Podcast appearances and mentions of Mason Bates

Our September pick for Get Lit with All Of It is Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, which, in addition to celebrating its 25th anniversary, is being turned into an opera! We'll have Chabon and the opera's librettist Gene Scheer at our NYPL event on Sept. 24, as well as performers from the production. For a preview of the event, we're joined by the opera's composer, Mason Bates.

Asians and Asian Americans are numerous within the classical music industry, but their identities are often politicized and racialized in this Eurocentric musical genre. For the third episode of Obbligato on APEX Express, Isabel Li discusses this intersection with Mari Yoshihara, Professor of American Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and Professor at the Center for Global Education at the University of Tokyo, Japan; author of many books, including Musicians from a Different Shore: Asians and Asian Americans in Classical Music (2007) and Dearest Lenny: Letters from Japan and the Making of the World Maestro (2019). Tonight's episode features music by Chinese American composer Zhou Tian. To learn more about Mari and her work, please visit her website: https://www.mariyoshihara.com/index.html  Musicians from a Different Shore: https://tupress.temple.edu/books/musicians-from-a-different-shore-2 Dearest Lenny: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/dearest-lenny-9780190465780?cc=jp&lang=en&  Transcript  Opening: [00:00:00] Apex Express Asian Pacific expression. Community and cultural coverage, music and calendar, new visions and voices, coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It's time to get on board the Apex Express.    00:00:53 Isabel Li  Good evening. You're listening to KPFA 94.1 FM. My name is Isabel Li and I'm delighted to be hosting a new edition of Obbligato on Apex Express, which is a semimonthly segment specifically about AAPI identities in classical music. Tonight's guest is someone I have been incredibly excited to speak to because her writings have actually very much informed my studies and research. In fact, her books are exactly about the subject matter of Obbligato. I am honored to be speaking to Mario Yoshihara, Professor of American Studies at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and Professor at the Center for Global Education at the University of Tokyo, Japan; author of many books, including Musicians from a Different Shore: Asians and Asian Americans in Classical Music, published in 2007, and Dearest Lenny: Letters from Japan and the Making of the World Maestro, which was published in 2019. Welcome to Obbligato on Apex Express. Mari, how are you doing?  00:01:55 Mari Yoshihara  I'm doing fine. Thank you for having me.  00:01:58 Isabel Li  Of course, my first question for you is how do you identify and what communities are you a part of?  00:02:06 Mari Yoshihara  Oh well, that's actually a little bit complicated I am. I am a Japanese woman who have spent a little bit over well, maybe not more than a little more than half of my life in the United States. Born in New York but raised in Tokyo, educated mostly in Japan, but also earned my graduate degrees in the United States and most of my academic career has been in Hawaii, so I've been in American academia for almost 30 years now, but I also have a dual appointment with the University of Tokyo in Japan. So I split my time between Japan and Hawaii now.  00:02:54 Isabel Li  Can you tell us a little bit about your work and your books? I had a chance to read Musicians from a Different Shore, but how would you summarize your research to someone who might not have read your book?  00:03:04 Mari Yoshihara  So I am a scholar of American studies, which is an interdisciplinary field that has anything to do with America broadly defined. And within that, my area of expertise is about, well, I would say I'm a scholar of US cultural history. US Asian relations, mostly US, East Asian relations, especially in the cultural dimension, cultural studies, gender studies, Asian American studies, etc. And so I have written a number of books, both in English and Japanese, but the one that you're referring to, Musicians from a Different Shore, is a book that I did research for more than 20 years ago and was published in 2007. It's a study of Asians and Asian Americans and classical music. So it was partly historical in that I examined the ways. which Western music, so-called western classical music, was introduced to East Asia and how also East Asians became have become so successful and prominent in this field that is generally considered a white European elite art form, so it was partly historical, but then the rest of the book was based on my ethnographic field work and interviews among Asians and Asian Americans in classical music looking at how well who these people are in the first place and then also how musicians, Asian and Asian musicians themselves, understand the relationship between their racial and cultural identity on the one hand, and their practice of Western classical music on the other, so that was my study.   And then I also wrote another book called Dearest Lenny. It's about—the subtitle is Letters from Japan and the Making of the World Maestro. It's about Leonard Bernstein's relationship with two very special individuals in Japan. And through that story, I interweave an account of various things. For one thing, how Leonard Bernstein became a world maestro and also the relationship between politics and arts, gender, sexuality, art and commerce, etcetera, etcetera. So that was my most recent book published in English and then, I'm sure we'll talk more about this, but I'm currently doing a follow up research on the on Musicians from a Different Shore, taking into account all the changes that have been taking place in the classical music industry in the United States in the past, I would say five years or so especially so that's my that's the abbreviated version of my research.  00:05:55 Isabel Li  That's really cool, and I also want to ask you about these changes, if you can talk a little bit about the classical music world. I feel like classical music is one of those genres that seems to be unchanging on the outside. But as a scholar of classical music, what types of changes have you observed that has influenced how AAPI identities play into this world?  00:06:18 Mari Yoshihara  Yeah, I think especially in the last, I would say, yeah, 5 to 10 years, especially in the last five years, classical music industry in the United, I mean I say specifically in the United States because I don't see the similar kind of changes taking place in Japan where I'm currently located. And I also don't really know the situation in Europe. But the field of classical music in the US is changing. I think most significantly because of movements like the Black Lives Matter movement and also with the onset of COVID and the rise of anti Asian hate, there's been a lot more heightened awareness about how issues of race and also class shapes classical music. So there's a lot more vibrant conversations and debates about these topics in the industry and also in terms of AAPI community, are the biggest changes, the biggest change I'm seeing is that Asian and Asian American musicians themselves are being a lot more vocal and active in issues of race and racism in the field and there I've encountered many Asian and Asian American musicians who have, for instance, you know organized events or organizations, or taken up various forms of advocacy and activism on these issues. So compared to, say, 20 years ago, 20, 25 years ago, when I was doing the original research, I see a lot more kind of, you know, explicit awareness and awareness and articulation of these issues by Asian and Asian American musicians themselves.  00:08:12 Isabel Li  That's really interesting. Just because classical music is also one of those genres, that doesn't seem like a genre that most people explicitly associate with politics or activism. What are some examples of these, like activist movements that you've observed within the Asian American community in classical music?  00:08:32 Mari Yoshihara  So for instance, some Asian and Asian American musicians are are becoming a lot more vocal about the actual like racism or sexism that they have themselves experienced, or that they witness in the industry, like in in schools, conservatories, orchestras, opera companies, etc. Either through the media or you know their own writing, and also like speaking up within the organizations that they work in. So that's one. There are other kinds of advocacy and activism in that they demand more diverse repertoire, and I think the repertoire is in terms of the industry industry changes. That's the area that's changing the most, the the kind of repertoire that many orchestras for instance perform have become a lot more– I mean overall it's still very white, European centered– but in terms of the actual numbers of pieces that are performed, works by living, composers and composers of color, women composers, etcetera. That is significantly increased in the last 10 years and that is, you know significantly to do with the advocacy and activism on the part of, you know, artists of color.  So yeah, so things like that and then, you know, many Asian, Asian American artists are doing their own programming, for instance, like event organizing programming. So yeah, those are the areas that I see changes. I see things happening that I didn't see 25 years ago.  00:10:20 Isabel Li  Definitely. I remember reading your book, and your book has been published since 2007, so a lot of changes have happened since then. But in general, when you did your research at first, what how would you summarize the dynamic of Asian identities, Asian American identities in this very Eurocentric field, it's a juxtaposition of two different cultures and identities that a lot of people also observe in orchestras. There's a large population of Asian and Asian American musicians, conductors just in general. It's a very large population, but yet this identity is still not quite represented in media. It's not quite seen, so talk to us a bit about this juxtaposition and how you observe these dynamics in your research.  00:11:10 Mari Yoshihara  Yeah. So. The thing is, Asians and Asian Americans are indeed numerically overrepresented in classical music, in the sense that compared to the general public, the the the proportion of Asians and Asian Americans in the overall US population, the number of Asian and Asian Americans in classical music indexed by things like the student body at major conservatories or membership roster of US orchestras, etcetera, Asians and Asian Americans percentage is higher than the general population, right. So in terms of the numbers, Asians and Asian Americans are, quote unquote overrepresented. But those numbers are not reflected in the actual like voice, power and influence that they have in the industry.   So that was my finding back 2025 years ago and I think that's still true today. Also, the thing about Asian, Asian American musicians is that it's a racialized category. They are seeing and treated as Asian. It's this racial category. But their identities and experiences as Asians is not at all uniform, right?   Some of these Asian musicians are Asian Americans, like multi generational Asian Americans whose parents or grandparents or great grandparents etcetera have come to the United States and they themselves are U.S. citizens. So that's one group.   Many Asian musicians working in the United States are people who were born and raised in Asia, places like China or South Korea, Japan, etcetera, and came to the United States as international students to study music, often at the college level, college conservatory level, so obviously these people have very different sense of identity and experience as Asians compared to say, you know 3rd, 4th generation Chinese Americans or 1.5 Korean Americans.   There are other people who live in the United States because they were very talented, very young musicians, and the whole whole family immigrated to the United States specifically for their music education. So Midori, the famous violinist, Midori is a case, example of this, but there are also a number of other, especially among Koreans and Chinese. There are families, the whole family immigrated to the United States when the child was a very promising musician at age 7 or something. So that's one group. They too have a different sense of identity and experience of Asians than the two former groups that I that I talked about.   