

Present and future season performances include a Jessie Montgomery composition inspired by her great-grandfather’s migration from the American south to the north, as well as socially conscious music by Andy Akiho, designed to be performed both on the concert stage and in front of immigrant detention centers throughout the country.

Imani Winds regularly performs in prominent international concert venues, including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Walt Disney Hall and the Kimmel Center. Their touring schedule has taken them throughout the Asian continent, Brazil, Australia, England, New Zealand and across Europe. Their national and international presence include performances at chamber music series in Boston, New York, Washington D.C., San Francisco, Philadelphia and Houston. Festival performances include Chamber Music Northwest, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the Ravinia Festival, Chautauqua, Banff Centre and Angel Fire.

Imani Winds’ travels through the jazz world are highlighted by their association with saxophonist and composer Wayne Shorter, woodwind artist and composer Paquito D’Rivera and pianist and composer Jason Moran. Their ambitious project, "Josephine Baker: A Life of Le Jazz Hot!" featured chanteuse René Marie in performances that brought the house down in New York, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Los Angeles and St. Louis.

In 2016, Imani Winds received their greatest accolade in their 20 years of music making: a permanent presence in the classical music section of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about Imani Winds, please visit their website, Apple Music, Spotify, SoundCloud, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Dec 29, 202133:59
2.8 Putting Yourself "Out There" vs. Having Patience: Aquarelle Guitar Quartet

2.8 Putting Yourself "Out There" vs. Having Patience: Aquarelle Guitar Quartet

Mike Baker and Rory Russell of the Aquarelle Guitar Quartet join the Soundweavers team to discuss their work promoting the guitar quartet through a careful balance of traditional repertoire, arrangements, and commissions. They chat about their relationship with Chandos Records and their recording projects. They speak about their beginnings with Live Music Now and the value that community engagement programs offer both the local audiences and the performers.

Recognized as one of the world’s leading guitar quartets, the Aquarelle Guitar Quartet is a dynamic and innovative ensemble known for its extraordinary ensemble in performance and expansive repertoire. Formed originally at the Royal Northern College of Music (in 1999), under the guidance of Craig Ogden and Gordon Crosskey, the quartet went on to study with renowned guitarists such as Sérgio Assad, Oscar Ghiglia and Scott Tennant. Their early successes included winning awards from the Musicians Benevolent Fund, Tillett Trust and Tunnell Trust.

In 2016, the Aquarelle Guitar Quartet was invited to perform at Classic FM Live at the Royal Albert Hall with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. The concert, which also featured Maxim Vengerov, Debbie Wiseman, Laura Wright and Wayne Marshall, was recorded for subsequent broadcast. The Aquarelle Guitar Quartet has performed in many other major concert halls in the UK, including Perth Concert Hall, Wigmore Hall, St. Martin-in-the-Fields and Bridgewater Hall. Their engagements have taken them throughout Europe, most recently visiting Germany, Spain, Denmark, Greece, Estonia, Poland and Ireland. The ensemble made its debut in Asia in 2014 with a series of concerts in Seoul and they returned to South Korea in 2016, this time to perform at the Daejeon International Guitar Festival.

The AGQ is dedicated to presenting music from around the globe, spanning the period from the renaissance right through to the present day. Many established international composers, including Carlos Rafael Rivera (U.S.A), Phillip Houghton (Australia), Stephen Dodgson (U.K) and Nikita Koshkin (Russia) have invited the quartet to perform their compositions, and the group’s commission “Danças Nativas”, by the Brazilian composer Clarice Assad, was nominated for a Latin Grammy® award for best classical composition in 2009. A further source of material for the AGQ’s constantly expanding repertoire is their own arrangements of music from various genres, including works by Gismonti, Mussorgsky, Rossini, and film music composer Ryuichi Sakamoto.

In 2009 the Aquarelle Guitar Quartet was signed exclusively to Chandos Records and has since recorded 5 albums; “Spirit of Brazil” (March 2009), “Dances” (June 2010), “Final Cut” (June 2012), “Cuatro” (Nov 2013) and “Aspects” (Nov 2016) all received highly enthusiastic reviews in the press.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about the Aquarelle Guitar Quartet, please visit their website, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

Dec 15, 202131:35
2.7 Connecting to Her Roots: Reena Esmail

2.7 Connecting to Her Roots: Reena Esmail

Reena Esmail joins us to chat about integrating her Western and Hindustani roots in her composition and throughout her work as artistic director of Shastra. We chat about how she prepares listeners with less experience for musical experiences that are new to them. She speaks about her work as composer-in-residence of Street Symphony, a non-profit organization bringing music to Los Angeles-based homeless and incarcerated populations on Skid Row and beyond. And, we talk about her methods for introducing Western musicians to primarily aural traditions.

Indian-American composer Reena Esmail works between the worlds of Indian and Western classical music, and brings communities together through the creation of equitable musical spaces.

Esmail’s work has been commissioned by ensembles including the Los Angeles Master Chorale,  Kronos Quartet, Imani Winds, Richmond Symphony, Town Music Seattle,  Albany Symphony, Chicago Sinfonietta,  River Oaks Chamber Orchestra, San Francisco Girls Chorus, The Elora Festival, Juilliard415, and Yale Institute of Sacred Music. Upcoming seasons include new work for Seattle Symphony, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Santa Fe Desert Chorale, Amherst College Choir and Orchestra, Santa Fe Pro Musica, and Conspirare.

Esmail is the Los Angeles Master Chorale’s 2020-2023 Swan Family Artist in Residence, and Seattle Symphony’s 2020-21 Composer-in-Residence.  Previously, she was named a 2019 United States Artist Fellow in Music, and the 2019 Grand Prize Winner of the S & R Foundation’s Washington Award.  Esmail was also a 2017-18 Kennedy Center Citizen Artist Fellow. She was the 2012 Walter Hinrichsen Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters (and subsequent publication of a work by C.F. Peters).

