Podcasts about Eighth Blackbird

Haitian-American composer, flutist, vocalist, and educator Nathalie Joachim is half of the duo Flutronix, whose music blends classical flute playing with electronic sounds. She also played for a spell in the Grammy-winning contemporary classical music ensemble Eighth Blackbird. But in 2019 Nathalie began exploring her family's roots in Haiti with a striking album called Famn d'Ayiti, using flute, string quartet, electronics, field recordings and her own singing. Now, she's continued that exploration with a new album called Ki moun ou ye, or Who Are You / and the Kreyol meaning is Who Claims You? On it, her precisely assembled original songs and compositions explore ideas about family, ancestry, and identity using recorded voices of family members, along with her own flute riffs and voice, and percussive elements. Nathalie Joachim presents music from her latest album called Ki moun ou ye, or "Who Are You / Who Claims You?", in-studio.  Set list: 1. Kenbe m 2. Kouti Yo 3. Ki moun ou ye

Seasons Greetings! So much music, so little time!  That's pretty much my train of thought this week as we feature a bunch of new releases in addition to some holiday related music from Scanner & Cucurbitophobia. For those who partake, Merry Christmas! Joel e-mail: pushingtheenvelopewhus@gmail.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/envpusher1      12-23-23 PTE Playlist   Watch Over Us - violin: Yvonne Lam (from the new music ensemble, Eighth Blackbird) / composer: Nathalie Joachim - Watch Over Us - Blue Griffin Records (2023) https://yvonnelam.bandcamp.com/album/watch-over-us    Life on Mars - Marty Isenberg - The Way I Feel Inside: Inspired by the Films of Wes Anderson - Truth Revolution Recording Collective (2023) https://trrstore.bandcamp.com/album/the-way-i-feel-inside-inspired-by-the-films-of-wes-anderson    Stand - Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra feat. Bernie Worrell (Hammond B3 organ), Sandra St. Victor (vocals) & Vernon Reid (electric guitar) - MTO Plays Sly - A Train Entertainment (2011)  https://stevenbernstein.bandcamp.com/album/mto-plays-sly    Hardcore Orange Eyelids of the Sun - Playfield - Magic Heart - 577 Records (Jan 2024 pre-release) https://danielcarternyc.bandcamp.com/album/magic-heart    Fantasie for Horns I - Hildegarde Westerkamp - Klavierklang - Earsay Music (2023) https://earsaymusic.bandcamp.com/album/klavierklang    distress - Centrozooan - Angel Liquor - Iapetus (2006) https://centrozoon.bandcamp.com/album/angel-liquor    Electrolytes - Cymbalic Encounters/Mark Murdock - Incandescent Spirits - digital release (2023) https://cymbalicencounters.bandcamp.com/album/incandescent-spirits    Step Right Up / Karnevel! - Scott Henderson - Karnevel! - Mango Prom Music (2024 pre-release) https://www.scotthenderson.net/    Freeworld - Phreeworld - Crossing The Sound - Friends In The Garden (1998)   Flotando en Vacio - Beledo - Fuente de la Abundancia: MoonJune Toledo Festival 2023 Sampler - Moonjune Records (2023) https://moonjunetoledo.bandcamp.com/album/fuente-de-la-abundancia   Lamedvaniks - Sollilians - Shin - digital release (2023) https://solilians.bandcamp.com/album/shin    Away in a Manger - Scanner - A Scanner Christmas - digital release (2023) https://scanner.bandcamp.com/album/a-scanner-christmas    A Liturgy for Yule - Cucurbitophobia (fear of pumpkins) - A Druid's Tale - digital release (2020) https://cucurbitophobia.bandcamp.com/album/a-druids-tale 

If you're looking for the newest cutting-edge classical music played in innovative and startling ways, New Music Detroit has it. Their concerts include some of the newest classical music out there, and it includes instruments being played in surprising ways - plus, items being played musically that you might not think of as musical instruments. The ensemble that's currently touring northern Michigan includes New Music Detroit core members cellist Úna O'Riordan, pianist and creative director Justin Snyder and vocalist Jocelyn Zelasko. They're joined this week by guest percussionist Matthew Duvall of Eighth Blackbird. These four musicians visited Studio A give a preview of some of this week's concert repertoire. They're in northern Michigan giving two concerts this week: Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Glen Lake School Auditorium in Maple City, and Friday at 7 p.m. at the Cathedral Barn at Historic Barns Park in Traverse City. Both concerts are presented by IPR and the Glen Arbor Arts Center.

This episode is also available as a blog post: https://thecitylife.org/2022/08/26/the-town-hall-eighth-blackbird-celebrates-john-cage-free-on-august-29-at-bryant-park-picnic-performances/ --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/citylifeorg/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/citylifeorg/support

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.

DescriptionOccasionally, I am going to release a bonus interview episode for your listening pleasure. For this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Bekah Simms who is the outgoing General Manager for the Canadian League of Composers. She is also a truly innovative composer in her own right. We chatted all about the League as well as Bekah's compositional process and what she's currently working on. Enjoy!Bekah on SoundCloud | Ghost Songs By Bekah Simms on BandcampAbout Bekah SimmsThe varied output of JUNO and Gaudeamus Award-nominated composer Bekah Simms has been heralded as “cacophonous, jarring, oppressive — and totally engrossing!” (CBC Music), “tough, even gutsy...with a sure sense of original and vibrant colours” (Vancouver Sun), and lauded for its "sheer range of ingenious material, expressive range and sonic complexity" (The Journal of Music.) Propelled equally by fascination and terror toward the universe, her work is often filtered through the personal lens of her anxiety, resulting in nervous, messy, and frequently heavy musical landscapes. Foremost among her current compositional interests is quotation and the friction between recognizability and complete obfuscation.Bekah hails from St. John's, Newfoundland and is currently Toronto-based. Her music has been widely performed across Canada, in over a dozen American states, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland, Austria, Lithuania, the UK, and Russia. Commissioning ensembles include some of the top interpreters of contemporary music in both Canada and internationally, such as Crash Ensemble, Eighth Blackbird, l'Ensemble Contemporain de Montréal, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Thin Edge New Music Collective, Esprit Orchestra, Continuum Contemporary Music, Ensemble Télémaque, Ensemble Paramirabo, and Duo Concertante. Upcoming commissions include new works for Crash, But What About?, New Music Concerts, and more.About Steven (TCMM Host)Steven is a Canadian composer living in Toronto. He creates a range of works, with an emphasis on the short-form genre—his muse being to offer the listener both the darker and more satiric shades of human existence. If you're interested, please check out his website for more. Member of the Canadian League Of Composers.A Note To Music Students et al.All recordings and sheet music are available on my site. I encourage you to take a look and play through some. Give me a shout if you have any questions.Got a topic? Pop me off an email at: TCMMPodcast@Gmail.com Support the show

The Ojai Music Festival has been around since 1947, but rather than sticking to status quo, it continues to evolve and surprise with unusual intersections of musical styles and genres. Invited to talk about their Ojai experiences will be alum - Matthew Duvall of Eighth Blackbird, Music Director of 2009, and Steven Schick, percussionist, conductor and Music Director of 2015. SHOW NOTES / CREDITS:   Thomas Kotcheff, host  Thomas Kotcheff, producer  Louis Ng, recording engineer OJAICast theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks   Music used in this episode:  Missy Mazzoli - Still Life with Avalanche performed by Eighth Blackbird Xenakis - Rebonds B performed by Steven Schick

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.

On this week's edition we travel back in our archive and re-discover one of the centres most ambitious festivals. At a time when musical genres were in flux and people were hungry for something new - the Barbican celebrated Steve Reich with a marathon weekend of music entitled Reverberations.On May 7 & 8 2011 we celebrated Steve Reich's 75th birthday. Reverberations included the European premiere of his string quartet WTC 9/11; the UK premiere of his Mallet Quartet by the Amadinda Quartet; and the UK premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning piece Double Sextet by Eighth Blackbird and the London premiere of 2x5 by Bang on a Can. It was a busy weekend.From the Archive sees us dig into our extensive contemporary and classical music and cinema podcast archive as we rediscover interviews and discussions with artists, with our long-standing producer and presenter, Ben Eshmade. Subscribe to Nothing Concrete on Acast, Spotify, iTunes or wherever you find your podcasts. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

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.