There are other people who also came to the United States because not because of the music education, but because of their parents' profession, for instance. And they have transnational kind of family ties and you know, they move, they go back and forth between US and Asia, for instance. And then there are also mixed roots families where one parent is Asian and the other is non Asian.   And then there are also Asians who were born and raised in Europe for other parts of the globe and then came to the United States, for either personal or professional reasons.   So in other words, they're all Asians in terms of their racial identity. But what that means is really quite diverse and their experience as Asian and Asian American musicians is also quite diverse. So it's not as if you know, just because they're Asian, they share some kind of experience and identities around which they coalesce. So that's, you know, that was true 20, 25 years ago. And I think that's still true today.  More and more Asian musicians are coming to the United States to study, study or work in classical music, but especially because of this, like new influence, this Asian category is becoming even more diverse. However, because of the COVID, you know the rise of Anti Asian hate during the COVID pandemic, I think that heightened the awareness of, you know, these different kinds of Asians, the heightened awareness that they are Asians. First and foremost, you know, in, in that in the sense of being racialized in the United States. So I have talked with a number of musicians, Asians and Asian American musicians, who did not really, hadn't thought about their Asianness before. It wasn't at the forefront of their identity before, but during this rise of anti Asian hate it they became they basically became more politicized. You know, they had quite a politicized language and awareness to think about race and racism especially against Asians and Asian Americans.  00:16:31 Isabel Li  Yeah, that's a great point. It is a such a diverse group and there are so many different identities, even within just the Asian American framework AAPI, as a label is very, very diverse. And that applies to classical music as well. But I think there's also this social perception of Asian and Asian Americans as a group that also relates to the model minority stereotype that's historically been present and, for example, a lot of people might think of, like a young Asian or Asian American musician as being like a prodigy because they are technically skilled at their instrument, where like these social perceptions that exist both in media and in the culture around us, why do you think that is?  00:17:15 Mari Yoshihara  Well, that as you said, there is a model minority myth and there is a stereotype of Asians and Asian Americans as being very studious and diligent, but also quiet, right? I mean, they just quietly follow, like, obedient, obediently follow the instructions and that translates in the field of music as the stereotype that Asian musicians are technically very proficient but artistically non expressive. I mean, that's a very common stereotype that yeah, you know, practically any Asian, Asian Americans in classical music have been subjected to, you know, quite regularly and frequently. And I think that, yeah, that just comes with the overall kind of racial stereotype of Asians and Asians and Asian Americans in American society at large. And also the fact that, you know, classical music, especially in terms of instrumental performance, it is an area that is, it's something that is, indeed, technically very demanding, right? You need many, many years of disciplined training and a lot of practice. And there is a myth of merit– well, no, not entirely a myth– but there is this this very, you know, dearly held faith in meritocracy in classical music. The idea that if you have the chops you will be rewarded, you will be recognized and you know, no matter what kind of great artistic idea you might have, if you can't play the notes, you can't play the notes. That kind of ethos of meritocracy is particularly strong in classical music because of the technical demands of the genre, and that and that kind of, you know, goes hand in hand with the model minority methods for Asian Americans.  00:19:20 Isabel Li  Definitely. That's really interesting and another part of your book that was quite fascinating to me when I first read it was chapter 3. You talked about the intersection of gender as well as, you know, racial identity in classical music. The chapter is called Playing Gender and you talk about, I think at large don't necessarily associate classical music with a discipline that provides a stable job. It is an art form and there is kind of an uphill battle for artists in a sense like a starving artist myth there. We're not even a myth. Like if there's a starving artist image, whereas the image of a very successful classical musician there's this duality that you also mentioned in one of your other chapters about class. So what really interested me in for this chapter was that there was this intersection of power in classical music of who would go down the path that might not be traditionally as successful. How do you think gender dynamics play into this and how do you think they might have shifted within the last two decades or so?  00:20:20 Mari Yoshihara  Huh. I'm not sure if it has shifted all that much in the last two decades, but as you said, because music I mean, not just classical music, but music. Like, you know, arts in general is a field that is very like economically insecure in terms of career, right?   But at the same time. Classical music is associated with kind of, you know, bourgeois identity and just kind of overall cultivation and so, many Asian, Asian American parents are very eager to send their kids to, say, piano lessons, violin lessons, cello lessons, etcetera. To, you know, give them a well-rounded education and also because it is considered useful tool, you know, when you're going to college and stuff like, you know being, you know, being able to show that you're very talented violinist, for instance, is believed to help your college application.  So there's this, you know, both stereotype and reality that like, you know, places like Julliard Pre-College, very competitive, you know, school, like music education program for kids is filled with Asian, Asian American, you know, students and their parents who are waiting, waiting for them to come out of school.   So there's that. But how gender plays into this is that while both men and women are do study music at a young age. When it comes to, you know, choosing say, college, like what they would, what they would pursue at the college level, far fewer male students tend to choose music as their college major or go to conservatory and pursue it as a as a career. But I think it's both their own choice. And also especially for Asian and Asian Americans, like parental pressure to not pursue music professionally because of, you know, financial insecurity.   So there's that, and also how that plays into the actual experiences of Asian, Asian Americans musicians who do study music is that I have heard from a number of female Asian musicians that either their peers or especially their teachers are doubtful that they are actually serious about music. There is a stereotype that, you know, say for instance, Japanese or Korean female students at Juilliard School, Manhattan School or whatever, they are there because they, you know, they want to study music and then find a good husband and marry, you know, a lawyer or doctor or engineer or something. [laughs] And and not that that doesn't happen. But that's a stereotype of, you know, that's a racialized and gender stereotype that comes from these, you know, gender and class and racialized dynamics.  00:23:35 Isabel Li  And just for clarification, is the classical music world at large still a male dominated field?  00:23:41 Mari Yoshihara  Yes. Oh yes. Definitely. I mean, it depends on the segment of you know, I mean classical music is itself quite diverse. So if you look at, for instance, the string section, especially the violin section of the New York Philharmonic for instance, you will find that like, I think the majority of those violin players are Asian women, perhaps. But if you look at say for instance, the Faculty of Conservatories or music directors and major orchestras and said, I mean still very male dominated.  00:24:23 Isabel Li  Yeah. Yeah, definitely. I like how your book also has so many different layers for each chapter. So Chapter 3 was about the gender intersection with this, with this identity, and Chapter 4, was it Chapter 4, I believe it was about class, Class Notes, and you've already mentioned a little bit about how class plays into the perception of music, how class influences gender even. But there's a statement in there that you said that, “it's misleading to characterize Asian musicians as just coming from the upper middle class.” And it makes sense that people would think of musicians coming from this economic bracket, because classical music is an in and of itself a very kind of expensive undertaking. You need so many lessons, so many instruments. But tell us why this statement would be misleading.  00:25:15 Mari Yoshihara  Because I mean, first of all, most of the overwhelmed, I would say overwhelming majority of the Asian, Asian American musicians that I interviewed come from middle class backgrounds, many of them from so-called like professional executive class backgrounds in, meaning that their parents hold these professional executive positions, right. And that's why they were able to afford advanced musical studies from a fairly young age. They need, you know, sustained and disciplined and often costly, you know, lessons, you know, competitions, etcetera, auditions, travel, etcetera. So that's for sure, yeah.   At the same time, there are also Asian musicians who come from less privileged backgrounds, you know, immigrant families who have, because quite a few. I mean overall Asian American population, many immigrants experience downward social mobility upon immigrating to the United States because of, you know, oftentimes linguistic barriers or you know, or plain old racism. And so you're not Asian families that immigrate to the United States, like, for instance, if the parents have professional positions back in South Korea, oftentimes they become, you know, for instance, you know, small business owners and they experience downward social mobility. I mean, that's a very common scenario. Yeah, so now all Asian, Asian American musicians grow up in a privileged environment.  00:27:06 Isabel Li  Definitely a great point. Now before we move on to some discussions about Mari's research. First of all, thank you for tuning in to Obbligato on APEX Express, we'll be taking a short music break and as mentioned earlier, a great way to increase diversity within classical music is to uplift works by living composers. If you're listening to my first.  00:27:26 Isabel Li  Episode 2 months ago, you'll know that I featured music by Chinese American composer Zhou Tian. I'm happy to say that coming up next is one of Zhou's compositions inspired by a trip to Italy. This is a piece called Hidden Grace performed by the Formosa Trio.  27:45 – COMP MUSIC – Hidden Grace  00:35:34 Isabel Li  That was a piece called Hidden Grace, composed by Zhou Tian for a fascinating instrumentation of flute, Viola and heart coming up for our second piece. In this interview, break another movement by Zhou Tian, the third movement of his double concerto for violin and Viola, called Rendezvous.  35:58 – COMP MUSIC – Double Concerto for Violin and Viola, III. Rendezvous  00:41:09 Isabel Li  Noah Bendix-Balgley on violin, Shanshan Yao on viola, and the Hangzhou Philharmonic, playing the third and final movement of Zhou Tian's Double Concerto for violin and viola. So back to the conversation with Professor Mari Yoshihara.  