Esmail holds degrees in composition from The Juilliard School (BM’05) and the Yale School of Music (MM’11, MMA’14, DMA’18). Her primary teachers have included Susan Botti, Aaron Jay Kernis, Christopher Theofanidis and Martin Bresnick, Christopher Rouse and Samuel Adler. She received a Fulbright-Nehru grant to study Hindustani music in India. Her Hindustani music teachers include Srimati Lakshmi Shankar and Gaurav Mazundar, and she currently studies and collaborates with Saili Oak. Her doctoral thesis, entitled Finding Common Ground: Uniting Practices in Hindustani and Western Art Musicians explores the methods and challenges of the collaborative process between Hindustani musicians and Western composers. Esmail was Composer-in-Residence for Street Symphony (2016-18) and is currently an Artistic Director of Shastra, a non-profit organization that promotes cross-cultural music connecting music traditions of India and the West.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about Reena Esmail, please visit her website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Dec 01, 202133:11
2.6 Recasting Old Gems in a New Light: Pacific Harp Project

2.6 Recasting Old Gems in a New Light: Pacific Harp Project

Harpist Megan Bledsoe Ward joins us to chat about how she stumbled into improvisation as a harpist and how her early experiences resulted in the genre-weaving collaboration that Pacific Harp Project has become. We talk about her process for funding and then recording her first album, and how her ensemble approaches marketing. And we discuss how much there is to learn about a work by recasting it in new and interesting ways.

Praised for their “engaging jazz...with scintillating plays of light and subtle colors” by DownBeat Magazine, Pacific Harp Project’s emergence on the jazz scene has surprised listeners with a unique sonic experience. By incorporating classical harp music into the realms of jazz, pop, and fusion, this groundbreaking group “leads the listener to the conclusion: The harp has been unchained.” (AllAboutJazz.com)

Pacific Harp Project launched in 2014 and released their self-titled debut album in December, 2015 with a sold-out concert. The album won the 2016 Na Hoku Hanohano Award for Instrumental Album of the Year, and received positive reviews from DownBeat Magazine, Jazz Weekly, CD Hotlist, AllAboutJazz.com, The Aquarian Weekly, TheJazzPage.com, Midwest Record, LA Jazz Scene, Honolulu Star Advertiser, and ASX.com. Pacific Harp Project’s 2017 recording of “Loops” by Noel Okimoto was nominated for a RoundGlass International Music Award for Best Contemporary Instrumental Single, and the group’s second album, “Play,” was released in 2019 to critical acclaim.

Pacific Harp Project formed when harpist Megan Bledsoe Ward teamed up with illustrious jazz musicians Noel Okimoto (vibraphone), Todd Yukumoto (saxophone), Jon Hawes (bass), and Allan Ward (drums). Bledsoe Ward approaches jazz harp from a new perspective, leaning on her experience in classical performing, composing, and arranging. CD Hotlist notes: “Megan Bledsoe Ward has a solid grasp of the jazz idiom—she’s not a dabbler or dilettante...When she ventures into the very dangerous territory of arranging classical pieces in a jazz style, she comes out the other side not just unscathed but triumphant.” Combined with original compositions by Bledsoe Ward and Noel Okimoto, the result is an innovative collaboration in which the musicians delight in working together and captivating audiences at each performance.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about the Pacific Harp Project, please visit their website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Nov 17, 202130:13
2.5 3 Essentials of Starting a Project: Cast Chat
Nov 03, 202122:34
2.4 15 Years of Music-Making With No Real Plan: Yarn/Wire

2.4 15 Years of Music-Making With No Real Plan: Yarn/Wire

Laura Barger from Yarn/Wire joins the Soundweavers team to chat about what it really means to proceed without a plan, auditioning and integrating new members, and the usefulness of the recording process for musicians. We discuss their collaborative project Be Holding with the poet Ross Gay, composer Tyshawn Sorey, and director Brooke O'Harra, and the first- to twelfth-grade students of Girard College. Laura shares about the ensemble's web series Feedback, in which they focus on the process of making new music. And, we speak about the Yarn/Wire International Institute, a tuition-free program serving both performers and composers.

Yarn/Wire is a New York-based percussion and piano quartet (Sae Hashimoto and Russell Greenberg, percussion; Laura Barger and Ning Yu, pianos) dedicated to the promotion of creative, experimental new music. Pianist Julia Den Boer will join as guest artist for the 2021-2022 season. Described by The Brooklyn Rail as “fascinating and exciting, with playing that is precise and full of purpose,” the ensemble is admired globally for the energy and precision it brings to performances of today’s most adventurous compositions. Founded in 2005, the ensemble seeks to expand the representation of composers so that it might begin to better reflect our communities and experience new creative potential.

Yarn/Wire appears internationally at prominent festivals and venues including the Lincoln Center Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall, Rainy Days Festival (Luxembourg), Ultima Festival (Norway), Transit Festival (Belgium), Dublin SoundLab, Monday Evening Concerts (Los Angeles), Contempuls Festival (Prague), Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York’s Miller Theatre at Columbia University, River-to-River Festival, La MaMa Theatre, Festival of New American Music, and London’s Barbican Centre. Their numerous commissions include works from composers such as Enno Poppe, Michael Gordon, George Lewis, Ann Cleare, Peter Evans, Alex Mincek, Thomas Meadowcroft, Misato Mochizuki, Sam Pluta, Tyondai Braxton, and Kate Soper. The ensemble enjoys collaborations with genre-bending artists such as Tristan Perich, Ben Vida, Mark Fell, and Sufjan Stevens.

Through the Yarn/Wire International Institute and Festival and other educational residencies and outreach programs, Yarn/Wire works to promote not only the present but also the future of new music in the United States. Their ongoing commissioning series, Yarn/Wire/Currents, serves as an incubator for new experimental music.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about Yarn/Wire, please visit their website, Bandcamp, Yarn/Wire Feedback Series, and YouTube (Yarn/Wire International Institute).

Oct 20, 202131:44
2.3 Music Education & Building Community: Viet Cuong

2.3 Music Education & Building Community: Viet Cuong

Composer Viet Cuong joins us to discuss the role that marching band played in his formative years and the impact it continues to have on his current career. He shares his approach to composing for small ensembles, preparing students to take advantage of new and innovative tools, and the skills vital for success as a freelance musician. We finish with a conversation about what it means to “sound like tomorrow”.

Called “alluring” and “wildly inventive” by The New York Times, the “irresistible” (San Francisco Chronicle) music of American composer Viet Cuong (b. 1990) has been commissioned and performed on six continents by musicians and ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic, Eighth Blackbird, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Sō Percussion, Alarm Will Sound, Atlanta Symphony, Sandbox Percussion, Albany Symphony, PRISM Quartet, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and Dallas Winds, among many others. Viet’s music has been featured in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, National Gallery of Art, and Library of Congress, and his works for wind ensemble have amassed hundreds of performances worldwide, including at Midwest, WASBE, and CBDNA conferences. He was recently featured in The Washington Post‘s “21 for ’21: Composers and performers who sound like tomorrow.”