It was an honor to host Dr. Jennifer Higdon earlier this year. Since her episode, she's continued composing, and presenting. In this show she discusses life as a composer, music she finds inspiration from, and what it was like to win one of the biggest awards for musicians.Jennifer Higdon, a Pulitzer Prize and three-time Grammy winner, is one of the most performed living American composers working today. She is the recent recipient of Northwestern University's Nemmers Prize and the UT Austin EM King Award. Previous honors include the Guggenheim, Koussevitzky, and Pew Fellowships, as well as two awards from the American Academy of Arts & Letters. Commissions have come from a wide range of performers: from the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony, to The President's Own Marine Band; from the Tokyo String Quartet to Eighth Blackbird, as well as individual artists such as singer Thomas Hampson, violinist Hilary Hahn and pianist, Yuja Wang.  Her first opera on Charles Frazier's book, “Cold Mountain”, was commissioned by Santa Fe Opera, Opera Philadelphia, NC Opera, and Minnesota Opera, selling out all of its runs and winning the International Opera Award. She makes her living from commissions. Her works are recorded on over 70 CDs. The recording of her “Percussion Concerto” with Colin Currie and the London Philharmonic was recently inducted into The Library of Congress' National Recording Registry. Jennifer holds the Rock Chair in Composition at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.For more information about Dr. Jennifer Higdon, visit her official website here.Visit Creative Peacemeal Podcast on social media, browse podcast swag, and continue the creative conversations via the blog!Website https://tstakaishi.wixsite.com/musicInstagram @creative_peacemeal_podcastFacebook https://www.facebook.com/creativepeacemealpod/***To make a donation to Dachshund Rescue of Houston click here!As always, THANK YOU for listening and if you have a moment, share an episode with a friend, or leave a review on Apple by clicking here and scrolling to "Ratings and Reviews" Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/creativepeacemeal)

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.

Since graduating from the University of Michigan years ago, Dr. Annika Socolofsky has cemented herself as a powerful voice in the contemporary classical space as a singer, composer, and performer collaborating with artists from around the globe. It had been a few years since I sat down and chatted with her, and what a wonderful conversation that followed with this podcast chat! We catch up and chat about our lives, including her move to Colorado and the challenges that came with it during 2020, her upcoming creative projects with Latitude 49 and her new artist collective Anticx, and the joys of music-making and teaching reigniting the passion being able to teach in-person again and after performing at Gaudeamus Muziekweek in Utrecht this month! ▶▶ Support Dr. Annika Socolofsky! Website: http://www.aksocolofsky.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/annika.socolofsky Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annikasoco/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYdKxTeFUmDkbL-CKAPQRfg Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5rRO8OlJaGh5kTPDxlB0Qw?si=mriCxdY-RyK2H8jzg0_QDw&dl_branch=1 Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/aksoco Anticx: https://anticx.art/ Gaudeamus Muziekweek: https://gaudeamus.nl/en/pioniers/annika-socolofsky/ Performances: w/ Eighth Blackbird: https://youtu.be/KOzzxNx5t-k w/ So Percussion: https://youtu.be/KOzzxNx5t-k w/ Latitude 49: https://youtu.be/YiGNAqojIgI Mitten Backstage is a podcast hosted by Michigan artist Dutcher Snedeker and centering on conversations around life, the industry, creative pursuits, and navigating the scene as Michigan creatives. Each week, you can see discussions on YouTube and wherever you listen to podcasts, and if you subscribe on Patreon you can get early access to episodes and behind-the-scenes access to streamed tapings where you can join in on the conversation! ▶▶ Early access and private streams every week! Also, bonus merch and access to lessons, consultations, and remote studio recording! https://www.patreon.com/dutchersnedeker ▶▶ Follow me on other socials for additional music and video content! Linktree (Website, Socials, etc): https://linktr.ee/dutchersnedeker BIG THANKS to my patrons! Tracy Snedeker Chris Bota George Herschel Cody Wilson Jim Lutz Kevin DePree Lee Heerspink --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dutcher-snedeker/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dutcher-snedeker/support

Mason Colby was born and raised in the musically rich Gulf Coast, splitting time between Lafayette, Louisiana and Houston, Texas. But it was in Kentucky that he picked up a banjo and started making music in earnest. A founding member of traditional stringband The Jarflies, Mason has been part of the old-time music scene in Kentucky for over a decade and is now writing songs that blend his love of Acadiana, the Bluegrass, and Texas songwriters like Guy Clark, Jolie Holland, Lyle Lovett, and banjo hero Danny Barnes. For his first two EPs of original work, he collaborated with Lexington producer and multi-instrumentalist J. Tom Hnatow (Horse Feathers, These United States, Vandaveer), a natural fit in terms of sound and vision. Other important contributors include Don Rogers (Mason's mentor as part of a Kentucky Arts Council Traditional Arts Apprenticeship grant), Robby Cosenza (Horse Feathers), Montana Hobbs (The Local Honeys), Zach Martin (Lylak), Abby Hamilton, Art Mize (KY Partisans, The Jarflies), and Cecilia Wright (Bear Medicine, Senora May). Rebecca Rego has been a Midwest singer-songwriter, recording artist, and producer for over 15 years. She has written and recorded eight albums and toured the country many times over, solo and with her Chicago-based band The Trainmen. In 2014, a mysterious package arrived on her doorstep. In it was Lucia Berlin's short story collection, “A Manual For Cleaning Women.” The note simply said: “I think you'll love this.” As Rego began picking through the dark, witty, romantic prose, the stories slowly began to seep into her consciousness and affect her songwriting. After a few years, she realized she had created a unique set of songs based on Berlin's book. In the fall of 2019, Rego traveled to Northern California, where a handful of Berlin's stories take place, and recorded six of these songs at Panoramic Studio in Stinson Beach with engineer Beau Sorenson (Death Cab For Cutie, tUnE-yArDs,) backed by multi-instrumentalist J. Tom Hnatow (Horse Feathers, Ringo Starr,) and Alysia Kraft, Staci Foster, and Tobias Bank of Fort Collins, CO based band Whippoorwill. The resulting album “Songs For Cleaning Women Pt. 1” will be released November 11, 2020. The release will be celebrated with a livestreaming performance during Grammy Award-winning music ensemble Eighth Blackbird's “Chicago Artists Workshop” series. As an independent female artist, Rego is influenced by the unflinching, raw honesty found in Berlin's art. Many of Berlin's stories are semi-autobiographical accounts of her time working blue-collar jobs, raising four children as a single mother, and dealing with her own alcoholism. Berlin died in 2004, never receiving critical acclaim in her own lifetime. Rego's goal with this release is to pay homage to Berlin's stories and introduce new audiences to her work. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Pamela Z smälter samman sin vackra röst med elegant elektronisk manipulation. Juliana Hodkinson förstärker tändstickor. Hon är filosofie doktor i tystnad i musik och ljudkonst. Pamela Z lever i San Francisco och komponerar stycken för röst, live-elektronik, samplade ljud och för gestikaktiverad MIDI-controllers. Hon är pionjär inom live digital looping, röstinstallationer och utvidgade vokala tekniker. Birgitta Tollan mötte Pamela Z första gången i studion i San Francisco redan 1996. Nu "möts" de digitalt genom Zoom. Pamela Z var på fint, årslångt stipendium i Rom när coronapandemin slog till. Efter sju månader, i mars 2020, var hon tvungen att resa hem till San Francisco. Hon fick sin Bachelor i musik redan 1978. Pamela Z har turnerat i USA, Europa och Japan och har komponerat för dans, film och kammarensembler som Kronoskvartetten och Eighth Blackbird. - Rösten är allas första instrument. Du är född med det och det är gratis. Och du är född med de olika tekniker som du kan använda, skrattar Pamela Z. Ett av hennes stycken heter And the Movement of the Tongue. Debutplattan från mitten av 2000-talet bär titeln A Delay Is Better. En recensent skrev: "En skicklig sammansmältning av hennes vackra röst med eleganta elektroniska manipulationer". Den brittiska tonsättaren Juliana Hodkinson, bosatt i Berlin sedan många år, erhöll 2015 det stora danska Carl Nielsen og Anne Marie Carl-Nielsens Legat. Juliana var den första pristagaren som inte är manlig tonsättare, och inte av dansk härkomst. Prissumman var då: 80 000 Euro. Ur motiveringen: "Juliana Hodkinsons kompositioner har en särskild ömtålig känslighet och känslighet för den konkreta världen." Några av hennes titlar är Lightness för förstärkta tändstickor och Why Linger You Trembling in your Shell?, där hon, förutom klassiska instrument som violin och slagverk, använder fjädrar, äggskal och bordtennisbollar. Stycket I Greet You a Thousand Times är komponerat för symfoniorkester och elektronik Juliana Hodkinson har tidigare bott och arbetat i Danmark under några år, då hon bland annat var ordförande för Dansk Kulturfond. Hon komponerar med instrument, objekt (bl a tändstickor), elektronik, text, röst, visuella medel och installationer. Hon har studerat musikvetenskap och filosofi vid King's College i Cambridge och japanska studier vid University of Sheffield. Juliana är Filosofie doktor i tystnad i musik och ljudkonst. Hon har undervisat i komposition och musik / media-estetik vid Köpenhamns Universitet, Technische Universität i Berlin, Högskolan för scen och musik i Göteborg och i Darmstadt. Nu är hon lektor i komposition vid Griegakademin i Bergen, Norge. Pamela Z och Juliana Hodkinson är inbördes olika och påverkade av olika länder/kulturer. De använder sig båda av instrument, objekt, live-elektronik, text, röst, visuella medel och installationer. Varför komponerar de musik? Hur komponerar de musik? Vad driver dem? Manus, regi och produktion: Birgitta Tollan. Låtlista: Lightness Juliana Hodkinson Ensemble Ictus In Tymes of Olde A Delay is Better Pamela Z Number 3 A Delay is Better Pamela Z Badagada, Suite for Solo Voice & Electronics Pamela Z Waving Not Drowning (a Guide to Elegance) Pamela Z And and And Pamela Z Amanda Gookin, cello, Ashley Hahn, röst Bone Music A Delay is Better Pamela Z I Greet You a Thousand Times Juliana Hodkinson Odense Symphony Orchestra in Carl Nielsen Hall, Odense, Denmark, conducted by Thomas Søndergaard Lightness Juliana Hodkinson Ensemble Ictus Can modify completely in this case. Not that it will make any difference Juliana Hodkinson Aart Strootman, gitarr, West Deutsche Rundfunks Symfoniorkester, Emilio Pomarico, dirigent Angel View Juliana Hodkinson Senatet Can modify completely in this case. Not that it will make any difference Juliana Hodkinson Aart Strootman, gitarr, West Deutsche Rundfunks Symfoniorkester, Emilio Pomarico, dirigent