00:41:25 Isabel Li  As you also mentioned before, you're working on an updated version of Musicians from a Different Shore. Can you talk–I don't know how much you can talk about your, like upcoming projects, but are you using similar research methods to what you've done before using ethnographic field work? You've mentioned the new changing dynamics of classical music in the United States with new waves of activism and awareness. What are some new topics of your chapters that you might focus on? So for your 2007 publication, you talked about your gender and class and how these intersect with identity. Are there any new things that you're drawing upon here?  00:42:02 Mari Yoshihara  Yeah. So I'm using basically the same research method. I'm interviewing actually some of the same people that appeared in Musicians from a Different Shore. Some people kept in touch with over the years, I've gone back to them and interviewed them to see the trajectories of their careers since the first time I interviewed them. But then I've also interviewed a bunch of other, you know, new musicians that I'm speaking with for the first time. So it's essentially an interview and ethnographic fieldwork-based research.  I told you earlier about I think one of the biggest changes is, as I said before, the activism and advocacy on the part of Asian, Asian American musicians themselves. So I have one chapter about that. Like, what? How? What kinds of advocacy and activism they're engaged in.   Another big change that I'm seeing is that compared to 20 years ago, there are a lot more Asian musicians in the field of opera.  00:43:01 Isabel Li  Ohh yeah.  00:43:02 Mari Yoshihara  Uh. Both as singers. Yeah, many of them singers, but also in other, you know, like for instance opera, you know, pianist for opera or be opera directors, et cetera. There are many more Asians in this particular field than what I saw 20 years ago. And I talked about this a little bit in my first book, but opera is a very particular kind of field within classical music.   How race plays into opera is very different from other areas of classical music because it's a theatrical art form. It's visually oriented, you know art form. And because singers have to be cast in order to, you know, sing on stage. So the racial politics in opera, you know, unfolds very differently from, say, for pianists or cellists or conductors or or composers.   So I now have a whole chapter about opera, especially Madame Butterfly, that this very fraught work, you know, opera that many Asian and Asian Americans have love hate relationships. A lot of pigeon-holing that happens in that through that opera. But also, production of new opera by Asian and Asian American artists, composers, directors, singers, etcetera. So I have a whole chapter about that.   And then I also will have another chapter about, you know, what it means to, you know, sit at the table, basically. Like stand on the podium and sit at the table, stand on the podium. Not only, I mean I will, I will have a whole discussion about Asian and Asian Americans conductors, but not only in that literal sense of, you know, standing at the podium, but like being at the table like in other words, not only, Asian and Asian American musicians playing music that are given to them and they are assigned to them that they're hired to play, but also having a real voice in the organizational and institutional dimensions of classical music industry. So the kinds of people, Asians, who are in these positions more executive positions with decision making power what their experiences are like. I'm going to have a chapter about that.   So those are some of my ideas. I'm still in the middle of the project, so I can't. I can't see the whole picture, but those are some of my current ideas.  00:45:48 Isabel Li  I see. And do you have an idea of when this book will be published or an updated version?  00:45:54 Mari Yoshihara  Well [laughs], my goal rather ambitious goal is to have it published in 2027, because that would be 20 years since Musicians from a Different Shore, so that would be ideal if I can make that.  00:46:08 Isabel Li  Well, yeah. Nice. That's really exciting, definitely. I will also kind of bridge, I guess my part of the research into this part of the interview, since I'd love to talk to you a little bit more about how classical music in general is portrayed in media.   So as I've introduced myself before, I had a back, I have a background in media studies as well as music history and theory. And what was really interesting to me in my senior thesis while I was doing research for that was I coined this term and it could just be loosely associated with the genre of film. But it's the “classical music film.” So think of any narrative fictional film you can think of with a classical musician in there. So it could be like Amadeus, where I think of like Tár. If you watch Tár like a lot of these depictions are quite understandably white and European, but they my senior thesis I've never really seen any depictions of Asian American or Asian classical musicians? I was wondering if you have ever watched a film like that, or could maybe talk a bit about maybe the lack of representation in media, how media plays into how people perceive classical music as a genre as a whole.  00:47:23 Mari Yoshihara  That is a very interesting question. I think you know, because of the stereotype of Asian and Asian American model minority and model minority stereotype often is associated with, you know, violin or piano-playing Asian American kids, I think. Asian, Asian American characters who are, you know, these kind of musical classical music geniuses appear here and there. But the ones that center on such a character as the main, you know, like the protagonist, come to think of it, I'm not sure if I've seen. I mean, I've seen several Korean dramas, you know, character, but those are Korean dramas, not Asian American, so more American works with Asian classical musicians…  00:48:21 Isabel Li  And I think also classical music as a genre is. It's interesting because classical music is also kind of underrepresented. It's not quite in the mainstream. And then one of my final questions for you is I do also want to take a second to acknowledge that your book was actually one of the only books that I could find about this topic. I think there are not that many other books about Asian and Asian Americans in classical music. I think there are a few other books and a few and definitely some papers that talk about this, but what got you interested in this field? And I don't know if you think there's a scarcity of information, but do you think there's relative scarcity of information about this topic?  00:49:01 Mari Yoshihara  Yeah. So how I got into it is. So I was a pretty serious student of piano when I was a child. That's like, yeah, that really kind of preoccupied my childhood and adolescence. But then I, for various reasons I ended up not going to a music Conservatory and became an academic.   And then once I entered academia and became a scholar of American studies, all I was studying was like race, gender, class. I mean, that's what  we do in American studies. And my first book, which was originally my doctoral dissertation, was a cultural history of orientalism and white women. So that was a study of the intersections of race and gender and to some extent class in American history.   So once I finished that book, I was thinking about what projects to work on next. And I happened to turn on the TV, and it just so happens that the Vienna Phil New Year's concert, conducted by Seiji Ozawa was playing on the TV and that was sort of my “aha” moment because I had always known or, you know, kind of generally aware that Asians and Asian Americans are, if not necessarily overrepresented, but, you know, they're quite numerous, you know. They're present. Their numerical presence is quite notable in classical music that is often associated with white, you know, European culture, elite culture.  So I was kind of curious about that phenomenon, but I hadn't really thought too much about it until I watched Seiji Ozawa were conducting the Vienna Phil. And that's when I thought, well, maybe I can kind of combine my classical music background and my academic training in studies of race, gender, class into this project. So that's when I decided to work on. You know, this topic of Asians and Asian Americans, classical music.  I think the reason that there hadn't been at least a book-length study on the topic until my book is that for one thing, classical music is considered to be kind of a very abstract absolute form of music. This ethos that it is kind of transcends– that it is a universal, transcendental kind of genre, that is sort of above things like politics or race or gender. Like it shouldn't matter that these, you know, individual identity, racialized gender identity shouldn't matter vis-à-vis the universalism of classical music. I mean that kind of ethos is very strong in this particular genre of music. I think that has a lot to do with it.   And also the study of classical music until rather recently, like musicological study of classical music, really tended to be focused on the study of composers and their works, right? It was the textual that, like it, was an analysis of Beethoven Symphony or, you know, Bach Fugues, etcetera. Yeah. It was really focused on the study of the score, the study of the composer's ideas, as reflected in the score, I mean that was the centerpiece of musicological approach to classical music.  And so sort of more sociological anthropological study of the musical practice is a relatively new approach in in the field of musicology. I'm not a musicologist. So that's not how I'm trained. But I think the academic approach to classical music was not very, kind of, open to the kinds of topics that I raised in Musicians from a Different Shore.  00:53:12 Isabel Li  Definitely. I see. And my very final fun question for you is can you name three of your favorite classical music pieces for any recommendations you have for the audience who might be listening, who might be wondering what they will listen to next?  00:53:27 Mari Yoshihara  Well, OK well. Pieces well, because I wrote a book about Leonard Bernstein. I mean, I ended up– I wrote a book about Leonard Bernstein. Not necessarily because I was an avid fan of Bernstein. It just kind of happened this this project. But nonetheless of while I was doing research and writing the book I did listen to a lot of Bernstein. I and I have come to really love Bernstein music and so. And you know, of course, everybody knows West Side Story, but he actually wrote many other pieces that may not be as well known.   Well among the pieces that I like, I like…which one should I choose? I will choose. Ohh well, I'll choose a piece that I learned myself as a pianist.  I learned the piece called “Touches” that he wrote. It was a commission piece for the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, and it's kind of yeah, it's a chorale and variation. So that's very interesting and very interesting and very Bernstein-esque so well.   I'll OK, as an American study scholar. I'll, I'll stick with American pieces. I like someone Barber a lot. I like Barber “Excursions,” which I also learned to play.  00:55:04 Isabel Li  Yeah.  00:55:09 Isabel Li  Tough question.  00:55:11 Mari Yoshihara  Umm, Mason Bates piece that I also learned, “White Lies For Lomax.” This one was also, I believe…was it commissioned by the Cliburn? But no, maybe it wasn't. Yeah, I think it was commissioned. But anyway, I played it at the Van Cliburn International– the amateur competition of the Cliburn competition.  I did all these. So like Bernstein, Bates, Amy Beach piece I also played. Yeah, I'll stop there. I I wish you had prepped me for that then [laughs]–  00:55:42 Isabel Li  Oh my gosh. Great responses.  00:55:46 Mari Yoshihara  Hard to think on the spot.  00:55:47 Isabel Li  Yeah, I totally get that. Whenever people ask me for my favorite composer, I never have an answer. No, so I totally get it.   Well, thank you so much for your time, Mari. And thank you for your wonderful insights. I'll put the link to your books so that people can learn about your works on APEX Express on kpfa.org. So thank you so much for your time, Mari.  00:56:07 Mari Yoshihara  Thank you.  00:56:09 Isabel Li  As mentioned, please check our website kpfa.org to find out more about Mari Yoshihara, her scholarship, and links to two of her books. We thank all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing, keep creating and sharing your visions with the world. Your voices are important.  00:56:31 Isabel Li  APEX Express is produced by Miko Lee, Jalena Keane-Lee, Preeti Mangala Shekar, Anuj Vaidya, Swati Rayasam, and Cheryl Truong. Tonight's show was produced by Isabel Li. Thanks to the team at KPFA  for their support. Have a great night.  [OUTRO MUSIC]  The post APEX Express – 09.04.2025 – Obbligato with Mari Yoshihara appeared first on KPFA.