In his music Viet enjoys exploring the unexpected and whimsical, and he is often drawn to projects where he can make peculiar combinations and sounds feel enchanting or oddly satisfying. His recent works thus include a percussion quartet concerto, tuba concerto, snare drum solo, and, most recently, a concerto for two oboes. This eclecticism extends to the range of musical groups he writes for, and he has worked with ensembles ranging from middle school bands to Grammy-winning orchestras and chamber groups. Viet is also passionate about bringing different facets of the contemporary music community together, and he will have opportunities to do so with an upcoming concerto for Eighth Blackbird with the United States Navy Band. He recently began his tenure as the California Symphony’s 2020-2023 Young American Composer-in-Residence, where he and the symphony will develop three new orchestral works together over three years.

Viet is currently on the music theory and composition faculty at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He holds degrees in music composition from the Curtis Institute of Music (Artist Diploma), Princeton University (MFA), and the Peabody Conservatory (BM/MM). His mentors include Jennifer Higdon, David Serkin Ludwig, Donnacha Dennehy, Steve Mackey, Dan Trueman, Dmitri Tymoczko, Kevin Puts, and Oscar Bettison. During his studies, he held the Daniel W. Dietrich II Composition Fellowship at Curtis, Naumburg and Roger Sessions Fellowships at Princeton, and Evergreen House Foundation scholarship at Peabody, where he was also awarded the Peabody Alumni Award (the Valedictorian honor) and Gustav Klemm Award.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about Viet Cuong, please visit his website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and SoundCloud.

Oct 06, 202129:12
2.2 The Genre-Jumping Saxophonist: Idit Shner

2.2 The Genre-Jumping Saxophonist: Idit Shner

Saxophonist Idit Shner joins us to chat about moving between the classical and jazz worlds, her early love for baroque music as a young recorder player, and her thoughts on providing space for students to experience music-making across genres. Idit talks about the differences in the physical technique and the mental preparation for jazz vs. classical performance, and how this influences her approach to performing and recording. She shares her interest in exploring traditional Jewish and Zimbabwean musics, the internal grammar inherent in each piece, the role that her local musical community plays in inspiring her work, and how she hates the word fusion when blending the musics of multiple cultures.

An active performer of both jazz and classical music, Idit has played in various distinguished venues in the United States and abroad, such as The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and Lincoln Center in New York. Currently, Shner plays with her jazz quartet in Eugene and Portland, Oregon. Her latest release of jazz originals, 9 Short Stories, garnered a 4 star review in Downbeat Magazine. Her jazz debut, Tuesday’s Blues, features nursery rhymes and ancient melodies from the Jewish liturgy performed in a jazz setting. Tuesday’s Blues got great reviews from JazzTimes, All Music Guide, and Jazz Review. Jazz festival performances include the Diet Coke Woman in Jazz Festival (NY), Bellayre Festival (NY), and New-Trier Jazz Festival (IL). Idit appears on Music from SEAMUS Vol. 16, a compilation CD of music for instruments and electronic sounds by members of the Society for Electroacoustic Music in the United States.

As a classical saxophonist Idit has commissioned and recorded new music and performed solo recitals in the US and Israel. MINERVA is her latest classical release. Her third CD, Le Merle Noir, featuring music by Messiaen, Bozza, Partos, and Glass, was released on Origin Classics in August 2013. Her previous classical recording, FISSURES: 20th Century Music for saxophone and Harp with renowned harpist Yumiko Schlaffer, received great acclaim and was played on NPR’s All Things Considered. Idit has collaborated with Fireworks, Beta Collide and Third Angle (new music ensembles), and performed with the Oregon Symphony and the Eugene Symphony. Other appearances include the Northwest Percussion Festival, Electronic Music Midwest, the Oregon Bach Festival, and many North American Saxophone Alliance Conventions. During March 2006 she played in Israel as a featured soloist with a symphonic orchestra, and performed contemporary music at the national convention of the Society for Electro Acoustic Music in the US. Her last solo recital in Israel was broadcasted live on Voice of Music, a national public radio station.

During 2005-2006 Idit played lead alto with Sherrie Maricle and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra. Performing her own compositions in a jazz combo setting, she was selected to participate in Betty Carter’s Jazz Ahead.

Idit holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Oklahoma City University, a Masters degree in Music Education from University of Central Oklahoma, and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from University of North Texas. Idit now teaches at the University of Oregon, as professor of saxophone and jazz studies. She was awarded two prestigious teaching awards: The 2015 Thomas F. Herman Award for Excellent in Pedagogy in areas of saxophone technique and chamber music coaching; and the 2016 University of Oregon Faculty Excellence Award.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about Chamber Music America, please visit her website and Instagram.

Sep 22, 202129:48
2.1 20 Years of Guiding Chamber Music America: Margaret Lioi

2.1 20 Years of Guiding Chamber Music America: Margaret Lioi

Margaret Lioi, past Chief Executive Officer of Chamber Music America, joins us to discuss the process of developing and realizing her vision for the small ensemble community and supporting this vision through strategic grantmaking and fundraising initiatives. She chats with us about the intersections between jazz and chamber music and how small ensemble genres and styles share more than they seem. We talk about how a person finds themselves deeply involved in arts administration, and about Lioi’s vision for the small ensemble community over the next twenty years.

Margaret M. Lioi has been Chamber Music America’s Chief Executive Officer since 2000, serving as the longest-tenured executive in CMA’s 43-year history. During this time, CMA incorporated jazz into its small ensemble portfolio, increased its grant-making to more than $1.4 million annually, established May as National Chamber Music Month, and ratified the organization’s Commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity, solidifying its dedication to equitable practices in every area of its operations.

After receiving a Masters in Piano Performance from New England Conservatory, Lioi was a collaborative pianist and vocal coach, working with regional opera companies and individual singers and instrumentalists. After 10 years as a performer, she returned to school to pursue an MBA with a concentration in arts management at Binghamton University/SUNY. She interned at the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, SC, was subsequently hired as the Development Associate, and became the Director of Development six months later.