A cura di Fabio Barbieri. Cristina Vane, Oded Tzur, Catriona McKay, Mia Cooper, William Butt and Joachim Roewer, Steve Kuhn Trio, Laurent Courthaliac, Bonnie Prince Billy, Bryce Dessner and Eighth Blackbird, Magic Lantern, Jonathan Plowright, Chris Potter.

A cura di Fabio Barbieri. Cristina Vane, Oded Tzur, Catriona McKay, Mia Cooper, William Butt and Joachim Roewer, Steve Kuhn Trio, Laurent Courthaliac, Bonnie Prince Billy, Bryce Dessner and Eighth Blackbird, Magic Lantern, Jonathan Plowright, Chris Potter.

A cura di Fabio Barbieri. Houston Person and Ron Carter, Charlie Haden and Brad Mehldau, Stephan Micus, Sixteen and Harry Christophers, Fly, Bonnie Prince Billy, Bryce Dessner and Eighth Blackbird, Lee Ranaldo and Raul Refree, Sequentia, Alexandre Tharaud, Billy Hart Quartet, Lo' Jo, Sufjan Stevens.

A cura di Fabio Barbieri. Houston Person and Ron Carter, Charlie Haden and Brad Mehldau, Stephan Micus, Sixteen and Harry Christophers, Fly, Bonnie Prince Billy, Bryce Dessner and Eighth Blackbird, Lee Ranaldo and Raul Refree, Sequentia, Alexandre Tharaud, Billy Hart Quartet, Lo' Jo, Sufjan Stevens.

Honored to have Dr. Jennifer Higdon, a Pulitzer Prize and three-time Grammy winning composer on the show today! Tune in to hear the story of her musical beginnings, what it's like to win the Pulitzer, and what she was up to in 2020 (hint A TON OF COMPOSING), inspirations behind one of her most popular pieces, and more.Jennifer Higdon, a Pulizer Prize and three-time Grammy winner, is one of the most performed living American composers working today. She is the recent recipient of Northwestern University’s Nemmers Prize and the UT Austin EM King Award. Previous honors include the Guggenheim, Koussevitzky, and Pew Fellowships, as well as two awards from the American Academy of Arts & Letters. Commissions have come from a wide range of performers: from the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony, to The President’s Own Marine Band; from the Tokyo String Quartet to Eighth Blackbird, as well as individual artists such as singer Thomas Hampson, violinist Hilary Hahn and pianist, Yuja Wang.  Her first opera on Charles Frazier’s book, “Cold Mountain”, was commissioned by Santa Fe Opera, Opera Philadelphia, NC Opera, and Minnesota Opera, selling out all of its runs and winning the International Opera Award. She makes her living from commissions. Her works are recorded on over 70 CDs. The recording of her “Percussion Concerto” with Colin Currie and the London Philharmonic was recently inducted into The Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry. Jennifer holds the Rock Chair in Composition at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.For more information about Dr. Jennifer Higdon, visit her official website here.To learn more about Dachshund Rescue of Houston, a nonprofit organization close to my heart, click here.Interested in ordering from Instacart but don't know where to start? Click the link below to get a special offer, and to support the show!As always, THANK YOU for listening and if you have a moment, share an episode with a friend, or leave a review on Apple by clicking here and scrolling to "Ratings and Reviews"Instacart - Groceries delivered in as little as 1 hour. Free delivery on your first order over $35.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Pamela Z smälter samman sin vackra röst med elegant elektronisk manipulation. Juliana Hodkinson förstärker tändstickor. Hon är filosofie doktor i tystnad i musik och ljudkonst. Av Birgitta Tollan. Pamela Z lever i San Francisco och komponerar stycken för röst, live-elektronik, samplade ljud och för gestikaktiverad MIDI-controllers. Hon är pionjär inom live digital looping, röstinstallationer och utvidgade vokala tekniker. Birgitta Tollan mötte Pamela Z första gången i studion i San Francisco redan 1996. Nu "möts" de digitalt genom Zoom. Pamela Z var på fint, årslångt stipendium i Rom när coronapandemin slog till. Efter sju månader, i mars 2020, var hon tvungen att resa hem till San Francisco. Hon fick sin Bachelor i musik redan 1978. Pamela Z har turnerat i USA, Europa och Japan och har komponerat för dans, film och kammarensembler som Kronoskvartetten och Eighth Blackbird. - Rösten är allas första instrument. Du är född med det och det är gratis. Och du är född med de olika tekniker som du kan använda, skrattar Pamela Z. Ett av hennes stycken heter And the Movement of the Tongue. Debutplattan från mitten av 2000-talet bär titeln A Delay Is Better. En recensent skrev: "En skicklig sammansmältning av hennes vackra röst med eleganta elektroniska manipulationer". Den brittiska tonsättaren Juliana Hodkinson, bosatt i Berlin sedan många år, erhöll 2015 det stora danska Carl Nielsen og Anne Marie Carl-Nielsens Legat. Juliana var den första pristagaren som inte är manlig tonsättare, och inte av dansk härkomst. Prissumman var då: 80 000 Euro. Ur motiveringen: "Juliana Hodkinsons kompositioner har en särskild ömtålig känslighet och känslighet för den konkreta världen." Några av hennes titlar är Lightness för förstärkta tändstickor och Why Linger You Trembling in your Shell?, där hon, förutom klassiska instrument som violin och slagverk, använder fjädrar, äggskal och bordtennisbollar. Stycket I Greet You a Thousand Times är komponerat för symfoniorkester och elektronik Juliana Hodkinson har tidigare bott och arbetat i Danmark under några år, då hon bland annat var ordförande för Dansk Kulturfond. Hon komponerar med instrument, objekt (bl a tändstickor), elektronik, text, röst, visuella medel och installationer. Hon har studerat musikvetenskap och filosofi vid King's College i Cambridge och japanska studier vid University of Sheffield. Juliana är Filosofie doktor i tystnad i musik och ljudkonst. Hon har undervisat i komposition och musik / media-estetik vid Köpenhamns Universitet, Technische Universität i Berlin, Högskolan för scen och musik i Göteborg och i Darmstadt. Nu är hon lektor i komposition vid Griegakademin i Bergen, Norge. Pamela Z och Juliana Hodkinson är inbördes olika och påverkade av olika länder/kulturer. De använder sig båda av instrument, objekt, live-elektronik, text, röst, visuella medel och installationer. Varför komponerar de musik? Hur komponerar de musik? Vad driver dem? Manus, regi och produktion: Birgitta Tollan.