Mason Bates brings a message titled "Spectating or Participating?"

Mason Bates brings a message titled "The Slow Burn."

This week on Beethoven Walks into a Bar, Gonzalo and Stephanie chat with guest conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong about his upcoming visit to Kansas City. Francesco leads the Kansas City Symphony in a program of Mason Bates, Mozart and Respighi January 13-15 in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. In this episode, we talk about the importance of introducing performers and audiences to new music and Francesco dares to ask Beethoven, "Why the H*@! are there so many fermatas in the first two movements of the fifth symphony?!" Plus, we recommend listening to tunes from bossa nova to The Who. All this and more, this week on Beethoven walks into a Bar.Episode 701 Playlist

This week we review Klein's "Cave in the Wind" and Mason Bates with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with "Philharmonia Fantastique - The Making of the Orchestra."

The American composer Mason Bates wrote Philharmonia Fantastique to a commission from a host of major US orchestras (Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, National Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony and the American Youth Symphony). It was recorded for Sony Classical by the Chicago SO under Edwin Outwater and released earlier this year. Now an animated film by Academy Award-winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom, and featuring the work of Jim Capobianco, has been made using the same soundtrack. (It will be available from November 4 to rent or purchase in 4K and surround-sound on the AppleTV app and to stream on Apple Music.) Gramophone's Editor, Martin Cullingford, spoke to Mason Bates about the work and the new animated film. Gramophone Podcasts are made in association with Wigmore Hall, sponsors of the 2022 Chamber Award.   

Join CBeebies for an Ocean Adventure travelling the musical world in the Royal Albert Hall submarine, finding endangered creatures and tackling tricky environmental problems. Andy, Chantelle, Jen, Maddie, Nigel and Rory are on board RA Sub with a marvellous musical crew, the Southbank Sinfonia, led by captain, conductor Kwamé Ryan. JoJo helps with a Gran Gran plan to make a musical ocean scrapbook, the Go Jetters rescue a Hawksbill Turtle, and Andy jets off on an Aquatic Adventure to find humpback whales, while Chantelle and Rory take everyone on Teeny Tiny Creature trips underwater and to shore searching out seahorse and starfish habitats. There's also a special Hey Duggee surprise. Brand new musical commissions from Dominique Le Gendre and Mason Bates are performed alongside Telemann and Britten classics, as well as a new CBeebies Medley. There really is something for every CBeebies Prommer at the CBeebies Prom Ocean Adventure. The on-stage team are the ocean guides as the Prommers meet creatures, find out fascinating facts and work together to help species survive. Around the globe, ocean creatures are struggling with growing environmental problems affecting their survival – noise pollution, plastic, fishing nets, damage to their habitats and climate change. Collecting photos and sounds the Prommers create an ocean scrapbook. And each creature and environmental solution is a key part of the CBeebies Prom Ocean Adventure action song – an immersive earworm that resounds around the Albert Hall. The animation is embedded alongside live action films with live orchestral music played on stage by the Southbank Sinfonia as the concert brings the outdoors inside the Royal Albert Hall. JoJo is super excited about the CBeebies Prom mission and comes up with a Gran Gran plan – let's make a musical ocean scrapbook full of sounds and pictures. First stop a check in with their overseas dolphin detective - Great Gran Gran in St Lucia. There are lots of dolphins to be spotted – but we need to look after these special chatty creatures and make sure they aren't caught in fishing nets. Maddie wants to tell everyone about the Galapagos penguins. Do You Know they are so clever they are changing to make sure they can live with climate change? Nigel has the new penguin moves - leaning forward to shade their feet from the sun and stretching flippers to keep cool. Chantelle and Rory are worried about the damage to seahorse and starfish habitats. Chantelle has been scuba-diving to check on precious seahorses while Rory has been litter-picking to keep the beaches clean for the starfish. There are lots of special photos and sounds for JoJo's scrapbook. The Go Jetters with the CBeebies Prommers help with a tricky Hawksbill Turtle rescue when there's just too much plastic in the Pacific. Andy and his trusty assistant Jen are helping with the sounds for a very special piece of music “Whalesong” – Andy jets off in his submarine pod to find a singing whale with helpful pointers from Jen. But there's so much noise in the sea will Andy be able to record the song in time? Finally the team reveal there's someone else who loves the Ocean. Duggee has an Ocean Badge for everyone and a very important Duggee Hug! And the Royal Albert Hall has its special role to play becoming a submarine to take everyone underwater for a unique view of the ocean and creatures that live there. Was that really a whale swimming in the Royal Albert Hall? The musical repertoire played by the Southbank Sinfonia is: Argentum (excerpt) by Dani Howard Dolphin Dance ( BBC Commission) by Dominque le Gendre Overture from ‘Wassermusik' by Georg Philipp Telemann The Fairy Garden from ‘Mother Goose' by Maurice Ravel G.R.S. from “Enigma Variations' by Edward Elgar Storm from ‘Peter Grimes' by Benjamin Britten Whalesong (BBC Commission) by Mason Bates CBeebies Medley arranged by Daniel Whibley Celebration Dance by Eleanor Alberga This is a truly immersive high gloss experience for audiences across the UK, encouraging the youngest audiences to look out and listen for those sounds and photos they can include in their scrapbooks, just like JoJo, while discovering the world and environmental challenges around them.

durée : 01:00:04 - Les mondes de Mason Bates - par : Thomas Vergracht - Ce soir, Thomas Vergracht consacre Le Carrefour de la création à une vedette quasi hollywoodienne de la création contemporaine, le compositeur américain Mason Bates. Le pianiste Daniil Trifonov, le Philhar et Mikko Franck donneront le 16 septembre la création française de son Concerto pour piano. - réalisé par : Adrien Roch

One of the biggest challenges for living composers today is getting music played by orchestras, but Akron-based music creator Eriq Troi focuses on his gift, utilizing digital technology to fuse the sounds of funk, Western classical, and more. He joins Garrett (1:05:00) to talk about his process, his own discovery of Black orchestral musicians, and his early inspirations. Scott turns to the music of Eric Ewazen, Garrett celebrates Mason Bates, and the guys unpack the week's news in police brutality, gun violence, and arrest warrants. Playlist: Usher - NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert (excerpt) Khruangbin - NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert (excerpt) Megan Thee Stallion - NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert (excerpt) perf. Limmie Pulliam - "Si pel ciel" from Verdi's Otello (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUoIZF25v0k) ALA.NI & Adrian Younge - "Lament for Emmett Till" perf. Jisu Jung - "Northern Lights" by Eric Ewazen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzw9pvsVjYk) Mason Bates - "Desert Transport" (perf. Boston Modern Orchestra Project) Eriq Troi - "A Woman's Touch" Eriq Troi - "You Are Loved" Eric Ewazen - Sonata for Trumpet and Piano More: Artist Profile on Limmie Pulliam: https://www.musicalamerica.com/news/newsstory.cfm?storyid=50609&categoryid=2&archived=0&fbclid=IwAR11b2e2HN7yFMx5Ed-oibnZoDU5BcLUHVLTY8C8kPBu_iWTJrQotaPszgc 1955 Arrest Warrant in Emmett Till Case Is Found in Court Basement: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/30/us/emmett-till-carolyn-bryant-arrest-warrant.html JAYLAND WALKER KILLING REIGNITES CALLS FOR POLICE REFORM: https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/07/jayland-walker-killing-police-reform Police Department Used Images of Black Men Holding Guns as Target Practice: https://www.vice.com/en/article/4axdp9/detroit-police-black-men-shooting-range-targets

The music of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs is a fast-paced score of acoustic resonance and electronic sampling, featuring instruments not normally found in the opera pit like saxophone and guitar. How do all of these unorthodox elements blend to create a GRAMMY-winning musical experience? Listen in as conductor Michael Christie guides you through this riveting opera by composer Mason Bates and librettist Mark Campbell in this week's BlinkOpera! Blinks are built to give you an introduction to operas told from the artists who actually perform them and know them intimately. So, let's listen to the highlights, unpack the plot, and hear about performance anecdotes in a time-efficient and fun way! Recording: Bates: The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs; Santa Fe Opera Orchestra; Michael Christie; Pentatone

Steve Jobs was a revolutionary, a complex mastermind whose efforts to redefine technology have made an indelible impact on us all. Drama and intrigue define his story - a story tailor-made for opera. Join baritone John Moore as he discusses the opera's plot, collaboration with composer Mason Bates and librettist Mark Campbell, and his approach to encapsulating the polarizing pioneer on stage in this episode of BlinkOpera! Blinks are built to give you an introduction to operas told from the artists who actually perform them and know them intimately. So, let's listen to the highlights, unpack the plot, and hear about performance anecdotes in a time-efficient and fun way! Recording: Bates: The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs; Santa Fe Opera Orchestra; Michael Christie; Pentatone

In preparation for The Atlanta Opera's production of the GRAMMY-winning The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs from April 30th - May 8th, 2022, enjoy this special rewind as composer Mason Bates and Tomer Zvulun discuss taking on the mythology of Steve Jobs, creating new sonic worlds for opera and Bates' influences in this episode of The Atlanta Opera's The Business of Opera.

Mason Bates brings a message titled “You Had To Be There.”

Mason Bates brings a message titled “You Had To Be There.”

Composer Mason Bates and Tomer Zvulun discuss taking on the mythology of Steve Jobs, creating new sonic worlds for opera and Bates' influences in the latest episode of The Atlanta Opera's The Business of Opera.

To celebrate the penultimate episode of our first season, we bring you a chat with Director and Conductor of the Richmond Symphony Chorus, Dr. Erin Freeman! Erin is also the Artistic Director of Wintergreen Music Festival, Directory of Choral Activities at VCU, and Resident Conductor of the Richmond Ballet. And yes, just to confirm, she is only one person with no magical powers (that we are aware of...). Highlights include: a very nerdy discussion about overtones, a run-down of Erin's celebrity run-ins, and how to run a choir "zoomhearsal" when you can't actually hear anyone singing (...okay maybe Erin does have magical powers...) And if you love contemporary composers, we have an INCREDIBLE piece of music to share with you this week: "Children of Adam" by Mason Bates (!!!) was commissioned for the Richmond Symphony in 2018 and is centered around "celebrations of creation" from sources ranging from poetry to sacred texts and chants. And while you CAN'T have the score and parts, you CAN score your very own CD of Richmond Symphony's GRAMMY-NOMINATED recording of this awesome new work."CAN SOMEONE GIVE ME A *CONTEST?!"To enter, simply email podcast@richmondsymphony.com with Erin's favorite composer as revealed in the episode. First three people to submit the correct answer will win! Purchase single tickets and subscriptions here!Sign up for a RSSoM class.Check out Wintergreen Music Festival.More information on Mason Bates at www.masonbates.comGot a burning classical music question? Email us at podcast@richmondsymphony.com with the subject line "Question of the Week" and we might answer your question in a future episode. (Please be sure to indicate if you are comfortable with your name being shared.) All questions welcome!See ya next time!-Matt and Zoe

Mason Bates talks about his career, the future of Classical Music, Mercury Soul and more.

