Composers

Composers, Concerts, Contemporary Classical, Electro-Acoustic, Experimental Music, File Under?, New York

Nono Muchmore Warp(ed)

Some festivals have a curatorial vision that takes pages and pages of press releases and program notes to explain. Other curators, like Glenn Cornett, revel in the whimsy of amusing composers’ names. Why organize a one-night Nono, Muchmore, and Warp(ed) mini-marathon? The names sounded fun together and the players are the bee’s knees. The evening will feature music by Italian modernist master Luigi Nono, New York cellist/composer and Anti Social Music member Pat Muchmore, and San Francisco based composer/sound designer Richard Warp. With a 7 PM start time, the show is three and a half hours long, and is full

September 17, 2011September 17, 2011 by Christian Carey

Chamber Music, Composers, Concerts, Contemporary Classical, File Under?, New York

Jay Batzner on Slumber Music

The Sequenza 21/MNMP Concert is fast approaching. This free event will be at Joe’s Pub on Oct. 25 at 7 PM (reserve a seat here). The American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) will perform a program that features composers selected from our call for scores. In the coming weeks, we’ll be hearing from a number of the composers and performers appearing on the concert. First up is Jay Batzner, who teaches at Central Michigan University and contributes regularly to Sequenza 21. He tells us about his piece on the program: Slumber Music. I remember a lot about composing Slumber Music, which

September 13, 2011September 13, 2011 by Christian Carey

Chamber Music, Composers, Concerts, Contemporary Classical

Locrian Players after party

After a terrific concert – including pieces by Eve Beglarian, David MacDonald, Dan Visconti, Colin Holter, and Julia Wolfe, we had a lovely party to celebrate the Locrian Chamber Players concert this past Thursday. Those pictured include composers Eve Beglarian, Scott Johnson, Don Hagar, and David MacDonald. Alan Kozinn seemed to enjoy himself at the concert too.

August 27, 2011 by Christian Carey

Composers, Contemporary Classical, File Under?, Interviews, Video, Violin

Hilary Skypes with Max

We all know Hilary Hahn as Sequenza 21’s resident video blogger; oh, and she’s a world class violinist and DG recording artist. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_-fpVZ0hdw[/youtube] Wearing both of those hats simultaneously, Hilary had a video chat via Skype with composer Max Richter earlier this week. Richter is one of 27 composers commissioned to write an encore for Hahn; she begins debuting the pieces this coming October. In order to spotlight the featured composers, Hilary’s planning to release a video interview with one each month. It makes us here at Sequenza 21 feel kind of special. After all, how many other websites have their

August 19, 2011 by Christian Carey

Composers, Contemporary Classical

Ton-That Tiêt

On an Overgrown Path‘s Bob Shingleton gives an intriguing sketch of the Vietnamese composer Ton-That Tiêt (b. 1933), well worth exploring. A small interview with the composer is here.

August 18, 2011 by Steve Layton

Composers

censorship

(cross posted to my own blog) I just submitted the following comment to the Nonesuch Records blog in reference to Steve Reich’s unfortunate decision to change the cover art for his forthcoming recording WTC 9/11. I’m a composer and recently blogged about wtc 9/11 on my Web site and reviewed it for Sequenza 21. I think that the cover is perhaps not what I would have chosen, but that said, who cares? It’s a cover. There are no bodies, in close up, falling from one of the towers (although that would certainly have made a more powerful statement than the current cover

August 12, 2011August 12, 2011 by David Toub

Boston, Chamber Music, Composers, Concert review, Concerts, Conductors, Contemporary Classical, File Under?, Orchestras

Tanglewood FCM Highlights (Part One)

Those who’ve read File Under ? for a while may know that, two years ago, my wife and I went on our honeymoon to Tanglewood. We celebrated our first anniversary at the 2010 FCM (composers take note: if your prospective partner doesn’t mind taking in a contemporary music marathon as part of your honeymoon, he/she is a keeper!) Due to work obligations, Kay and I weren’t able to attend the first three days of the 2011 Festival of Contemporary Music. Those who’d like to read excellent coverage of the beginning of the festival should head on over to New Music Box for

August 12, 2011August 11, 2011 by Christian Carey

Composers, Contemporary Classical, File Under?, The Business

Kickstarter as a successful fundraising tool

Maura Lafferty is one of the most astute and social media savvy publicists of classical music around. Since several of her clients have used Kickstarter as part of fundraising campaigns, we asked her to write a guest blog about the platform. Maura’s been kind enough to share some tips for our readers about how to best employ Kickstarter to fund their next project. I get a lot of questions about Kickstarter and funding commissions through this tool, and have chimed in on a number of Twitter conversations about its effectiveness. Kickstarter is a threshold giving system: for those unfamiliar with

July 19, 2011July 18, 2011 by Christian Carey

Books, CDs, Composers, Contemporary Classical, File Under?, Interviews

Interview with Composer Andrew Ford

Andrew Ford’s “Illegal Harmonies” “I’ve never had a grand plan. Never even had an ambition – I still don’t, beyond wanting to write better music,” says Ford. “So I’ve done things as they’ve come along. Of course I also say no to things. I got into writing music journalism because, in 1983 when I came to Australia, I wasn’t, over all, very impressed with the music journalism I read. My radio work really came out of being an academic and gradually replaced it totally.” Although born in England, Andrew Ford has become associated with his adopted homeland, Australia. He’s one

July 16, 2011 by Christian Carey

Bass, Chamber Music, Composers, Concerts, Contemporary Classical, Experimental Music, Festivals, Improv, Interviews, Piano, Premieres, San Francisco, Women composers

Let’s Ask Kanoko Nishi

San Francisco Bay Area composer/performer Kanoko Nishi wraps up our series of interviews with composers who are premiering new works at the 10th Annual Outsound New Music Summit in San Francisco on Friday, July 22nd. The Friday night concert, entitled The Art of Composition, starts at 8 pm at the Community Music Center, 544 Capp Street, San Francisco. Tickets are available online from Brown Paper Tickets, and you can also buy them at the door. Listeners who don’t want to wait that long can get up close and personal with the composers, and learn about their creative process, at a free Monday night panel discussion at 7 pm on July 18th. Kanoko

July 15, 2011July 15, 2011 by Polly Moller