Following Spoleto, Lioi was the Executive Director of The Eleanor Naylor Dana Charitable Trust, and the Senior Director of External Affairs at The Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival prior to CMA. She serves on the Advisory Board of The Sphinx Organization, is a member of the Board of The Performing Arts Alliance, and is an adjunct faculty member in the MA in Arts Management and Entrepreneurship Program at The New School.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about Chamber Music America, please visit their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Sep 08, 202131:26
2.0 What's New in Season 2?
Sep 01, 202106:29
1.25 Cast Chat

1.25 Cast Chat

In the final episode of our first season, the Soundweavers team discusses some of the major themes throughout the season—relationships, adaptability, and self-reflection—and explore how these themes intersected with small ensemble performance and composition; education, community engagement, and social justice; and administrative and life skills. We explore how so many of our guests emphasized the importance of long-term relationship building, flexibility with methods and approaches, and an openness to self-evaluation led these individuals and ensembles in directions that they may have not anticipated—even changing career paths altogether, in some instances. We reflect on how small ensembles are integrating, supporting, and upholding the pillars of our communities, and how musicians are building connections, promoting access, thinking inclusively, and using privilege and resources to support underrepresented artists and communities.


Aug 04, 202129:20
1.24 Lake George Festival

1.24 Lake George Festival

Alexander Lombard, Roger Kalia, and Barbora Kolarova join us to discuss the founding of the Lake George Music Festival, the inner mechanics of running the festival, and recruiting and selecting musicians that contribute to the close knit community they have built. They share a number of strategies for engaging community members, from housing musicians with avid festival attendees to offering balanced and diverse programming that exposes every listener to music outside their comfort zone. They provide some background on the festival’s role in renovating a new performance venue in Lake George, and the role that the village plays in shaping the festival experience.

Since first opening its doors in 2011, the Lake George Music Festival has brought emerging young talent and celebrated artists from 27 countries to Lake George, the “Queen of American Lakes”, situated in picturesque upstate New York. This festival is transformative not only because it attracts so many world-class performers and composers, but also because its organizers make it a priority to cultivate an invigorating spirit of cooperation and camaraderie among the musicians, local residents, and summertime visitors. As one of the nation’s foremost classical music artist retreats, the Lake George Music Festival upholds a mission to advance music, re-imagine the concert experience, and build audiences for the 21st Century through artistic integrity and innovation.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about the Lake George Festival, please visit their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Jul 21, 202136:57
1.23 Miguel del Águila

1.23 Miguel del Águila

.Composer Miguel del Águila joins us to discuss his interest in rhythm and drama and how his nostalgia for home informs his compositional language. He describes his use of transcription as a means of recasting aspects of the same work in a new light. We chat about the differing experiences of functioning as a freelancer and a university professor. And he shares about the continuing impact of colonialism on music—and how the constantly evolving nature of small ensembles provides opportunities to work through social justice issues that the trust-fund-and-donor-base structure of established orchestras frequently restricts.

Three-time Grammy nominated American composer Miguel del Águila was born in Uruguay. In over 130 works that combine drama, driving rhythms and nostalgic nods to his South American roots, he has established himself among the most distinctive and highly regarded composers of his generation. His music, which enjoys over 200 performances yearly, has been hailed as “brilliant and witty” (New York Times), “sonically dazzling” (LATimes) and “expressive and dramatic” (American Record Guide).

He is 2021 composer in residence with Danish Chamber Players/Ensemble Storstrøm, after residences with Orchestra of the Americas, New Mexico Symph, Fresh Ink, CTSummerfest, Talis, and Chautauqua. 2021 commissions include works for Cuarteto Latinoamericano, Eroica Trio and Fivebyfive.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about Miguel del Águila, please visit his website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music.

Jul 07, 202144:28
1.22 I Ketut Gede Asnawa

1.22 I Ketut Gede Asnawa

Balinese performer and composer I Ketut Gede Asnawa joins us to discuss his work with Balinese gamelan music in Indonesia and the United States. We explore the varieties of gamelan music throughout Indonesia and how gamelan music is integrated throughout Balinese culture through the 5 sacred yadnya. Pak shares with us the central role that community plays in gamelan ensembles and the work that he has done to bring that same sense of community into his classroom at the University of Illinois. And we discuss the challenges of teaching a primarily aural music tradition within the context of a Western culture that relies heavily on sheet music for performance.

I Ketut Gede Asnawa is a composer, performer, and scholar from Bali, Indonesia.  He has taught at the government-sponsored secondary- and tertiary-level conservatories of Balinese music since 1980.  His compositions have been featured at the Festival of Young Composers in Jakarta and the annual Bali Arts Festival. His importance as a cutting-edge composer and innovator in Balinese music was recognized in Grove Music Online. An accomplished gamelan musician, Asnawa has toured Europe, the US, and Asia. A demanding but charismatic teacher, he has taught gamelan groups at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (where he earned a Master’s degree in Ethnomusicology), Université de Montréal, Eastman School of Music, University of Missouri Kansas City, Florida State University, Texas Women University, Richmond University, Illinois Wesleyan University, Gettysburg College, Miami University at Oxford, OH, as well as private gamelan groups Giri Kusuma in Woodstock, NY, Sekar Jaya, CA, Indonesian Performing Arts of Chicago, Chicago Balinese Gamelan, and the Netherlands. In 2017, he received the Dharma Kusuma Art Award and Gold Medal from the Governor of Bali in recognition of his life - long dedication and contribution to Bali’s culture of arts, most notably in Gamelan music. Since Fall 2006, he has taught various styles of Balinese gamelan as a faculty member in the School of Music at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and most recently served as an artistic adviser for Chicago Balinese Gamelan.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about I Ketut Gede Asnawa, please visit his Facebook and Instagram.

Jun 23, 202145:26
1.21 Eira Lynn Jones

1.21 Eira Lynn Jones

Harpist Eira Lynn Jones joins us to chat about her work with the Juniper Project, a flute and harp duo that performs and records not only the most virtuosic repertoire, but also the approachable repertoire that they enjoy coaching. We speak about Eira’s work as a composer of chamber music, as well as her connection to the Music in Hospitals program. Eira shares some of her background as someone who “did everything backwards”, having gone from a full-time orchestral position to a freelancer’s career.

Welsh harpist EIRA LYNN JONES is a versatile musician, who has a passion for creativity and originality. Her eclectic career ranges from orchestral work, recordings and commissions to chamber music collaborations.  She is known equally for her committed, dynamic playing and her innovative, dedicated teaching.