Chicago-based music ensemble Eighth Blackbird is celebrating 25 years of creating avant garde chamber music. Reset talks with two of the group’s co-founders about their new album and legacy.

On this edition of The Arts Section, host Gary Zidek talks to the people at Steppenwolf Theatre involved with bringing a radio play adaptation of ANIMAL FARM to life. The Dueling Critics, Kerry Reid and Jonathan Abarbanel, join the show remotely to talk about the Neo Futurists new show about U.S. First Ladies. Later, Gary chats with the co-founders of the Grammy Award-winning new music ensemble Eighth Blackbird to learn more about a new project they've created that aims to help Chicago performing artists. And Gary catches up with local soul musician Sam Trump.

Chicago based bassist/composer and bandleader, Matt Ulery, has developed an instantly recognizable sound. Known for his sweeping lyricism, unconventional phrase structures, expressionistic emotionalism, Ulery’s music, from small, diverse chamber ensembles to full orchestras, is informed by the entire spectrum of jazz, classical, rock, pop, and folk– specifically American, South American, Balkan, and other European folkstyles. He has been performing for 23 years on upright, electric, and brass basses.For a decade, Ulery has been the leader of his own groups and frequent collaborator. Ulery has produced and released 8 albums of all original music under his name including three recent releases of critical acclaim, “By a Little Light,” “Wake an Echo,” and “In the Ivory,” on Dave Douglas’s Greenleaf Music record label in 2012-2014 and his latest, “Festival (2016),” and “Sifting Stars (2018)” on his own label, Woolgathering Records. Ulery earned a Master of Music degree at Depaul University and Bachelors degree in music composition at The Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University and has played in bands with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Fareed Haque, Howard Levy, Patricia Barber, Goran Ivanovic, Greg Ward, Jeff Parker, Zach Brock, Jimmy Chamberlin, Makaya McCraven, Marquis Hill and countless others. As a composer, Ulery has collaborated with diverse ensembles such as Eighth Blackbird, Miami String Quartet, New Millennium Orchestra of Chicago, Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Music Festival of Lexington, Axiom Brass, Wild Belle, and the Guimaraes (Portugal) Jazz Festival.

Praised by critics for her "astounding virtuosic gifts" (Boston Herald), "achingly pure sound” (The Toronto Star), and “impressive technical and interpretive control” (The New York Times), TRICIA PARK enjoys a diverse and eclectic career as a violinist, educator, curator, writer, and podcaster.Tricia is the producer and host of the podcast, “Is it Recess Yet? Confessions of a Former Child Prodigy.” She received the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and was selected as one of "Korea's World Leaders of Tomorrow" by the Korean Daily Central newspaper. Since appearing in her first orchestral engagement at age 13 with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, she has performed with the English Chamber Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, and National Symphony Orchestra of South Africa; the Montreal, Dallas, Cincinnati, Seattle, Honolulu, Nevada, and Lincoln Symphonies; and the Calgary, Buffalo, and Westchester and Naples Philharmonics. Tricia has given recitals throughout the United States and abroad, including a highly acclaimed performance at the Ravinia Rising Stars series. She also performs as half of the violin-fiddle duo, Tricia & Taylor, with fiddler-violinist, Taylor Morris.Tricia is the founder of the Solera Quartet, the winner of the Pro Musicis International Award and the first American chamber ensemble chosen for this distinction. Acclaimed as “top-notch, intense, stylish, and with an abundance of flare and talent,” the Solera Quartet performed their debut recital at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall to celebrate their addition to Pro Musicis’ roster. The Soleras’ debut album, Every Moment Present, features music by Janacek, Mendelssohn, and Caroline Shaw and was hailed by the New York Times hailed as “intoxicating….The quartet’s playing on the recording is sensitive and finely articulated throughout and the sound bright and vivid.”Other career highlights include Tricia’s recital debut at the Kennedy Center, appearances at the Lincoln Center Festival in Bright Sheng's The Silver River, her Korean debut performance with the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) Orchestra and collaborations with composer Tan Dun. As First Violinist of the Maia Quartet from 2005-2011, she performed at Lincoln Center and the 92nd Street Y in New York and Beijing’s Forbidden City Hall and was on faculty at the University of Iowa.Passionate about arts education and community development, Tricia is the co-founder and artistic director of MusicIC, a chamber music festival that explores the connections between music and literature. In 2019, Tricia received an MFA from the Writing Program at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where she was a recipient of the New Artist Society Scholarship and was awarded a Writing Fellow Prize. Her writing has been published in Cleaver, Alyss and F News Magazines.Tricia received her Bachelor and Master of Music from the Juilliard School where she studied with Dorothy DeLay. She was a recipient of the Starling-DeLay Teaching Fellowship at the Juilliard School. She has studied and performed chamber music with Felix Galimir, Pinchas Zukerman, Cho-Liang Lin, Michael Tree, Gary Hoffman, Paul Neubauer, Robert McDonald, and members of the American, Guarneri, Juilliard, and Orion String Quartets as well as the new music group, Eighth Blackbird. Other former teachers include Cho-Liang Lin, Donald Weilerstein, Hyo Kang and Piotr Milewski.Currently, Tricia is an Artist-in-Residence and Lecturer in Chamber Music and Violin and Viola Performance at the University of Chicago.Connect with her here. RESOURCESDr. Derald Wing SuCitizen, by Claudia RankineI would like to thank Tricia for the music in episode - Cesar Franck's Violin Sonata performed with the pianist Domenic Cheli.Photo credit - Denise Karis  

Robert and Matt talk about Matt’s career in Eighth Blackbird, the Cabrillo Festival, teaching at the University of Michigan, and preparing the next generation of musicians.   Highlights Knowing each other for a long time - 6:33 The actual situation - 8:48 Going online - 9:45 Coming to consensus - 10:12 How they help their students - 12:58 The importance of decisions - 15:33 People recording themselves - 20:27 An amazing opportunity for musicians to engage more - 25:06 Offering a limited number of programs for a year - 38:22 How the industry has changed - 39:40 Music and audiences - 1:04:20 Different types of audiences - 1:06:00 Matt’s recommendations - 1:10:00   Episode Resources Connect with Robert Hunt Simonds: roberthuntsimonds@gmail.com  http://roberthuntsimonds.com/ Connect with Matt Albert: https://www.instagram.com/ganzmatt/?hl=en https://twitter.com/ganzmatt?lang=en Matt’s recommendations: Emily King: https://www.emilykingmusic.com  Ellen Reid “Prism”: https://ellenreidmusic.com/work/p-r-i-s-m/  Doric Quartet: Britten and Purcell: https://www.amazon.com/Britten-Purcell-Chamber-Works-Strings/dp/B07PN77KPK  Attaca Quartet/Caroline Shaw: Orange: http://www.attaccaquartet.com/shawattacca-quartet-orange  Trilogy: https://trilogypodcast.podbean.com Unlocking Us | Brené Brown: https://brenebrown.com/podcast/introducing-unlocking-us/