Dave and I talk about jazz drumming, teaching and his fantastic career as a professional drummer and percussion educator in the greater Milwaukee area. My discovery composer of the week is Mason Bates!

On this episode of In Unison, we thought we would nerd out about something that is tangentially tied to choral music: recording arts. We'll be chatting with recording engineer David v.R. Bowles of http://swineshead.com/about.htm (Swineshead Productions) about mic techniques, 3-D audio, and we'll even get a history lesson about stereo technology, World War II, and something called the “Magnetron”...?! http://www.inunisonpodcast.com/episodes/s03e09#transcript (Episode transcript)  Edited by Fausto Daos Music excerpts “https://music.apple.com/us/album/psalm-130/1185120056?i=1185120144 (Psalm 130),” by Ēriks Ešenvalds, commissioned and performed by the https://www.ggmc.org/ (Golden Gate Men's Chorus) “https://music.apple.com/us/album/misa-en-sol-v-agnus-dei/288152035?i=288152260 (Misa en Sol: V. Agnus Dei),” by Juan Bautista Sancho, performed by https://www.chanticleer.org/ (Chanticleer) “Khorhurd Khorin; Barekhosutyamb” (“Mystery Profound; Processional” from Divine Liturgy), by Komitas Vardapet, performed by https://www.chanticleer.org/ (Chanticleer); https://www.chanticleer.org/andrew-van-allsburg (Andrew van Allsburg), tenor soloist “https://music.apple.com/us/album/mass-transmission-iii-wireless-connections/1457988326?i=1457988339 (Wireless Connections),” from Mass Transmission, by https://www.masonbates.com/ (Mason Bates), performed by https://www.cappellasf.org/ (Cappella SF), https://isabelledemers.org/ (Isabelle Demers) (organ), and Mason Bates (electronica)  “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” music & lyrics by George Merril and Shannon Rubican, arranged by https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-maddux-6283b9190/ (David Maddux), performed by https://www.chanticleer.org/ (Chanticleer) in the “Live from London” video for https://voces8.com/ (Voces8) Festival; https://www.chanticleer.org/andrew-van-allsburg (Andrew van Allsburg), tenor soloist “https://cantorrachelbrook.bandcamp.com/track/hashkiveinu-max-helfman?action=download (Hashkiveinu),” by Max Helfman, performed by https://www.ansheemet.org/welcome/clergy/cantor-rachel-brook/ (Cantor Rachel Brook) on https://cantorrachelbrook.bandcamp.com/releases (L'chayim Ul'shalom: Songs of Life and Peace) “http://acct39228.shop.netsuite.com/s.nl/c.ACCT39228/it.A/id.241/.f (Dulaman),” by Michael McGlynn, performed by the https://www.ggmc.org/ (Golden Gate Men's Chorus) Episode references http://swineshead.com/about.htm (Swineshead Productions) (https://www.facebook.com/Swineshead-Productions-LLC-234562395015/ (Facebook) | https://www.instagram.com/swineshead.productions/ (Instagram)) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavity_magnetron#:~:text=The%20cavity%20magnetron%20is%20a,cavities%20in%20a%20metal%20block. (Magnetron) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbqYdIfYwik (Chanticleer Live from London excerpts) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atohfGJXPtU (A Chanticleer Christmas - Behind the scenes) Theme Song: https://music.apple.com/us/album/mr-puffy/1457011536?i=1457011549 (Mr. Puffy) by Avi Bortnik, arr. by Paul Kim. Performed by http://www.dynamicjazz.dk/ (Dynamic)

Episode Eight: "Hey Baltimore!" Tedd Baker Trio Live! Okay, this is a hot trio! This was a great show. I did not want to chop it up for SOMETHING came from Baltimore but I had to get it to 30 minutes. So, in this episode you will Pledge (hand on heart) that you will forget about Ticketmaster and big music halls, and focus on Local Artists...they need your support. Tedd Baker's Contact Information Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tbakersaxophone www.teddbaker.com YouTube Channel: https://tinyurl.com/qq9fxoz https://soundcloud.com/tedd-baker/sets An Die Musik: https://andiemusiklive.com/ Bio: Tedd(y) Baker has performed with a wide variety of jazz greats and contemporary artists including Barry Harris, George Duke, David Sanborn, Slide Hampton, Eddie Daniels, Jon Faddis, Victor Lewis, Vanessa Rubin, Jason Moran, Duane Eubanks, Josh Groban, Wycliffe Gordon, Butch Warren, Fitz and The Tantrums, Mason Bates, Michael Mossman, Warren Wolf, and Donny McCaslin among others. He has recorded with New York Voices, Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra under the direction of David Baker, Bohemian Caverns All-Stars, John LaBarbera, George Russell, Bobby Caldwell, and the Amina Figarova Sextet. Tedd has also performed with the Artie Shaw Orchestra, Washington Jazz Orchestra, Alan Baylock Orchestra, and the Frank Carlberg/Andrew Rathbun Orchestra among others. Baker began playing professionally in Boston as a teenager. He placed first in the 2000 Hilton Head Jazz Society Competition. In 2001 he was chosen for the State Department Jazz Ambassador Program and toured South America, Central America and Jamaica. In 2002 he joined the Airmen of Note, USAF Band, Washington, D.C. Tedd Baker's all-original 2006 debut CD “Mugshots” received rave reviews from JazzTimes, and All About Jazz. Tedd's latest release "Duos Volume 1" is a reverent nod to the classic duo configuration, and features tenor/soprano saxophone paired in various duo settings with piano, bass, drums, guitar, and voice. Tedd is also featured on many recordings such as steel pan and composer Victor Provost's "Bright Eyes," the Taylor/ Fidyk Big Band "Live At Blues Alley," Ben Patterson Jazz Orchestra's "Vital Frequencies feat Chris Potter," guitarist Paul Pieper's "Making Time," and The Young Lions "Live At Bohemian Caverns." If you got this far....please subscribe to SOMETHING came from Baltimore --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/somethingcame-from-baltim/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/somethingcame-from-baltim/support

From being the opening musical act for artist Moby as a DJ to creating his Grammy-winning opera about one of the pivotal figures of the century, Steve Jobs, Mason Bates is an outlier who uses 21st-century sounds, technology, and an endless creative well to tell visionary stories and usher in sonic landscapes, the likes of which have never been done before in classical music. A true innovator and pioneer in the world of technology-infused orchestral-based compositions, this Juilliard graduate-turned-DJ/producer/orchestral composer has changed the perceptions and expectations of what a classical music performance can be in our modern times. I feel lucky to call him an old friend from those days at Juilliard, and fortunate to conduct his music worldwide. However, our performance of Mothership at Nu Deco was a true musical highlight. We will hear how adventure, surprise, and a dash of techno mixed with psychedelic rock have inspired him on his very unique journey, leading to numerous commissions and residencies with nearly all of America's great orchestras and opera companies. We discuss how creativity needs to first be born in order to get better, and that sometimes you simply need to “make your own weather” to get a seed of an idea to come to life. Like Gershwin before him, who brought jazz seamlessly into the classical music halls, Mason has brought techno and electronica to the classical music stages, and has found enormous success becoming the second most performed living composer in modern history.  Using new sounds to tell fresh stories, I think any fan of new music, the orchestra, and Nu Deco’s mission of supporting living composers will be as inspired as I was talking to this incredibly relevant and deep artist.

Devin speaks with John Clay Allen about musicians and composers who were pioneers in bridging electronic and acoustic sounds, especially around the symphony orchestra.  John Clay Allen is a composer, pianist, educator & explorer on the fringes where classical music meets electronic music. Originally from Ruidoso, New Mexico, his music is a synthesis of post-minimalist and spectralist styles, with an underlying predilection for the romantic. His music values the timbral and textural over the traditional note unit, and uses electronics to extend the realm of acoustic possibility. His body of work ranges from pieces for soloist and chamber ensembles to full orchestra, wind symphony, and opera, and his debut album Asnières (silent “s”) was released in 2020.  Clay’s compositions have been performed across the United States and internationally at festivals including SEAMUS, CICTeM in Buenos Aires, the Cortona Sessions in Italy, and the New York City Electroacoustic Music Festival. Recent commissions include works for the Boulder Symphony, Pendulum New Music’s Spark Award, sAge Brass, the Boulder Altitude Directive, and Ajax string quartet. Clay has been a fellow at New Music on the Point and the Charlotte New Music.  As a performer, Clay frequently appears as a conductor and collaborative pianist, and has performed across the United States. Passionate about education and outreach, Clay has taught lessons and classes in composition, piano, and music technology for nearly a decade and is a founding member of the Equinox New Music Collective, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing new music to new audiences. Clay holds degrees from West Texas A&M University, University of North Texas, and the University of Colorado Boulder where he received his doctorate in composition. Clay currently divides his time teaching at Metropolitan State University of Denver and the University of Colorado Boulder.  Thank you for joining us on One Symphony and thanks to John Clay Allen for sharing his music, knowledge, & expertise. Thank you to all the incredible performers and record labels that made this episode possible. Tchaikovsky’s 4th symphony was performed by the Oslo Philharmonic and Mariss Jansons. Respighi’s Pines of Rome was played by the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Herbert Van Karajan. John Adams Transmigration of Souls was performed by the NY Philharmonic and Lorin Maazel on Nonesuch Records. Au Deuxième Etage by Elainie Lillios is from the album Miniatures Concrètes from the Empreintes Digitales label. Pamela Z’s Ethel Dreams of Temporal Distubances is performed by Ethel, Vijay Iyer & Pamela Z from the album Light Cantaloupe Music. Gérard Grisey’s Partiels from Les espaces acoustiques is played by the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln, conducted by Stefan Asbury on Kairos Records. Warehouse Medicine from the B-Sides by Mason Bates is performed by San Francisco Symphony and Michael Tilson Thomas. The reminder of the tracks come from John Clay Allen’s Asnières, which you can find on all platforms, wherever you listen. You can check out John Clay Allen online at JohnClayAllen.com. You can always find more info at OneSymphony.org including a virtual tip jar if you’d like to support the show. Please feel free to rate, review, or share the show! Until next time, thank you for being part of the music!