While a student at the Royal Northern College of Music, Eira won numerous awards, including a Guinness Foundation Scholarship and an I.S.M. Performer Award, resulting in her BBC Radio 3 debut on the ‘Young Musicians’ series. Further studies with Kathleen Bride at the Manhattan School of Music in New York led to a Masters Degree. Invited to join the Manhattan Contemporary Music Ensemble, she premiered new works for harp, which ignited her interest in researching unusual and varied repertoire.  She did indeed take her harp to the party; to Carnegie Hall, the Aspen Music Festival, Banff Centre of Performing Arts and Creativity, and even to the top of the Empire State Building!

On returning to the UK she was appointed Principal Harp with Northern Ballet Theatre. She now regularly freelances with the UK's leading orchestras, including Hallé, BBC Philharmonic, Opera North, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the Royal Northern Sinfonia. As soloist, she has performed Debussy Danses with Manchester Camerata and Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro with Northern Chamber Orchestra.

Eira is also widely recognised as one of the UK's leading harp teachers. As Head of Harp at the RNCM she loves inspiring young musicians, receiving many invitations to run workshops worldwide, including USA, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Sweden and Iceland.

She achieved notable success with her solo album ‘... from within’, which is a mix of classical and folk pieces on both pedal harp and clarsach:  "I love the album ... a diversity of music, a very accomplished technique, and your heart coming through" (Alan Stivell).

From performing at the Hollywood Bowl to under the much loved “Dippy” dinosaur at the Natural History Museum;  from appearing in Coronation Street to playing for HRH Prince of Wales in Spain; from recording with the heavy metal band “Venom” to accompanying Kiri te Kanawa; from directing the music of John Cage for 20 harps to leading the RNCM Young Harps Project, Eira approaches each project with passion, and is a true ambassador for this most magical of instruments.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about Eira Lynn Jones, please visit her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Jun 09, 202144:22
1.20 Cast Chat
May 26, 202128:19
1.19 Amatis Trio

1.19 Amatis Trio

Violinist Lea Hausmann, cellist Samuel Shepherd, and pianist Mengjie Han of the Amatis Piano Trio join us to chat about scoping out chamber partners at international competitions, navigating multiple nationalities in one small ensemble, using the internet to cultivate and sustain audiences on the way to securing concerts each season, stimulating artistic growth with dialogue between performers and composers, developing innovative cross-genre and interdisciplinary projects, and the importance of reconnecting listeners with the lost wonder of youth and the human aspect of music.

The Amatis Piano Trio was founded in 2014 by German violinist Lea Hausmann, British cellist Samuel Shepherd, and Dutch/Chinese pianist Mengjie Han. The three musicians met in Amsterdam, and have performed together in 33 countries around the world. The piano trio is one of the leading ensembles of its generation, exalted worldwide for their energy, insight, communication and passion.

Only weeks after their formation the trio won the Audience Prize at the Grachtenfestival-Concours hosted by the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and First Prize at the International Parkhouse Award at Wigmore Hall in London, both venues that now invite them as regular artists. The 2018-19 season saw the trio selected as ECHO Rising Stars (European Concert Hall Organisation). From 2016 to 2018, the Amatis Trio was part of the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists and in 2018 they were invited to participate in the Verbier Festival Academy in Switzerland.

Amatis Trio released their debut CD on cAVI Records featuring the music of Enescu, Ravel and Britten. The disc received high praise amongst critics and earned the ensemble's inclusion in the Gramophone Magazine's 'One to Watch'.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about the Amatis Trio, please visit their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

May 12, 202137:01
1.18 Akropolis Reed Quintet

1.18 Akropolis Reed Quintet

Clarinetist and saxophonist Kari and Matt Landry of the Akropolis Reed Quintet join the Soundweavers team to discuss their approach to growing the repertoire for a new ensemble through arrangements and commissions—and their work publishing and sharing this music through their website. Kari and Matt share their excitement about forming collaborations that generate new perspectives, create new sounds, and stretch genres. They talk about teaching composition and premiering students' works through their engagement programs in Detroit. We chat about the challenges of elitism in the music world and the need to make space for meaningful, beautiful, and challenging music for untrained musicians. Kari and Matt describe the fundamental importance of organizational transparency and their strategies for succeeding as a small nonprofit. We wrap with a discussion about the need for self-reflection and commitment to your dreams in the pursuit of career success.

Celebrating their 12th year and hailed by Fanfare Magazine for their “imagination, infallible musicality, and huge vitality,” the Akropolis Reed Quintet was founded in 2009 at the University of Michigan and has won seven national chamber music prizes including the Fischoff Gold Medal and Fischoff Educator Award. The San Francisco Chronicle dubbed Akropolis’ recent third album release, The Space Between Us, “pure gold.”

A nonprofit organization supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and numerous foundations and individuals nationwide, Akropolis delivers more than 120 annual performances and workshops. Akropolis is collaborating with BodyVox Dance on a full-length music and dance production celebrating the 1920s and the fight for suffrage. In June 2021 they will premiere a new work by Annika Socolofsky in collaboration with video artist, XUAN, celebrating diversity in small businesses around America. Their 4th album, Ghost Light, will be released on April 9, 2021 on New Focus Recordings.

Akropolis’ 2019-20 season featured 10 commissions including Storm Warning, the first concerto for reed quintet and wind band by Roshanne Etezady; Homage to Paradise Valley by Jeff Scott with support from the Chamber Music America Classical Commissioning Fund, celebrating the history of Detroit’s razed Black neighborhoods; and Sprocket, for reed quintet and rideable percussion bicycle by Steven Snowden.

Akropolis has premiered more than 100 new works by students and professionals and was selected to adjudicate and premiere the 2018 Barlow Prize funded by the Barlow Endowment. Akropolis’ members are the first of any reed quintet to judge major chamber music competitions including the Fischoff Junior (2018 and 2021) and Chamber Music Yellow Springs (2019) competitions.

Each June in Detroit, Akropolis presents its own 16-event festival, Together We Sound, featuring multidisciplinary collaborators, a workplace concert series, and educational outreach. Akropolis reaches more than 5,000 K-12 students annually, including a school year-long residency with students at three Detroit high schools.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about the Akropolis Quintet, please visit their website and Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, iTunes, and SoundCloud pages.

