Open Forms
By Talea Ensemble
Talea is a contemporary music ensemble based in New York City. Get to know us and our music at www.taleaensemble.org!
Questions, comments, or feedback? Email us at talea@taleaensemble.org.
Open FormsJun 30, 2021
Sarah Hennies on "Clock Dies"
The Talea Ensemble is premiering Sarah Hennies's "Clock Dies" at the TIME:SPANS Festival on August 23rd, 2021 at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music in NYC. Violist Hannah Levinson sat down with Sarah Hennies to talk about Sarah's new work and trajectory as a composer and performer. You can watch the video version of the conversation at: https://youtu.be/tyL62lZEbp4
Sarah Hennies's "Clock Dies" was commissioned by The Earl Brown Music Foundation Charitable Trust.
Concert details: https://timespans.org/concert/talea-ensemble-tony-arnold
About Sarah Hennies: www.sarah-hennies.com
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Credits
Host: Hannah Levinson
Editing: Stephanie Liu
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Talea is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Talea’s 2021-22 season projects are supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and in part by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Alice M. Ditson Fund, Amphion Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne, Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, Reiner Center for Contemporary Music, Cafe Royal Foundation, Ernst von Siemens Musikstiftung, Pro Helvetia Foundation, Fromm Music Foundation, and many generous donors like you. Talea’s season is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
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Questions, Feedback, or Comments? Email us at talea@taleaensemble.org.
www.taleaensemble.org
Chris McIntyre on Julius Eastman
In this episode, we spoke with Chris McIntyre, whom we most recently worked with on a recording of Julius Eastman’s "Femenine" in collaboration with the Harlem Chamber Players. Throughout his career as an improviser and instrumentalist, Chris has been deeply involved in reconstructing performance materials for the late Julius Eastman’s work, which we’ll hear all about shortly. The following is a lightly edited version of a conversation we had about Julius Eastman’s music, legacy, a particular improvisation scene in New York City, and more.
Some names mentioned in conversation:
Anthony's Mom - Corrine Coleman
Tionna Nekkia McClodden - https://www.tionam.com/
Photo in NY Times article linked here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/19/arts/music/julius-eastman-kitchen.html?smid=url-share
Caption: "The organizers of the Brooklyn Philharmonic Community Concert Series, outside of the old New York Times building in Midtown Manhattan in the mid-1970s. From left: Corrine Coleman, program director, with composer-coordinators Ms. León, Talib Hakim and Julius Eastman." Credit: Marbeth, via Tania León.
Resources:
Gay Guerrilla: Julius Eastman and His Music
Edited by Renee Levine-Packer and Mary Jane Leach
https://boydellandbrewer.com/9781580469562/gay-guerrilla/
1984 David Garland radio interview
https://spinningonair.org/episode-2-julius-eastman/
Julius Eastman at Walker Art Center
https://walkerart.org/collections/publications/jazz/julius-eastman-at-the-walker
> Video - 14-minute Interview
> Video - 4-piano performance of Evil N***** and Gay Guerilla during 1980 New Music America Festival
> Archival paper archive items
Part of "Creative Black Music at The Walker" project
https://walkerart.org/collections/publications/jazz/creative-black-music-at-the-walker-selections-from-the-archives
Univ. of Buffalo - Performing the Music of Julius Eastman (2017)
https://library.buffalo.edu/exhibitions/pdf/ubmu_pdf_eastman2017.pdf
Philly presenter Bowerbird's Eastman Festival site
https://www.thatwhichisfundamental.com/
The Kitchen Festival site
https://thekitchen.org/event/julius-eastman-that-which-is-fundamental
NYT piece about Trumpet reconstruction
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/19/arts/music/julius-eastman-kitchen.html=
Host & Editing: Victoria Cheah
Steven Takasugi
Steven Takasugi has been a pivotal creative voice shaping the Talea Ensemble's work in the past several years. Since its premiere, his work "Sideshow" has been a cornerstone in the ensemble's repertoire, and Talea has taken the piece on tour across the world. Based on the dark history of sideshows of Coney Island in the early 20th century, "Sideshow" is a comical, nightmarish, and saddening meditation on entertainment, spectacle, and the sacrifices one makes to survive in the world.
Talea's production manager Victoria Cheah sat down with Steven Takasugi to talk about his work and creative process, Sideshow, the theatrical elements of musical expression, expectations around identity, and more.
Learn more about Steven Takasugi: www.steventakasugi.com
Trailer of Talea's performance of Sideshow: https://youtu.be/MoHF-5nDxmY
Credits
Host: Victoria Cheah
Editing: Victoria Cheah & Stephanie Liu
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Steven Takasugi is a member of the Talea Ensemble's board of directors.
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Talea’s 2020-21 season is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and in part by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Alice M. Ditson Fund, Amphion Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne, Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, MidAtlantic Arts Foundation, and many generous donors like you. Talea’s season is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
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Questions, Feedback, or Comments? Email us at talea@taleaensemble.org.
www.taleaensemble.org
Oscar Bettison & La Arqueología del Neón
Composer Oscar Bettison has been a friend and long-time collaborator to the Talea Ensemble. Most recently, we've been working with Oscar on his new work, La Arqueología del Neón, which was commissioned by the Fromm Music Foundation. We had a fun time recording the piece in collaboration with the Time Spans Festival and are looking forward to sharing it with you all in an online listening event on Wednesday, May 12, 2021!
Oscar is on the composition faculty at the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, where Talea did a virtual residency with student composers last December. Talea's production manager Victoria Cheah sat down with Oscar to talk about his recent work, composing and collaborating online during the COVID-19 pandemic, reshaping academia for the present, and more.
You can learn more about Oscar and listen to some of his work at www.oscarbettison.com
Credits
Host: Victoria Cheah
Editing: Victoria Cheah
Talea’s 2020-21 season is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and in part by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Alice M. Ditson Fund, Amphion Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne, Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, MidAtlantic Arts Foundation, and many generous donors like you. Talea’s season is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
Questions, Feedback, or Comments? Email us at talea@taleaensemble.org.
www.taleaensemble.org
Introducing Alican Çamcı!
In 2020, the Talea Ensemble launched a commissioning program for early-career composers and selected Alican Çamcı to write a piece for the ensemble, to premiere in the 2021-22 season. Talea Ensemble's production manager Victoria Cheah sat down with Alican to talk about his work and recent projects. We chatted about a site specific installation-based work he premiered at Instanbul's Pera Museum, his interest in field recording, his compositional process, and more.
You can learn more about Alican and listen to some of his work at https://alicancamci.com.
Some direct links to Alican's music:
- PANORAMA (trailer from Pera Museum installation/performance, 2019)
- fieldwork (2017-18)
- void and compensation (2011)
Credits:
Host: Victoria Cheah
Editing & Concept: Stephanie Liu and Victoria Cheah
Talea’s 2020-21 season is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and in part by the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Alice M. Ditson Fund, Amphion Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, Art Mentor Foundation Lucerne, Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, MidAtlantic Arts Foundation, and many generous donors like you. Talea’s season is also made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
Questions, Feedback, or Comments? Email us at talea@taleaensemble.org.
www.taleaensemble.org