Music Mondays featuring Cappella SF and Artistic Director Ragnar Bohlin. "V. The Book of Matthew" from Sirens by Mason Bates was performed by Cappella SF in March 2018.

1. Mason Bates - The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs: Scene 7, That Can Also Be a Ticking Clockhttps://spoti.fi/3nEI1OG2. Pamela Z - Badagadahttps://youtu.be/9_d6UFZZ8ck?t=2433. Errollyn Wallen - Gun Gun Gunhttps://spoti.fi/3kHe4Mb4. Judah Adashi - Risehttps://youtu.be/s2NCPiX3A1MYou can listen to these before or after the episode, or you can pause our podcast and go listen to each piece as we introduce them. Panelists:Bass Robert Ellsworth Feng is acclaimed for having a “commanding darkness and thickness to his tone,” and is a born collaborator who performs with artists of all mediums. Robert is the recipient of the George Woodhead Prize in Voice and the Peabody Career Development Award and placed second in the NY Classical Music Society International Voice Competition. Performance highlights include Don Giovanni (Il Commendatore) with Kor Productions, The Mikado (Ko-Ko) with Hawaii Opera Theatre, Tobias Picker’s Emmeline (Pastor Avery) with Manhattan School of Music, and more. Robert has premiered new works including Tony Small’s Qadar and Nick Peros’ Lamentation of Ruin. During quarantine, Robert performed in Social Distance Opera's production of Street Scene as Henry Davis, with Seagle Music Colony, and was a featured artist for Tony Small's Virtual Masterclass series for the Boys & Girls Club of Greater Washington. Robert received his Bachelors at Peabody, his Masters at Manhattan School of Music, and is an alumni of Seagle Music Colony. Robert is also a proud member of the Hawaii Opera Theatre Mae Z. Orvis Opera Studio.Taylor-Alexis DuPont is a young and engaging Mezzo-Soprano from Orlando, Florida. Since graduating with her Masters in Voice from the Peabody Conservatory while studying with Denyce Graves, Taylor-Alexis has performed with the Metropolitan Opera, the Ising International Young Artist Festival in Beijing and Suzhou, China, the Glimmerglass Festival, Prototype Festival, Sarasota Opera, St. Petersburg Opera, Opera Orlando, First Coast Opera, Christman Opera and City Lyric Opera. Performance highlights include Cendrillion (Prince Charmant), Così fan tutte (Dorabella), Ruslan and Ludmilla (Prince Ratmir), The Snow Maiden (Lel) and Pinocchio (Pinocchio). Earlier this year Taylor-Alexis performed as an ensemble member and soloist cover in the Metropolitan Opera’s wildly successful production of Porgy and Bess and made her debut with Heartbeat Opera in a new work titled Lady M. Taylor-Alexis is currently working with the Florentine Opera as a Baumgartner studio artist for the 2020-2021 season.Praised for her “vocal control and exquisite refinement,” soprano Teresa Ferrara is dedicated to music’s power to transcend social divides and inspire people of all ages and backgrounds. She has performed as a solo vocalist at the Kennedy Center and her chorus work has allowed her to perform often with the National Symphony Orchestra. She has earned many awards for her singing, including the George Woodhead Prize in Voice from the Peabody Conservatory, the Award for Excellence in the Arts from the National Society of Arts and Letters, and The Washington Post Music and Dance Scholarship Award. Ms. Ferrara has performed repeatedly with Maryland Lyric Opera, Baltimore Musicales, and the IN Series. Notable opera credits include Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (Countess Almaviva) and Così fan tutte (Despina), as well as Donizetti’s L’Elisir d’Amore (Giannetta), Massenet's Chérubin (L'Ensoleillad), and Viva V.E.R.D.I. - The Promised End, (Soprano). A graduate of the Master of Music program at Peabody, she plans to continue to pursue musical endeavors that stretch the norms of classical music and seek to educate and serve the community.

Ep. 125: Donato Cabrera, conductor. Let's Talk Off The Podium with Tigran Arakelyan. Donato Cabrera is the Music Director of the California Symphony and the Las Vegas Philharmonic. He served as the Resident Conductor of the San Francisco Symphony and the Wattis Foundation Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra from 2009-2016. Cabrera is one of only a handful of conductors in history who has conducted performances with the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera, and the San Francisco Ballet. Since Cabrera's appointment as Music Director in 2013 of the California Symphony, the organization has redefined what it means to be an orchestra in the 21st Century. Under Cabrera’s baton, the California Symphony has reached new artistic heights by implementing innovative programming that emphasizes welcoming newcomers and loyalists alike, building on its reputation for championing music by living composers, and committing to programming music by women and people of color.  Cabrera also oversees the selection process of the California Symphony’s celebrated Young American Composer-in-Residence program, through which the orchestra has supported the burgeoning careers of composers including Mason Bates, Kevin Puts, and the current Composer-in-Residence, Katherine Balch.   

Keturah has a conversation with librettist and lyricist, Mark Campbell. They discuss his extensive body of work, advice for young librettists, how Elizabeth Cree is his favorite libretto, and the artist’s constant struggle with imposter syndrome.

Learn more about this fresh, fascinating, and wholly operatic new work, which will play on www.king.org on Saturday June 13 at 10 am PST. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, the opera with music by Mason Bates and libretto by Mark Campbell. Musical examples from the new recording of the opera made at Santa Fe Opera, summer 2017, and available from Pentatone records, with Edward Parks (Steve Jobs), Garrett Sorenson (Woz), Jessica E. Jones (Chrisann), Sasha Cooke (Laurene), and Wei Wu (Kōbun), conducted by Michael Christie.

Mason Bates got started a lot later than many hockey players nowadays, but he has since participated in the sport for over 15 years. He has travelled the world pursuing his passion, and has great stories of his times within the game at a competitive level, and up in to the beer leagues.

Grammy Award–winning composer Mason Bates speaks to the wedding of classical music and electronica.

Jess and classical guitarist Andrey Lebedev swap music from Brahms to Mason Bates, and Jimmie Rowles feat. Stan Getz.

The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra performed the final concert on this 2019 European Cities tour tonight in Dussldorf, Germany.  Manfred Honeck conducted Mason Bates' Ruserrexit and the Shostakovich Symphony No. 5.  Igor Levit performed the Mozart Piano Concerto No. 22.  After the concert, Jim Cunningham talked to Principal Trombonist Peter Sullivan, trombonist Jim Albrecht and violinist Jennifer Orchard in the hotel lobby.  Peter talks about sounds from the various concert halls on this tour, and Jennifer talks about getting around the cities on scooters.  Jim wraps up this final tour report with sincere thanks to everyone who made this tour possible, including Botkin Family Wealth Management, Thiel College, and the members of WQED-FM.  

Jim Cunningham managed to catch Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Principal Piccolo Rhian Kenny and her daughter in the lobby of their Brussels hotel.    Rhian talked about the concert they'll perform tonight at the Bozar Centre; the audience reactions to the Mason Bates piece; and what sightseeing they've done in Brussels.   

Tonight, the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra made their debut at the Philharmonie de Paris, performing Resurrexit by Mason Bates and the Shostakovich Symphony No. 5.  Also, Matthias Goerne sang Lieder by Strauss and Schubert.   On his way to a post-concert reception, WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham called in from an elevator and chatted with musicians Michael Lipman and Marylene Gingras-Roy to get their thoughts on the concert.  He also spoke with long time WQED-FM helper Atoninette Tuma about the concert, who admitted her brother waved a Terrible Towel at the conclusion of tonight's concert!!    

Apie amerikiečių kompozitoriaus Mason Bates (*1977) operą „The (R)evotiution of Steve Jobs” (2017).