Apr 28, 202148:36
1.17 Kalia Vandever

1.17 Kalia Vandever

Jazz trombonist and composer Kalia Vandever joins us to chat about conceptualizing her album In Bloom, funding this project through touring and crowdsourcing, identifying a recording engineer and studio, and developing her compositional voice throughout the process. We talk about her start in community education through the Herbie Hancock Institute Peer-to-Peer Program and the importance of encouraging students to connect with one another through community engagement initiatives. Kalia shares about her experience working in a historically male-dominated industry, her article “Token Girl”, and how to support women and artists of ALAANA backgrounds in professional and educational settings. And she offers strategies for developing jazz skills after being trained in a non-jazz idiom.

Kalia Vandever is a trombonist, composer, and educator living in Brooklyn, NY. She released her debut album, "In Bloom" in May, 2019 which features all of her original compositions written for quartet and duo with guitar. She has toured and performed nationally with her quartet, as well as her solo project. She has performed in such venues as Carnegie Hall, Sydney Opera House, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Preservation Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, The Jazz Gallery, The Blue Whale, Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola, SMOKE Jazz Club, the Blue Note, and the Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Kalia moved from Los Angeles, CA to New York City in 2013 to study at the Juilliard School where she received her Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies. She has played with the following musicians whom she admires greatly, Ingrid Jensen, Herbie Hancock, Tyshawn Sorey, Darcy James Argue's Secret Society, Fabian Almazan, Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Joel Ross, Maria Grand, and others. She is also known for her work as a composer and arranger. She has been commissioned to write pieces for the Tesla Quartet, Metropolis Ensemble, Katherine Kyu Hyeon Lim, and more.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Resources discussed in this episode:

For more information about Kalia Vandever, please visit her website, Instagram, and YouTube.

Apr 14, 202143:06
1.16 Pegasus Early Music

1.16 Pegasus Early Music

Executive Director and lutenist Deborah Fox of Pegasus Early Music joins the Soundweavers team to discuss the nature of leading an organization that curates both the repertoire and personnel for each concert. She speaks with us about the ways in which Pegasus is promoting antiracist practices in a musical style “largely written by white, male, Christian Europeans.” We chat about Pegasus Rising, the organization’s program for promoting emerging artists in early music. We also talk about Pegasus’ association with the Eastman School of Music’s Arts Leadership Program and how the organization offers meaningful internships. And we finish with a conversation about how “even operas are chamber music…”

Deborah Fox is a lutenist with a span of repertoire ranging from medieval to baroque music, as a soloist, chamber music player, and baroque opera continuo. She has performed with the major early music ensembles and festivals from Newfoundland to Australia, including the Carmel Bach Festival, Glimmerglass Opera, Les Violons du Roy (Montreal), Spoleto Festival, Opera Atelier (Toronto), Pinchgut Opera (Sydney), Concert Royal (NY), Haymarket Opera and Third Coast Baroque (Chicago), and others. She received the Certificate of Advanced Studies in Early Music at London’s Guildhall School, specializing in the improvised accompaniment practices of the baroque. Her teachers have included Paul O’Dette, Pat O’Brien, and Nigel North. She has been a Teaching Artist for the Aesthetic Education Institute. She is the founder and director of Pegasus Early Music in Rochester, NY, and the director of NYS Baroque in Ithaca and Syracuse, NY.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about Pegasus Early Music, please visit their website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. For more information about Pegasus Rising, please visit their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. For more information about New York State Baroque, please visit them at their website, nysbaroque.com.

Mar 31, 202140:15
1.15 Cast Chat

1.15 Cast Chat

Rosy, Blaire, and Adam chat about the origins, purposes, and impacts of the Grammy Awards on the classical music industry; the role that the Grammys play in the evolution of classical music; the process of becoming nominating, and then winning, a Grammy award; the biases embedded in a system solely reliant on professional networks for access; and grassroots solutions emerging in response to these issues.

Soundweavers explores the triumphs and tribulations of the chamber music community through conversations with emerging and established performers, composers, and educators. Through dialogue, trialogue—and sometimes even tetralogue—with guest artists and ensembles, we delve into what it means to present contemporary and traditional classical, jazz, and folk music in today’s ever-shifting gig economy.

Resources discussed in today’s episode:

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about Soundweavers, please visit them at their website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.

Mar 17, 202131:15
1.14 Tony Arnold

1.14 Tony Arnold

Soprano Tony Arnold joins us to chat about hopping careers from orchestral conductor to international superstar vocalist, her varied interests in how sound is made and how to harness sound to make it into something else, and the way her interests have helped in collaborations with all sorts of instrumentalists and in teaching composers how to help performers lift music off the page . We speak about how she developed the working knowledge necessary to decipher contemporary scores, the close connection between chamber music and contemporary music, and learning how to fit into the deeply intimate and idiomatic language of a string quartet with a long history that no longer required verbal communication. She shares about how her connection to George Crumb deepened on a trip to Charleston, WV and how community- and network-building play in forming long-lasting professional connections. We discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the impact of digitization on the shaping of the musical world and the importance of separating music-making from money-making as best as one can.

Celebrated as a “luminary in the world of chamber music and art song” (Huffington Post), Tony Arnold is internationally acclaimed as a leading proponent of contemporary music in concert and recording, a “convincing, mesmerizing soprano” (Los Angeles Times) who “has a broader gift for conveying the poetry and nuance behind outwardly daunting contemporary scores” (Boston Globe). Her unique blend of vocal virtuosity and communicative warmth, combined with wide-ranging skills in education and leadership were recognized with the 2015 Brandeis Creative Arts Award, given in appreciation of “excellence in the arts and the lives and works of distinguished, active American artists.” Ms. Arnold’s extensive chamber music repertory includes major works written for her voice by Georges Aperghis, George Crumb, Brett Dean, Jason Eckardt, Gabriela Lena Frank, Josh Levine, George Lewis, Philippe Manoury, Carlos Sanchez-Gutierrez, Christopher Theofanidis, Ricardo Zohn-Muldoon, and numerous others. She is a member of the intrepid International Contemporary Ensemble, and enjoys regular guest appearances with leading ensembles, presenters and festivals worldwide. With more than thirty discs to her credit, Ms. Arnold has recorded a broad segment of the modern vocal repertory with esteemed chamber music colleagues. Her recording of George Crumb’s iconic Ancient Voices of Children (Bridge) received a 2006 Grammy nomination. She is a first-prize laureate of both the Gaudeamus International and the Louise D. McMahon competitions. A graduate of Oberlin College and Northwestern University, Ms. Arnold was twice a fellow of the Aspen Music Festival as both a conductor and singer. She was the 2015-16 Kunkemueller Artist-In-Residence at the Boston Conservatory, and currently serves on the faculty of the Peabody Conservatory and the Tanglewood Music Center.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Resources discussed in this episode:

For more information about Tony Arnold, please visit her website, www.screecher.com.