From new jazz albums from Ambrose Akinmusire and Norah Jones to soothing works from Gia Margaret, Eighth Blackbird and Noveller, here are the best new albums out on June 12.Featured Albums:1. Ambrose Akinmusire — on the tender spot of every calloused moment Featured Song: "Tide of Hyacinth"2. Jehnny Beth — To Love Is To Live Featured Song: "Innocence"3. Gia Margaret — Mia Gargaret Featured Songs: "Body" and "Lesson"4. Chloe x Halle — Ungodly Hour Featured Song: "Baby Girl"5. Eighth Blackbird — Singing In The Dead Of Night Featured Songs: "These Broken Wings" and "Singing In The Dead Of Night"6. Naeem — Startisha Featured Songs: "Simulation" and "You And I"7. Norah Jones — Pick Me Up Off The Floor Featured Song: "Hurts To Be Alone"8. Noveller — Arrow Featured Song: "Pre-fabled"Notable releases for June 5: The Prison Music Project — Long Time Gone; Katie Malco — Failures; Groupe RTD — The Dancing Devils Of Djibouti; Hinds — The Prettiest Curse; Daniel Carter, Matthew Shipp, William Parker & Gerald Cleaver — Welcome Adventure Vol. 1 Notable releases for June 12: GoGo Penguin — GoGo Penguin; Coriky — Coriky; Sammy Brue — Crash Test Kid; Momma — Two Of Me

Subscribe to the podcast here! Nick Photinos4:23 - Struggling with productivity and career transformation during the pandemic.4:38 - Nick talks about the "profound change" his career is taking now as he prepares to leave Eighth Blackbird and how we all identify with our professional personas.6:00 - The challenges of reinventing oneself during the uncertainty of COVID-19.8:29 - The genesis of Eighth Blackbird at Oberlin. Tim Weiss.12:52 - How Nick decided it was time to leave Eighth Blackbird and move onto the next stage of his career.15:00 - The complexities of interpersonal relationships within small ensembles. How Eighth Blackbird defined their mission and made artistic choices in the beginning.17:35 - What happens when something we identify with changes?21:28 - How competitions helped Eighth Blackbird at the start of their career. How uniqueness helped their career and why it can be hard to differentiate yourself if you stay on a very traditional career path.24:28 - How staying true to what "lit him up" is what gave Nick clarity in his career and artistic goals.25:38 - Why Eighth Blackbird could only have formed at Oberlin.27:55 - How Nick got started playing music and the importance of collaboration.31:45 - How Nick is finding ways to collaborate in his home with his family.32:38 - Nick's arrangement of Aphex Twin's tune, Avril 14.33:43 - Nick's work with Dana Fonteneau on how all of the ways musicians are used to measuring themselves is gone and how this time can be best used for musicians to ask themselves "why are we doing this?" In the absence of all the traditional reasons to making music, why should we keep making music?35:19 - The joy of playing new music because there is no "right" way to play it.35:47 - Bob Dylan's ability to communicate despite his "horrible voice" and the importance of asking ourselves "what am I saying?" How to be authentic and fresh.38:43 - How the well worn paths have become too well worn and why it's important to ask yourself "where does this eventually lead?"40:20 - Nick and I talk about the c0mplexities of the classical music world's obsession with youth. e.g."From the Top."43:07 - The ways we derive our sense of worthiness from our professional successes and identities and the challenges that come from this over-identification.44:33 - Why people skills and "soft" skills are the most important for the success and longevity of your ensemble.47:43 - Memorization and why it's especially important in performing new music and how it can liberate the performers and also increase the audience's understanding and enjoyment of a piece. Michael Torke's Yellow Pages.53:45 - What Nick is planning for the next stage of his career as a solo artist.55:17 - Why deadlines are useful for Nick in his creative work and development.58:29 - How Nick cultivates his creative courage.1:01:14 - Nick talks about his interest in miniatures and how his first solo album, "Petits Artéfacts," developed from his interest in encores and short pieces.George SaundersLydia Davis1:04:16 - Why Nick would tell his younger self to focus on the people and things that "lift you up."1:04:55 - Why "not beating yourself up" is especially important during this time of pandemic and the importance of preserving our mental health during this time.

It's hard to believe it, but we've reached the end of Season 2 of The Mind Over Finger Podcast!!!  To celebrate, I have a great treat for you.  I'm speaking with one of the most acclaimed and frequently performed composers working today: Jennifer Higdon! It was an incredible honor to have the chance to sit with Jennifer and to soak up her wisdom and this wonderful energy that she's got!  Among many other things, you'll get to hear about her unusual path to a career as a composer, how she approaches the compositional process, her view on the classical music world today, and she tells us about the habit that has contributed to her success.   Mindful efficient practice can completely transform the way you perform and feel about-music making! If you think this would change your life…… then this is for YOU! Dr. Renée-Paule Gauthier invites you to join : THE MUSIC MASTERY EXPERIENCE A TRANSFORMATIONAL JOURNEY TO LOVING THE PRACTICE ROOM, ROCKING THE STAGE, WINNING THE JOB, AND TAKING YOUR CAREER TO NEW HEIGHTS A 3-month experience for all musicians, starting June 1st, 2020 BOOK A CALL AND LET'S SEE HOW WE CAN GET YOU RESULTS!   MORE ABOUT JENNIFER HIGDON: Website: http://jenniferhigdon.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jennifer+higdon Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jennifer-Higdon-127096427366514/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/BwFJrDGB2sZ/   Pulitzer Prize and three-time Grammy-winner Jennifer Higdon taught herself to play flute at the age of 15 and began formal musical studies at 18, with an even later start in composition at the age of 21. Despite these obstacles, Jennifer has become a major figure in contemporary Classical music. Her works represent a wide range of genres, from orchestral to chamber, to wind ensemble, as well as vocal, choral and opera. Her music has been hailed by Fanfare Magazine as having "the distinction of being at once complex, sophisticated but readily accessible emotionally", with the Times of London citing it as "…traditionally rooted, yet imbued with integrity and freshness." The League of American Orchestras reports that she is one of America's most frequently performed composers. Higdon's list of commissioners is extensive and includes The Philadelphia Orchestra, The Chicago Symphony, The Atlanta Symphony, The Cleveland Orchestra, The Minnesota Orchestra, The Pittsburgh Symphony, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, as well such groups as the Tokyo String Quartet, the Lark Quartet, Eighth Blackbird, and the President's Own Marine Band. She has also written works for such artists as baritone Thomas Hampson, pianists Yuja Wang and Gary Graffman, violinists Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Jennifer Koh and Hilary Hahn. Her first opera, Cold Mountain, won the prestigious International Opera Award for Best World Premiere in 2016; the first American opera to do so in the award's history. Performances of Cold Mountain sold out its premiere run in Santa Fe, North Carolina, and Philadelphia (becoming the third highest selling opera in Opera Philadelphia's history). Upcoming commissions include a chamber opera for Opera Philadelphia, a string quartet for the Apollo Chamber Players, a double percussion concerto for the Houston Symphony, an orchestral suite for the Made In America project, and a flute concerto for the National Flute Associations' 50th anniversary. Higdon received the 2010 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her Violin Concerto, with the committee citing the work as "a deeply engaging piece that combines flowing lyricism with dazzling virtuosity." She has also received awards from the Guggenheim Foundation, the American Academy of Arts & Letters, the Koussevitzky Foundation, the Pew Fellowship in the Arts, The Independence Foundation, the NEA, and ASCAP. As winner of the Van Cliburn Piano Competition's American Composers Invitational, Higdon's Secret & Glass Gardens was performed by the semi-finalists during the competition. Higdon has been a featured composer at many festivals including Aspen, Tanglewood, Vail, Norfolk, Grand Teton, and Cabrillo. She has served as Composer-in-Residence with several orchestras, including the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Fort Worth Symphony. She was honored to serve as the Creative Director of the Boundless Series for the Cincinnati Symphony's 2012-13 season. During the 2016-17 and 2017-18 academic years Higdon served as the prestigious Barr Laureate Scholar at the University of Missouri Kansas City. Most recently, Higdon received the prestigious Nemmers Prize from Northwestern University which is awarded to contemporary classical composers of exceptional achievement who have significantly influenced the field of composition. Beginning in 2018, Higdon will complete two residences at the Bienen School of Music as the Nemmers Prize recipient. Also in the 2018-19 season, Higdon will be in residence at University of Texas, Austin, as part of the Eddie Medora King Award. Higdon enjoys more than 200 performances a year of her works. Her orchestral work, blue cathedral, is one of the most performed contemporary orchestral works in the repertoire, more than 600 performances since its premiere in 2000. Her works have been recorded on over 60 CDs. Higdon has thrice won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Classical Composition: first for her Percussion Concerto in 2010 and in 2018 for her Viola Concerto. Dr. Higdon received a Bachelor's Degree in Music from Bowling Green State University, an Artist Diploma from The Curtis Institute of Music, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. She has been awarded honorary doctorates from the Hartt School and Bowling Green State University. Dr. Higdon currently holds the Rock Chair in Composition at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Her music is published exclusively by Lawdon Press.   Visit www.mindoverfinger.com and sign up for my newsletter to get your free guide to a super productive practice using the metronome!  This guide is the perfect entry point to help you bring more mindfulness and efficiency into your practice and it's filled with tips and tricks on how to use that wonderful tool to take your practicing and your playing to new heights! Don't forget to visit the Mind Over Finger Resources' page to check out amazing books recommended by my podcast guests, as well as my favorite websites, cds, the podcasts I like to listen to, and the practice and podcasting tools I use everyday!  Find it here: www.mindoverfinger.com/resources!   And don't forget to join the Mind Over Finger Tribe for additional resources on practice and performing! If you enjoyed the show, please leave a review on iTunes!  I truly appreciate your support!     THANK YOU: Most sincere thank you to composer Jim Stephenson who graciously provided the show's musical theme!  Concerto #1 for Trumpet and Chamber Orchestra – Movement 2: Allegro con Brio, performed by Jeffrey Work, trumpet, and the Lake Forest Symphony, conducted by Jim Stephenson. Also a HUGE thank you to my fantastic producer, Bella Kelly!   MIND OVER FINGER: www.mindoverfinger.com https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/