Today's guest in this fourth episode of the Fischoff Effect series is Christopher Whitley from the Thalea String Quartet.  In this series, I bring you five former winners of the Fischoff competition to talk about their experience preparing for and competing at Fischoff, and about the wonderful adventures and opportunities that have followed their win! My guests this week are Blaise Magniere from the Avalon String Quartet, Dorival Puccini from Axiom Brass, Matt Landry from the Akropolis Reed Quintet, Christopher Whitley from the Thalea String Quartet, and Lydia Reah from the former Kairos String Quartet!  Whether you are a musician about to compete at the competition, or a music lover looking for a fresh approach to practicing and preparing for a concert, make sure to subscribe and tune in everyday, because those conversations are bursting with inspiration and EXTREMELY useful information!  Each group has a unique and motivating story and my guests are so generous with their insightful tips and advice!    About Fischoff Founded in 1973 in South Bend, Indiana, the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition has grown to become the largest chamber music competition in the world, attracting the finest and most talented young musicians from around the globe. and is one of the most prestigious classical music prizes attainable today. Since its founding, more than 6,000 musicians have participated, many of whom have gone on to distinguished careers in music performance and education.  Fischoff is also deeply committed to music education and partners with competition alumni to bring free, innovative Arts-in-Education programs directly to children in their own schools and community centers. Since 1995, nearly 50,000 children, youth and adults have received free educational programming of the highest order. Website: http://www.fischoff.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFischoff Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fischoffchambermusic/     Meet the Thalea String Quartet – 2018 Senior String Division Bronze Medal Christopher Whitley & Kumiko Sakamoto, violin | Luis Bellorín, viola | Titilayo Ayangade, cello   https://www.thaleastringquartet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thaleastringquartet/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thaleasq/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfTPRC93tPtKd1zb2OAKnSg   “Thalea never failed to deliver a stirring performance” - Calgary Herald   The Thalea String Quartet is dedicated to bringing timeless music to audiences from all walks of life. From living rooms to concert stages around the world, the Thalea String Quartet aims to connect with audiences on a musical, emotional and personal level, from first time listeners to string quartet aficionados. They are devoted to building a new and diverse audience for chamber music through innovative programming and community engagement. Formed in 2014 at the Zephyr International Chamber Music Festival in Courmayeur, Italy, the Thalea String Quartet has been praised for their “vibrant performance” and “sincere expressivity” (SF Classical Voice). The quartet has performed recitals across Europe, the United States, and Canada, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center, Massey Hall, and Weill Hall. They were the first quartet-in-residence at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music from 2015-17. They were recently named the Young Professional String Quartet at the Butler School of Music, where they are mentored by the highly acclaimed Miró Quartet. They also serve as Associated Artists at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Waterloo, Belgium, where they are mentored by the Artemis Quartet. The Thalea String Quartet were top prize winners at both the 2018 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the 2018 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition. They were appointed as the Sphinx Ensemble at the 2018 Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, and will return this coming summer as a Shouse Ensemble. They were ensemble-in-residence at the Bear Valley Music Festival for the summers of 2018 and 2019. The Thalea String Quartet prides itself on the diversity of its collaborations. They have performed Mendelssohn's Octet in its original manuscript form with the award-winning Borromeo Quartet and shared the stage with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw in performances of works for voice and string quartet. They have performed alongside Geoff Nuttall of the St. Lawrence String Quartet, violist Jodi Levitz and composer Mason Bates. They were invited to participate in the 2017 KRONOS Festival, where they performed works from the Kronos Quartet's “50 for the Future” Project. Committed to collaborating with artists of all backgrounds, the Thalea String Quartet has collaborated with San Francisco-based dance theatre company the Joe Goode Performance Group at the Yerba Buena Center, appeared with acclaimed Canadian band BADBADNOTGOOD at the iconic Massey Hall. The members of the Thalea String Quartet are dedicated educators and bring their commitment to teaching and community engagement to their frequent educational and community performances. They have performed educational concerts to students of all ages and regularly perform at care facilities and schools across the United States. Christopher Whitley (violin) is originally from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Kumiko Sakamoto (violin) is from Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada; Luis Bellorín (viola) is from Naperville, Illinois, and Titilayo Ayangade (cello) is from Cincinnati, Ohio. Christopher performs on the 1700 “Taft” Stradivari, generously on loan by the Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank. If you enjoyed the show, please leave a review on iTunes!  I truly appreciate your support! Visit www.mindoverfinger.com for information about past and future podcasts, and for more resources on mindful practice. 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 producer, Bella Kelly!   MIND OVER FINGER: www.mindoverfinger.com https://www.facebook.com/mindoverfinger/ https://www.instagram.com/mindoverfinger/   Join the Mind Over Finger Tribe here!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfingertribe/

  Today, I'm so happy to bring you the incredible cellist Joshua Roman!  Joshua is a multifaceted artist with a remarkably vibrant career as a soloist, chamber musician, composer, curator, artistic director, and philanthropist!  In this episode, we discuss practicing purposefully and building a meaningful career, and he tells about the impact and mission of his popular Popper Etude Project and Challenge. As you'll see Joshua's journey and approach to music-making are rooted in authenticity and a sense of purpose and are highly inspiring!  I know you'll find value and a source for a deeper reflection in this conversation! In our discussion, Joshua elaborates on: How he feels that the multiple facets of his career are all parts of being a complete musician His beginnings in Oklahoma and his studies at the Cleveland Institute How it's we should follow our heart and use our skills to explore what we love - pushing passed the bounds of what we were “taught” and explore further What he thinks about building a meaningful career – how we get the career that we build Why it's important to figure out what we want and focus on that The importance of questioning ourselves, getting to know ourselves, exploring our passions, and see if and how we can incorporate them into our career “Find your voice and build your career around your voice” Why there is no luck: “it's a series of things that you build on” Why we need both to be prepared and get opportunities Some of the challenges he faced on the way to his dream career How important it was for him to feel like what he did mattered The Popper Project and the Popper Challenge – what and why How it turned into a way for cellists to come together and created a supportive and inspiring community “Why do we need to practice etudes at all” How he maximizes practice   MORE ABOUT JOSHUA: Website: https://www.joshuaroman.com/ YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFT1OzgeBtU69e5v6sIwSag Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/joshuaroman Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joshuaromancello/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joshuaromancello/   Biography Cellist / Composer / Curator Joshua Roman has earned an international reputation for his wide-ranging repertoire, a commitment to communicating the essence of music in visionary ways, artistic leadership and versatility. As well as being a celebrated performer, he is recognized as an accomplished composer and curator, and was named a TED Senior Fellow in 2015. Recent seasons have seen Roman perform recitals and concert with orchestras around the US and the world, including performances of Mason Bates's Cello Concerto (which was written for him) and his very own concerto.  Roman is also a very active chamber musician and shares the stage with today's finest musicians. Roman has demonstrated inspirational artistic leadership throughout his career. As Artistic Director of TownMusic in Seattle he has showcased his own eclectic musical influences and chamber music favorites, while also promoting newly commissioned works. Under his direction, the series has offered world premieres of compositions by some of today's brightest young composers and performances by cutting-edge ensembles. In the 2015-16 season at TownMusic he presented his own song cycle, … we do it to one another, based on Tracy K. Smith's book of poems Life on Mars, with soprano Jessica Rivera. He has also recently been appointed the inaugural Artistic Advisor of award-winning contemporary streaming channel Second Inversion, launched by Seattle's KING-FM to cultivate the next generation of classical audiences. The cellist additionally took on a new curatorial role last summer, as Creative Partner of the Colorado Music Festival & Center for Musical Arts. The same organization sponsored him in April 2016 at the 68th Annual Conference on World Affairs on the University of Colorado campus, where he contributed his innovative ideas about how classical music is conceived and presented.  Roman performed at the Kennedy Center Arts Summit that same month and is a member of the 2016 Kennedy Center Honors artists committee. Roman's cultural leadership includes using digital platforms to harness new audiences. In 2009 he developed “The Popper Project,” performing, recording and uploading the complete etudes from David Popper's High School of Cello Playing to his dedicated YouTube channel. In his latest YouTube project, “Everyday Bach,” Roman performs Bach's cello suites in beautiful settings around the world. He has collaborated with photographer Chase Jarvis on Nikon video projects, and Paste magazine singled out Roman and DJ Spooky for their cello and iPad cover of Radiohead's “Everything in Its Right Place,” created for the Voice Project. For his creative initiatives on behalf of classical music, Roman was named a TED Fellow in 2011, joining a select group of next-generation innovators who show potential to positively affect the world. He acted as curator for an outdoor amphitheater performance at the TED Summit in Banff in the Canadian Rockies this past summer. Beyond these initiatives, Roman's adventurous spirit has led to collaborations with artists outside the music community, including his co-creation of “On Grace” with Tony Award-nominated actress Anna Deavere Smith, a work for actor and cello which premiered in February 2012 at San Francisco's Grace Cathedral. His outreach endeavors have taken him to Uganda with his violin-playing siblings, where they played chamber music in schools, HIV/AIDS centers and displacement camps, communicating a message of hope through music. Before embarking on a solo career, Roman spent two seasons as principal cellist of the Seattle Symphony, a position he won in 2006 at the age of 22. Since that time, he has appeared as a soloist with the San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Mariinsky Orchestra, New World Symphony, Alabama Symphony, and Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional del Ecuador, among many others. An active chamber musician, Roman has collaborated with established artists such as Andrius Zlabys, Cho-Liang Lin, Assad Brothers, Earl Carlyss, Christian Zacharias and Yo-Yo Ma, as well as other dynamic young soloists and performers from New York's vibrant music scene, including the JACK Quartet, Talea Ensemble, Derek Bermel and the Enso String Quartet. A native of Oklahoma City, Roman began playing the cello at the age of three on a quarter-size instrument, and gave his first public recital at age ten. Home-schooled until he was 16, he then pursued his musical studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music with Richard Aaron. He received his Bachelor's Degree in Cello Performance in 2004, and his Master's in 2005, as a student of Desmond Hoebig, former principal cellist of the Cleveland Orchestra. Roman is grateful for the loan of an 1899 cello by Giulio Degani of Venice.   If you enjoyed the show, please leave a review on iTunes!  I truly appreciate your support! Visit www.mindoverfinger.com for information about past and future podcasts, and for more resources on mindful practice. Join the Mind Over Finger Tribe here!  https://www.facebook.com/groups/mindoverfingertribe/     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/

Grammy-nominated composer Mason Bates is also a bona fide DJ. As DJ Masonic, he brings classical music and electronica together on the dance floor at clubs like San Francisco's Mezzanine. As a composer, he brings the sounds of electronica to classical music in places like the Kennedy Center (where he's composer-in-residence). And so it's fitting that Bates' first opera is about famed Apple tech guru, Steve Jobs. But even for someone as comfortable in multiple musical worlds as Mason Bates, can it really work to tell a decidedly 21st century story using a 400-year-old medium? Turns out, yes. In this special crossover podcast (with Dacia Clay of Classical Classroom), Bates explains why Jobs' story and opera go together like iPhones and jelly. Wait...