Mar 03, 202145:12
1.13 Fifth House Ensemble

1.13 Fifth House Ensemble

Melissa Ngan and Herine Coetzee Koschak of Fifth House Ensemble join us to discuss their roots in the community engagement initiatives spearheaded by the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and their origins on a 36-hour road trip. They share their philosophy on the importance of relationships as the basis for developing ensemble membership and an avid listener base. We discuss the studio, social, and civic practice continuum, and how they design arts integration initiatives in collaboration with teachers and students in a way that perpetuates arts education beyond the initial residency. We chat about the Fresh Inc Festival for emerging artists and about Melissa’s video game evolution from Duck Hunt to Journey.

Praised by the New York Times for its “conviction, authority, and finesse,” the Chicago-based Fifth House Ensemble harnesses the collaborative spirit of chamber music to reach beyond the traditionally-perceived limits of classical music. The ensemble’s artistic, educational, and civic programs engage theater groups, video game designers, corporate innovators, and folk bands to share stories as diverse as the communities it serves.

Through the ensemble’s heartfelt social and civic practice work, Fifth House has co-created artistic projects with urban neighborhoods, social service organizations, and an agricultural community to spark conversations on issues that matter. Recent projects include Broken Text, a collaboration with Raven Theatre and DJ Searchl1te inspired by multi-week residencies at the Cook County Temporary Youth Detention Center and St. Leonard’s Ministries; Voices from the Dust Bowl, a collaboration with composer Steven Snowden and bluegrass band Henhouse Prowlers exploring stories from workers’ rights organizations nationwide; Nedudim, an exploration of music and cultural identity in collaboration with Baladino that engages Chicago-based organizations representing Israel, Iran, Germany and Spain, and Harvest, a year-long partnership with DePauw University and the Greencastle, IN community culminating in a Mother’s Day celebration of the people, places, and stories of Putnam County. In 2012, Fifth House launched Fresh Inc, a two-week, intensive training program for emerging composers and performers where Fifth House works with participants on building careers in music in line with their own unique vision and values. Fifth House is currently an Ensemble in Residence at the Music Institute of Chicago.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Resources discussed in this episode:

For more information about Third Coast Percussion, please visit them at website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Feb 17, 202146:26
1.12 Third Coast Percussion

1.12 Third Coast Percussion

Sean Connors and Peter Martin from Third Coast Percussion join Soundweavers to discuss the stages of entering, campaigning for, and winning a Grammy; their approach to successfully and consistently recording albums; coordinating the complex logistics necessary for fitting a percussion ensemble into the NPR Tiny Desk studio; building educational programs with community partners to perpetuate long-term musical engagement; strategies for improving diversity in programming; and how they use mobile apps to create new angles for interacting with albums.

Third Coast Percussion is a Grammy Award-winning Chicago-based percussion quartet. For fifteen years, the ensemble has created exciting and unexpected performances that constantly redefine the classical music experience. The ensemble has been praised for “commandingly elegant” (New York Times) performances, the “rare power” (Washington Post) of their recordings, and “an inspirational sense of fun and curiosity” (Minnesota Star-Tribune). Third Coast Percussion maintains a busy tour schedule, with past performances in 35 of the 50 states and Washington, DC, plus international tour dates in Canada, Colombia, Hong Kong, Germany, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.

A direct connection with the audience is at the core of all of Third Coast Percussion’s work, whether the musicians are speaking from the stage about a new piece of music, inviting the audience to play along in a concert or educational performance, or inviting their fans around the world to create new music using one of their free mobile apps. The four members of Third Coast are also accomplished teachers, and make active participation by all students the cornerstone of all their educational offerings.

The quartet’s curiosity and eclectic taste have led to a series of unlikely collaborations that have produced exciting new art. The ensemble has worked with engineers at the University of Notre Dame, architects at the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, dancers at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, and musicians from traditions ranging from the mbira music of Zimbabwe’s Shona people, to indie rockers and footwork producers, to some of the world’s leading concert musicians. Third Coast Percussion served as ensemble-in-residence at the University of Notre Dame’s DeBartolo Performing Arts Center from 2013—2018, and currently serves as ensemble-in-residence at Denison University.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Resources discussed in this episode:

For more information about Third Coast Percussion, please visit them at website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and SoundCloud.

Feb 03, 202152:07
1.11 Pascal Le Bœuf

1.11 Pascal Le Bœuf

Pianist-composer Pascal le Boeuf joins the Soundweavers team to discuss how he uses composition to prioritize human connections through music and resonating with others by identifying their musical values. He chats with us about living between the realms of new music and jazz (and what does jazz really mean?) and the process of pursuing a Grammy award. We speak about embracing social engagement and using music to communicate that which needs to be conveyed, the power of empathy and communication for successful professional relationships, and the brain candy known as polyrhythms.

Described as "sleek, new" and "hyper-fluent" by the New York Times, Pascal Le Boeuf is a Grammy nominated composer, pianist, and producer whose works range from modern improvised music to cross-breeding classical with production-based technology. He is widely recognized for his polyrhythmic approach to chamber music and hybridization of disparate idioms.

Pascal’s latest project imaginist is a full-length album collaboration between the JACK Quartet and the Le Boeuf Brothers Quintet (co-led by Remy Le Boeuf). The 9-piece hybridized chamber ensemble was praised by the New Yorker for "clearing their own path, mixing the solid swing of the jazz tradition with hip-hop, indie rock, and the complex techniques of classical modernism". Recent projects include “Media Control” recorded by Hub New Music, “Imp in Impulse” recorded by Barbora Kolářová, “Into the Anthropocene” featuring violist Jessica Meyer and cellist Dave Eggar, “Alpha” recorded by cellist Nick Photinos (Eighth Blackbird) on New Amsterdam Records, “Transition Behavior” recorded by the Shattered Glass String Orchestra, and “Empty Promise” an award-winning short film in collaboration with Four/Ten Media, Goldfeather and Robby Bowen.