Haitian-American composer Nathalie Joachim is the co-artistic director and flutist of the Grammy-winning contemporary chamber ensemble Eighth Blackbird, and one half of the art-pop duo, Flutronix. She's worked with Bryce Dessner, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Richard Reed Parry, Miguel Zenón, and the International Contemporary Ensemble as well. Her latest, with Chicago-based string ensemble Spektral Quartet, is "Fanm d’Ayiti" (Women of Haiti), a joyous and magic-infused work celebrating Haitian song, and how women are "the driving force of life, of politics, and social change." (Joachim, in an interview with I Care If You Listen.) Joachim and the quartet play some of "Fanm d’Ayiti," in-studio. - Caryn Havlik Watch the session here:  

Acclaimed young composer Viet Cuong joins the show to share his thoughts about band music, his work as a composer, and how growing up in the Lassiter band helped him fit in and find his place in the world. Topics: 
Viet’s background and how he got his start as a musician, percussionist, and composer. How band and music helped Viet “find his place” in the world and the importance of band as a place where kids who are struggling to feel accepted have a place where they can fit in and grow. Growing up in the legendary Lassiter Band Program under the baton of Alfred Watkins. Thought about what band directors can do to support young musicians who are writing music or want to become composers. Thoughts about academic music, new music for band, and some insights into building design at Princeton. The Blue Dot Collective Links: Viet Cuong, Composer The Blue Dot Collective Cuong: Diamond Tide Cuong: Moth Stravinsky: Rite of Spring Biography: Called “alluring” and “wildly inventive” by The New York Times, the “ingenious” and “knockout” (Times Union) music of Viet Cuong (b. 1990) has been performed on six continents by musicians and ensembles such as Sō Percussion, Eighth Blackbird, Alarm Will Sound, Sandbox Percussion, the PRISM Quartet, JACK Quartet, Gregory Oakes, Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, Albany Symphony, Jacksonville Symphony, and Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, among many others. Viet’s music has been featured in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, Aspen Music Festival, New Music Gathering, Boston GuitarFest, International Double Reed Society Conference, US Navy Band International Saxophone Symposium, and on American Public Radio’s Performance Today. He also enjoys composing for the wind ensemble medium, and his works for winds have amassed over one hundred performances by conservatory and university ensembles worldwide, including at Midwest, WASBE, and CBDNA conferences. Viet holds the Curtis Institute of Music’s Daniel W. Dietrich II Composition Fellowship as an Artist Diploma student of David Ludwig and Jennifer Higdon. Viet received his MFA from Princeton University as a Naumburg and Roger Sessions Fellow, and he is currently finishing his PhD there. At Princeton he studied with Steve Mackey, Donnacha Dennehy, Dan Trueman, Dmitri Tymoczko, Paul Lansky, and Louis Andriessen. Viet holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, where he studied with Pulitzer Prize-winner Kevin Puts and Oscar Bettison. While at Peabody, he received the Peabody Alumni Award (the Valedictorian honor) and the Gustav Klemm Award for excellence in composition. Viet has been a fellow at the Mizzou International Composers Festival, Eighth Blackbird Creative Lab, Cabrillo Festival’s Young Composer Workshop, Copland House’s CULTIVATE emerging composers workshop, and was also a scholarship student at the Aspen, Bowdoin, and Lake Champlain music festivals. Additionally, he has received artist residencies from Yaddo, Copland House, Ucross Foundation, and Atlantic Center for the Arts (under Melinda Wagner, 2012 and Christopher Theofanidis, 2014). Viet is a recipient of the Barlow Endowment Commission, Copland House Residency Award, ASCAP Morton Gould Composers Award, Suzanne and Lee Ettelson Composers Award, Theodore Presser Foundation Music Award, Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra Call for Scores, Cortona Prize, New York Youth Symphony First Music Commission, Boston GuitarFest Composition Competition, and Walter Beeler Memorial Prize, among others. In addition, he received honorable mentions in the Harvey Gaul Composition Competition and two consecutive ASCAP/CBDNA Frederick Fennell Prizes. Scholarships include the Evergreen House Foundation scholarship at Peabody, a 2010 Susan and Ford Schumann Merit Scholarship from the Aspen Music Festival and School, and the 2011 Bachrach Memorial Gift from the Bowdoin International Music Festival.

In this episode, we talk with world-class Julliard-trained violinist Tricia Park about her experiences as a child prodigy. We discuss how learning to play the violin and perform for world-class audiences at a very young age made her feel special all the while contributing to a limited sense of identity. She shares her unique insights into what it’s like to live a big life as a quiet and painfully shy child and she discusses simple ways that educators can help their exceptional students rise about the pressures associated with achievement and perfectionism. For more information about Tricia, including links to some of her amazing work with the Solera Quartet, the Music IC Organization or her other projects, visit triciapark.com or check out the shownotes at smallactbigimpact.com for all of the related links to her performances and work. Praised by critics for her "astounding virtuosic gifts" (Boston Herald) and "achingly pure sound” (The Toronto Star), concert violinist TRICIA PARK enjoys a diverse and eclectic career as soloist, chamber musician, concertmaster, educator, and festival curator. Tricia is a recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and was selected as one of "Korea's World Leaders of Tomorrow" by the Korean Daily Central newspaper. Since appearing in her first orchestral engagement at age 13 with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, she has performed with the English Chamber Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, and National Symphony Orchestra of South Africa; the Montreal, Dallas, Cincinnati, Seattle, Honolulu, Nevada, and Lincoln Symphonies; and the Calgary, Buffalo, and Westchester and Naples Philharmonics. She has also given recitals throughout the United States and abroad, including a highly acclaimed performance at the Ravinia Rising Stars series. As First Violinist of the Maia Quartet from 2005-2011, she performed at Lincoln Center and the 92nd Street Y in New York and Beijing’s Forbidden City Hall and was on faculty at the University of Iowa. Other career highlights include Tricia’s recital debut at the Kennedy Center, appearances at the Lincoln Center Festival in Bright Sheng's The Silver River, her Korean debut performance with the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) Orchestra and collaborations with composer Tan Dun, Cho-Liang Lin, Paul Neubauer, Timothy Eddy and Steven Tenenbom. An appearance with the Metamorphosen Chamber Orchestra at Jordan Hall garnered a glowing review from the Boston Herald that stated, "If you see the name Tricia Park in any future programs, buy a ticket." Recent season highlights include a performance of Lalo Symphonie Espagnole with the South Bend Symphony; a recital at Carnegie Hall with Ensemble Peripherie; a performance of the Brahms Double Concerto with the Notre Dame Symphony; a collaborative performance with violist Daniel Avshalomov; and a recording of works by Per Bloland on the TZADIK label with the ECCE Ensemble. Tricia is also the founding member of the Solera Quartet, the new Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Notre Dame. Tricia maintains an ongoing interest in new music and non-classical styles. She has performed with jazz musicians Matt Ulery and Zach Brock, has appeared with the rock band, Another Dead Clown and performs duo violin recitals with fiddler-violinist, Taylor Morris. Passionate about arts education and community development, Tricia is the co-founder and artistic director of MusicIC, a summer chamber music festival that takes place in downtown Iowa City. MusicIC presents free concerts and events focus on music for small ensembles inspired by works of literature, both prose and poetry. Tricia received her Bachelor and Master of Music from the Juilliard School where she studied with Dorothy DeLay. She is a recipient of the Starling-DeLay Teaching Fellowship at the Juilliard School. She has studied and performed chamber music with Felix Galimir, Pinchas Zukerman, Cho-Liang Lin, Michael Tree, Gary Hoffman, Paul Neubauer, Robert McDonald, and members of the American, Guarneri, Juilliard, and Orion String Quartets as well as the new music group, Eighth Blackbird. Other former teachers include Cho-Liang Lin, Donald Weilerstein, Hyo Kang and Piotr Milewski. Currently, Tricia is full-time Violin Faculty and Artist-in-Residence at the University of Notre Dame. The New Yorker Article Tricia Mentioned...by Malcolm Gladwell https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/10/20/late-bloomers-malcolm-gladwell Tricia Park Founding member, Solera Quartet Founding Artistic Director, MusicIC Violinist and Fiddler, Tricia and Taylor - Violin and Fiddle duo www.triciapark.com www.soleraquartet.com www.musicic.org www.triciaandtaylormusic.com

Nathalie Joachim is stylish. Nathalie talks to Kai about her upbringing in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn surrounded by a strong Haitian-American community, her love for Haiti, and her newest project Fanm d'Ayiti. She also shares her story of struggle at the Juilliard School and what she did about it that eventually lead to her being awarded the school's first InterArts Award, what she learned from her time in Paris, and Flutronix's compositional process.    

Founding cellist of Eighth Blackbird, Nick Photinos, joins us in WFMT's Levin Studio in Chicago to play pieces from his first solo album. Nick worked with an exciting array of diverse composers on the album including David T. Little, Angélica Négrón, Florent Ghys, Andrew Norman and Bryce Dessner. Hosted by Seth Boustead Produced by Sarah Zwinklis Music Lewisburg, by Bryce Dessner Nick Photinos, cello Sit and Dance, by Molly Joyce Nick Photinos, cello and the sky was still there, by David T. Little Nick Photinos, cello Panorama, by Angélica Negrón Nick Photinos, cello Petits Artéfacts, by Florent Ghys Nick Photinos, cello

Four-time Grammy winning super group Eighth Blackbird unveils their newest creative project: “to inspire the next generation of performers and composers to share in the ensemble's vision: to champion a distinctive, dynamic and engaging performance aesthetic.” We'll talk to the birds and this year's participants and bring you into the creative process as the lab comes to life. Hosted by Seth Boustead Produced by Sarah Zwinklis Music Conduit; Mvmt I: Touch; Mvmt II: Pulse by Robert Honstein eighth blackbird Duos: Mvmts 21-24 by Jörg Widmann Nick Photinos, cello; Michiko Theurer, violin Cold Mountain: “Listen” by Jennifer Higdon Justine Aronson, soprano; Jocelyn Zelasko, soprano; Robert Fleitz, piano Only the Words Themselves Mean What They Say by Kate Soper Justine Aronson, soprano; Erika Boysen, flutes Electric Aroma by Viet Cuong Michael Maccaferri, clarinet; Dylan Ward, saxophone; Phoebe Wu, piano; Matt Keown, percussion Dogs by Invoke Invoke: Zachariah Matteson, violin; Nick Montopoli, violin; Karl Mitze, viola; Geoff Manyin, cello

The latest episode of Classical Chicago features an interview with Eighth Blackbird cellist, Nick Photinos. In this episode, Nick discusses Eighth Blackbird's latest album "Olagon: a Cantata in Doublespeak" and the collaboration between the ensemble, composer Dan Trueman, and Irish sean nos singer Iarla O'Lianard.

Hear prog-marching band music from Chicago's Mucca Pazza, ambient-gothic Norwegian-Icelandic music from the duo Jo Berger Myhre & Ólafur Björn Ólafsson, jazz-tronic ambient minimalism from London's Portico Quartet, and new work from Danish experimental supergroup Girls in Airports. Also, hear new music by Molly Joyce for cellist Nick Photinos, new work from Kaki King & the Porta Girevole Chamber Orchestra, and more. Hear ambient-gothic music from Norwegian bassist Jo Berger Myhre and Icelandic drummer Ólafur Björn Ólafsson  in their composed work, “1000%,” which was recorded in an abandoned Reykjavik warehouse.  Also, listen to driving indie jazz from the Danish experimental ensemble, Girls in Airport, recorded live in Germany. Plus, hear a sample from Brooklyn's own Afrobeat big band, Antibalas.  There’s a new release from Chicago’s “interdisciplinary instrumental music and performance ensemble” – or circus-spectacle alt marching band, Mucca Pazza. It’s a bit proggy (Yes, Weather Report, Rush) and perhaps hard to march to, but “[t]he band spent eight years practicing counting to seven before they were ready to record this piece.” There’s also a new work by Terry Riley for Del Sol String Quartet, “Dark Queen Mantra,” featuring guitarist Gyan Riley. Plus listen to music by Kaki King - arranged for guitar and orchestra from her forthcoming Live At Berklee release. Listen to music from Eighth Blackbird founding cellist Nick Photinos; it’s a work by Molly Joyce, originally for for baroque cello and pre-recorded electronics, called “Sit and Dance.” Also, there’s music from London-based composer & producer Leah Kardos, which was made using analogue instruments and technologies, from her record, Rococochet. August & September 2017 New Releases (Special Podcast)(Similar to Show #4018, airdate: 8/31/2017)    ARTIST: Jo Berger Myhre & Ólafur Björn ÓlafssonWORK: 1000%, excerpt [1:00]RECORDING: The Third ScriptSOURCE: Hubro MusicINFO: hubromusic.com ARTIST: Mucca PazzaWORK: Andy Deitrich: Barbarous Relic [3:30] RECORDING: Barbarous RelicSOURCE/INFO: store.muccapazza.com ARTIST: Leah KardosWORK: Malio Malio [2:35]RECORDING: RococochetSOURCE: Bigo & TwigettiINFO: bigoandtwigetti.bandcamp.com ARTIST: Portico QuartetWORK: Current History [6:07] RECORDING: Art In The Age Of AutomationSOURCE: Gondwana RecordsINFO: porticoquartet.bandcamp.com ARTIST: AntibalasWORK: Gold Rush, excerpt [1:30]RECORDING: Live on Soundcheck, 9/15/17 SOURCE: This tune appears on Where the Gods are in PeaceINFO: antibalas.bandcamp.com ARTIST: Jo Berger Myhre & Ólafur Björn ÓlafssonWORK: 1000%  [6:42]RECORDING: The Third ScriptSOURCE: Hubro MusicINFO: hubromusic.com ARTIST: Girls in AirportsWORK: King's Birthday [3:28]RECORDING: LiveSOURCE: Edition Records EDN1097INFO: girlsinairports.bandcamp.com ARTIST: Nick PhotinosWORK: Molly Joyce: Sit and Dance [6:34] RECORDING: Petits ArtefactsSOURCE: New Amsterdam RecordsINFO: newamsterdamrecords.bandcamp.com ARTIST: Del Sol String Quartet, Gyan RileyWORK: Terry Riley: III. Dark Queen Mantra [11:49] RECORDING: Dark Queen MantraSOURCE: Sono Luminus 92215INFO: delsolquartet.com ARTIST: Kaki King, Porta Girevole Chamber Orchestra, Gabriela Sofia Gomez Estevez, student conductorWORK:  Magazine [5:30]RECORDING: Live At BerkleeSOURCE: BIRN Cooperative RecordingsINFO: smarturl.it/KakiKingLive