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

Resources discussed in this episode:

For more information about Pascal le Boeuf, please visit him at his website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and iTunes. Be sure to check out Soundweavers at Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Jan 20, 202143:53
1.10 Cast Chat

1.10 Cast Chat

Rosy, Blaire, and Adam discuss the #MeToo movement’s impact on the music industry, community music schools, and higher education, and the practices and resources institutions are implementing to address power disparities that jeopardize safe environments. The cast then chats about the burgeoning use of technology in higher education, from the rapidly changing landscape of recording technologies to the methods in which students and faculty members prepare and present performance in the studio and the concert space—and the affordability and accessibility of all these “new” tools. The cast also considers the evolving approaches to coaching ensemble musicianship online and the shifting expectations and outcomes of these new methods.

Soundweavers explores the triumphs and tribulations of the chamber music community through conversations with emerging and established performers, composers, and educators. Through dialogue, trialogue—and sometimes even tetralogue—with guest artists and ensembles, we delve into what it means to present contemporary and traditional classical, jazz, and folk music in today’s ever-shifting gig economy.

Resources discussed in this episode:

The transcript for this episode can be found here.

For more information about Soundweavers, please visit them at their website, Facebook, and YouTube.

Jan 06, 202149:19
1.9 The Society for Chamber Music in Rochester
Dec 30, 202040:16
1.8 Castle of Our Skins

1.8 Castle of Our Skins

Ashleigh Gordon, the Artistic and Executive Director of Castle of our Skins, joins us to chat about her work leading a collective dedicated to celebrating black artistry through music. We discuss how she and co-founder Anthony Green developed COOS from individual grad school projects to a multifaceted concert presenter and educational organization. We speak about several of their initiatives, such as their Shirley Graham DuBois Creative-in-Residence Program, Beauty in Black Artistry blog, and edutainment recital and workshop series. We finish with advice on how to use one’s platform to provoke conversations on becoming ever better.

Described as a “charismatic and captivating performer,” Ashleigh Gordon has recorded with Switzerland's Ensemble Proton and Germany's Ensemble Modern; performed with Grammy-award winning BMOP and Grammy-nominated A Far Cry string ensemble; and appeared at the prestigious BBC Proms Festival with the Chineke! Orchestra. Ashleigh has performed in the Royal Albert and Royal Festival Halls (London), Konzerthaus Berlin and Oper Frankfurt (Germany), Gare du Nord and Dampfzentrale Bern (Switzerland), Centre Pompidou (Paris), the Lee Hysan Concert Hall (Hong Kong), and the 180 Degrees Festival (Bulgaria).

Ashleigh is co-founder, Artistic/Executive Director, and violist of
Castle of our Skins, a Boston-based concert and educational series devoted to celebrating Black Artistry through music. She is a 2015 St. Botolph Emerging Artist Award and 2016 Charles Walton Diversity Advocate Award recipient, a 2019 Brother Thomas Fellow, a nominee for the 2020 "Americans for the Arts Johnson Fellowship for Artists Transforming Communities,” and one of WBUR’s “ARTery 25”, twenty-five millennials of color impacting Boston’s arts and culture scene.

As an advocate of social change through education, Ashleigh served as viola instructor in the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra's Intensive Community Program, a rigorous string instrumental program that provides instruction to populations often underrepresented in classical music. She has presented lectures on citizen artistry and entrepreneurship, workshops for fellow educators on Caribbean folk songs, and served as a guest panelist at the Sphinx Connect Conference and Chamber Music America Conference discussing diversity in classical music. She is an Instructor of Teaching Artistry at the Longy School of Music at Bard College.

Resources discussed in today’s episode:

The transcript for this episode can be found at here.

For more information about Castle of our Skins, please visit them at their website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Dec 16, 202049:06
1.7 Amy Williams

1.7 Amy Williams

Composer Amy Williams joins us to discuss her youth surrounded by amazing composers and performers in her living room and her early professional years embarking on crazy projects like transcribing Conlon Nancarrow’s music for piano four-hands with her duo partner Helena Bugallo. She speaks with us about collaborating closely with and tailoring commissions to specific performers and ensembles. We also chat about her role as Artistic Director of New Music on the Point, where she connects superstar performers and composers with young emerging artists, fostering collaborations lasting many years.

The compositions of Amy Williams have been presented at renowned contemporary music venues in the United States, Australia, Asia and Europe, including Thailand International Composition Festival, Ars Musica (Belgium), Gaudeamus Music Week (Netherlands), Dresden New Music Days (Germany), Musikhøst (Denmark), Festival Aspekte (Austria), Festival Musica Nova (Brazil), Roulette and Bargemusic (New York), LA County Museum of Art, Piano Spheres (Los Angeles) and Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music. Her works have been performed by leading contemporary music soloists and ensembles, including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, JACK Quartet, Ensemble Aleph, Dal Niente, Wet Ink, Talujon, Empyrean Ensemble, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, California E.A.R. Unit, Dinosaur Annex, International Contemporary Ensemble, h2 Saxophone Quartet, Bent Frequency, pianists Ursula Oppens, Corey Hamm and Amy Briggs, and bassist Robert Black. Her pieces appear on the Albany, Parma, VDM (Italy), Blue Griffin, Centaur and New Ariel labels. As a member of the Bugallo-Williams Piano Duo, Ms. Williams has performed at important new music festivals and series throughout Europe and the Americas. The Duo has recorded four critically-acclaimed CDs for Wergo (works of Nancarrow, Stravinsky, Varèse/Feldman and Kurtág), as well as appearing on the Neos and Albany labels. Ms. Williams was the recipient of a Howard Foundation Fellowship for 2008-2009, a Fromm Music Foundation Commission in 2009 and a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2015-2016. Ms. Williams has taught at Bennington College and Northwestern University and is currently Associate Professor of Composition at the University of Pittsburgh.  She is the Artistic Director of the New Music on the Point Festival in Vermont.

Resources discussed in today’s episode:

The musical excerpts heard in today’s episode were composed by Conlon Nancarrow and Amy Williams and performed by the Bugallo-Williams Duo and the JACK Quartet.

The transcript for today’s episode can be found here.

For more information about Amy Williams, please visit her at her website.

Dec 02, 202045:52