Ahead of their first Melbourne performance, Sascha talks with Nathalie Joachim of Eighth Blackbird about their program, the value of music education and theatre in music performance.

Chicago director Matthew Ozawa's journey to become an acclaimed opera director. With music from Eighth Blackbird, a Chicago-based contemporary classical ensemble (and Ozawa collaborator).

"Keep an ear out for a fresh idea that seems like it’s you." In Shat Talk Episode 003 I spoke with award-winning bassist and composer Matt Ulery who has just released his seventh record, Festival, on Woolgathering Records. Known for his sweeping lyricism, unconventional phrase structures, and expressionistic emotionalism, Ulery’s music is informed by the entire spectrum of jazz, classical, rock, pop, and folk – specifically American, South American, Balkan, and other European folk styles. Matt and I definitely talked some shat as we discussed his compositional process, the importance of developing one's inner musical voice, working as both a writer and sideman, and his continuing collaboration with Grammy Award winners Eighth Blackbird. Music samples from Festival courtesy of Woolgathering Records. Music samples from In The Ivory and By A Little Light courtesy of Greenleaf Music. "Hubble" by Matt Ulery(from Festival, 2016, Woolgathering Records) "The Peacocks" by Jimmy Rowles, arranged by Matt Ulery, featuring Zach Brock (from Festival, 2016, Woolgathering Records) "Depth Of Winter" by Matt Ulery(from Festival, 2016, Woolgathering Records) "Visceral" by Matt Ulery, featuring Rob Clearfield(from In The Ivory, 2014, Greenleaf Music) "Hymnody" by Matt Ulery(from Festival, 2016, Woolgathering Records) "Resilin" by Matt Ulery, featuring Eighth Blackbird(from In The Ivory, 2014, Greenleaf Music) "There's a Reason and a Thousand Ways" by Matt Ulery, featuring Grazyna Auguscik(from In The Ivory, 2014, Greenleaf Music) "To Lose Your Mind" by Matt Ulery(from By A Little Light, 2012, Greenleaf Music) www.mattulery.com mattulerywoolgathering.bandcamp.com/ mattulery.bandcamp.com/ itunes.apple.com/us/album/festival/id1115091887 itunes.apple.com/us/album/in-the-ivory/id906752144 itunes.apple.com/us/album/by-a-li…ight/id532408408

In the second episode, Lisa Kaplan, the pianist for Eighth Blackbird discusses the ensemble's latest album Hand Eye. Lisa tells Steve and Jim about the origins of Eighth Blackbird, how the ensemble pushes artistic boundaries, and the inspiration behind the album. Eighth Blackbird won Grammy awards for all three of its Cedille recordings released between 2007 and 2013.

In a program from February 2013, Andrew Patner features eighth blackbird's Cedille Records recording "meanwhile" which won both Grammy Awards for which it was nominated — Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance and Best Contemporary Composition for Stephen Hartke's title work [...]

Four-time Grammy-winning ensemble eighth blackbird performs music from their recent collaboration with the Sleeping Giant collective. A concert recorded live from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, where they are currently resident artists. Hosted by Seth Boustead Produced by Jesse McQuarters Timo Andres: Checkered Shade eighth blackbird Ted Hearne: By-By Huey eighth blackbird Robert Honstein: Pulse & Touch from Conduit eighth blackbird

In a conversation recorded November 2, 2014 at the Museum of Contemporary Art's Edlis Neeson Theatre, Andrew Patner talks with eighth blackbird ensemble members Lisa Kaplan and Matthew Duvall about the group's beginnings. This program was part of the 2014 Chicago Humanities Festival, and was recorded for WFMT by Eric Arunas. Watch full video of this conversation.   [...]

Behind the scenes and before the downbeat… join concert pianist and host Lara Downes backstage in the Green Room for a look into the real lives of classical musicians - a show about the people behind the music. eighth blackbird The Pilot episode features the Chicago-based, three-time Grammy-winning “super-musician” ensemble eighth blackbird. This visit to the Green Room exposes many topics central to the lives of working musicians, from the hazards of concert touring to the challenges of successful entrepreneurship, the problems of parenting from the road and the joys of making music together. With refreshing honesty, humor and surprising intimacy, Downes and the members of eighth blackbird open up about what it takes to get to The Green Room.

David is an Icelandic composer currently residing in New York. His works have been performed by ensembles such as the Arditti Quartet, Ensemble Adapter, Ensemble Surplus, Avanti!, Eighth Blackbird, and Yarn/Wire. He is a founding member of the Icelandic Composer’s Collective s.l.a.t.u.r. and co-runs the record label Carrier Records with Sam Pluta and Jeff Snyder.In our conversation we talk about the Icelandic music scene, his approach to analyzing and working with material, and the differences between intentionality and perception. The music played on this podcast is Longitudinal Study #1 performed by Loadbang, and a clip from The Negotiation of Context C performed by Yarn/Wire.

Conductor Robert Spano and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra have created a thriving community of composers who have come to be known as “The Atlanta School”. They include Jennifer Higdon, Christopher Theofanidis, Osvaldo Golijov, and Michael Gandolfi, and this week we'll listen to their music. Hosted by Seth Boustead Produced by Jesse McQuarters Michael Gandolfi: The Garden of Cosmic Speculation, I-III Christopher Theofanidis: Drumsound Rises from The Here & Now Osvaldo Golijov: Second Wave & Aria fr. Oceana, Luciana Souza, voc. Jennifer Higdon: On a Wire, Eighth Blackbird

Fresh off their 2012 Grammy win, the Chicago ensemble eighth blackbird stops by to discuss their latest album, recent premieres and performances across the globe. Hosted by Seth Boustead Produced by Jesse McQuarters Jennifer Higdon: Zaka Thomas Albert: Thirteen Ways (excerpt) Frederic Rzewski: Les Moutons De Panurge Steve Reich: Double Sextet (excerpt) Jennifer Higdon: Concerto for Sextet and Orchestra, On a Wire Steven Mackey: Lonely Motel (excerpt)

We talk to members of two ensembles who've helped change the sound of classical music. Violinist David Harrington is the founder of the Kronos Quartet, which has revolutionized the string quartet repertoire. Matt Albert is violinist and violist with Eighth Blackbird, a talented and inventive sextet who've further extended the range of classical expression. Both Kronos and eighth blackbird are performing at this year's Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. David and Matt joined us to share their passion for music, reflect on their work and talk about their Cabrillo Festival performances.