Grammy-nominated composer Mason Bates is also a bona fide DJ. As DJ Masonic, he brings classical music and electronica together on the dance floor. As a composer, he brings the sounds of electronica to classical music in places like the Kennedy Center. So it's fitting that Bates' first opera is about tech guru Steve Jobs. But can it really work to tell a decidedly 21st century story using a 400-year-old medium? Turns out, yes. In this Seattle Opera Podcast crossover episode, Bates explains why Jobs' story and opera go together like iPhones and jelly. Wait... Music in this episode:   Special thanks to Todd Reynolds for his music, Taskforce: Farmlab from Outerbourough. 

This bonus episode of In The Moment offers an insider's look at our Town Music series! Host Jini Palmer talks with Town Music curator Joshua Roman about chamber music, the theatrical aspects of a live performance, and his selection process for each season's lineup. They dive into this season of Town Music, taking a look at our upcoming concerts. For the first performance, Sideshow by Talea Ensemble (15:50), Roman highlights the theatrical spin that the piece brings to chamber music. Then he takes a look at Third Coast Percussion (18:20), the Grammy-winning Chicago quartet presenting an avant-garde percussion quartet commissioned by Philip Glass. Jini and Joshua also touch on Piano Ki Avaaz (22:00), the piano trio commissioned by rising star composer Reena Esmail utilizing techniques that blend Indian and Western classical traditions. And finally, Jini and Joshua explore Bach to Bates (25:12)—a concert juxtaposing classical works by Bach alongside cutting-edge commissions from Grammy-nominated composer Mason Bates. Get an insider's look and stay in the know about what's going on in this moment at Town Hall.    

Learn more about this fresh, fascinating, and wholly operatic new work, which audiences have been consuming like a new Apple product. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean introduces The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, the opera with music by Mason Bates and libretto by Mark Campbell. Musical examples from the new recording of the opera made at Santa Fe Opera, summer 2017, and available from Pentatone records, with Edward Parks (Steve Jobs), Garrett Sorenson (Woz), Jessica E. Jones (Chrisann), Sasha Cooke (Laurene), and Wei Wu (Kōbun), conducted by Michael Christie.

Conductor David Vickerman of San Jose State University joins me to talk about his career and share his wisdom. Notably, this includes an extended discussion about our responsibility as leaders to help promote diversity. Topics: David’s job at San Jose State and his background growing up in Northern California through his first job at the College of New Jersey and his return back home to the Bay Area of California. Choosing music and some thoughts about finding quality literature regardless of aesthetic tastes. The importance of actively trying to make changes in our system and helping to promote diversity in the band community. The music program at San Jose State University. Trying to be better at asking and answering the "Why? as conductors and teachers, and using comprehensive musicianship through performance. Links: San Jose State University David Vickerman Armando Bayolo Tina Tallon CASMEC Bill Walsh: The Score Takes Care of Itself John David Mann Mozart: Serenade in C minor, K. 388 Bryant: Ecstatic Waters Biography: Dr. David Vickerman, 2015 winner of The American Prize in Conducting, is the new Director of Bands at San José State University.  In addition to conducting the wind ensemble and symphonic band, he teaches undergraduate and graduate instrumental conducting.  Prior to his appointment at San José State University, he was the Director of Bands at The College of New Jersey where he established the Wind Ensemble as a regional model for performance excellence through invitations to the College Band Directors National Association and National Association for Music Education Eastern Division Conferences. Before joining The College of New Jersey, he held the position of Director of Bands on the Johns Hopkins University Homewood Campus where he conducted the Wind Ensemble and directed the Pep Band. In addition to his duties at SJSU, he has served as the Associate Conductor of Great Noise Ensemble, in Washington D.C. and he is a highly sought-after guest conductor having conducted numerous honor bands over the past five years. A fervent advocate for contemporary music, Dr. Vickerman has commissioned works by eminent composers and conducted numerous world premieres with The College of New Jersey Wind Ensemble and Great Noise Ensemble. He has also arranged several pieces for winds including Ára Batur by the Icelandic rock band, Sigur Rós, Observer in the Magellanic Cloud by Mason Bates and Craigslistlieder by Gabriel Kahane. In the fall of 2013, Dr. Vickerman conducted the premiere of the “Sgt. Pepper Project” with Great Noise Ensemble. This concert consisted of thirteen premieres, each based off of a track from the famous Beatles album. For a concert event entitled “Digital Embrace” at the Peabody Institute, he conducted a concert of wind band music that focused on the use of integrated live electronics.  His primary conducting instructors include Dr. Edward C. Harris (Professor Emeritus from San José State University), Dr. Stuart Sims, Robert Ponto and Harlan Parker. Dr. Vickerman regularly presents at regional, national and international conferences on topics ranging from teaching social justice issues in band, to the development of a computer-based conducting analysis system to assist beginning conducting students.  His co-authored paper with Dr. Andrea Salgian, “Computer-Based Tutoring for Conducting Students,” was presented at the International Computer Music Conference in Utrecht, Netherlands in September 2016. He also accepted an invitation to present “Improve Band Performance with Socially-Conscious Repertoire” along with Dr. Colleen Sears, at the National Association for Music Education Eastern Division Conference in 2017.  Along with Dr. Sears, Dr. Vickerman is a founder of the Institute for Social Justice in the Arts and Humanities at TCNJ, which presents concerts, workshops and cross-departmental projects for the community. Dr. Vickerman graduated from the Peabody Institute with a DMA in Wind Conducting in 2014 and a Master’s Degree in Wind Conducting from the University of Oregon in 2010. Prior to his work at the University of Oregon, he taught high school in California for 6 years after receiving a Bachelor of Music Degree in Music Education and teaching credential from California State University Stanislaus in 2002.

Praised by the New York Times for his "understated but unmistakable virtuosity," Svet Stoyanov is one of the leading percussion soloists of our day. He has appeared at the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Kennedy Center, and has performed under the baton of Pierre Boulez, Marin Alsop, and Gerard Schwarz. As an advocate for contemporary music, he has premiered works by Andy Akiho, Mason Bates, and Paul Lansky. He serves as the Director of Percussion Studies at the University of Miami Frost School of Music.Watch here. Listen below. If you cannot see the audio controls, your browser does not support the audio element 0:00 Intro and hello 1:45 Ben's teacher?! 4:00 Current projects? 7:50 New audio/video series  13:30 On pushing it, "being a little uncomfortable".  Do as I say not as I do21:20 Megan: Border Percussion story - Inuksuit performed across the Mexico/US border43:35 Ben: Alejandro Vinao1:00:37 Marco Schirripa: Your stage presence?  1:03:25 Will Marinelli:  Premiering the Phillip Glass two-timpani concerto at such a young age?

Attack of the Killer Soundtrack - Episode 47 This week we talk with composer Erich Stem about the music he was influenced by, as well as the challenges you face when trying to break into the field as a working film composer. And as we discuss all the fun of alcoholism and early death, we also bring up... horrible MIDI, entering the NBA, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, an eleventh hour process, Alcatraz, musical sentences and sound worlds, Japanese internment camps, young composers, you've gotta MacGuyver this thing, I was always very interested in tearing apart the music that I learned, I would write her the hard parts, my dream as a composer is to do my own thing, a makeshift skateboard, the soprano saxophone part, Joel McNeely, write for orchestras in different cities, you are kind of combining a lot of different things - and putting a new stamp on it, the music being the guide to the film, and you could be crazy, I saw the movie and immediately thought… what a really interesting job, I just would spend hours at the piano writing music, a piece is very much like a film. You have that kind of shape, the early days of the internet, Mason Bates, Bainbridge Island, it could be anything that you wanted it to be, a compiled library of music, feeding me new styles or sounds, poverty inspires creativity, pretty amazing and chilling at the same time, changing my language based on my new exposures, violin duets, hope that you can still do more music, you and your stupid talent, you're basically asked to write these wonderful pieces, that move a lot of people, post-minimalism, John Dugan, using sound, making it into one language and train sets. "I believe that as a composer, and maybe this is true of filmmakers too, you're giving your unique stamp to your art... but you are, in a way, an amalgamation of your experiences. And your reactions to those experiences."

Composer Mason Bates brings Steve Jobs' life story to the stage in Santa Fe Opera's production of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. The opera combines expressive electronics with electric guitar, Bates' signature rich orchestration and sleek lighting design for a truly modern experience. Hosted by Seth Boustead Produced by Sarah Zwinklis Music Dark Interlude and Scene 13 Santa Fe Opera Scene 5 Santa Fe Opera; Sarah Coit; Edward Parks; Wei Wu; Otogawa Garrett Sorenson; Jessica Jones Scene 3 Santa Fe Opera; Edward Parks; Wei Wu Prologue (Paul's aria) San Francisco Conservatory of Music; Kelly Markgraf; Robert Tweten; Mason Bates; James Moore Scene 6 (Chrisann aria) San Francisco Conservatory of Music; Jessica Jones at San Francisco Conservatory of Music Scene 2 San Francisco Conservatory of Music; Sarah Coit; Edward Parks Overture and Scene 1Santa Fe Opera Scenes 3-4 (Reed College) San Francisco Conservatory of Music; Wei Wu Scene 8 (Stanford) San Francisco Conservatory of Music; Edward Parks; Sarah Coit Scene 16 (Humans are Messy aria) San Francisco Conservatory of Music; Edward Parks; Sarah Coit Scene Walking Interlude San Francisco Conservatory of Music

We start the road trip by taking a look at the most interesting and groundbreaking contemporary composers, including Mason Bates, and Philip Glass. Image of Philip Glass; philipglass.com.

Mezzo-soprano Kara Dugan goes ‘Inside the Huddle’ with Oliver. She’s a current Steans Vocal Fellow at Ravinia who just sang a premiere with the San Francisco Symphony under Michael Tilson Thomas... But first, “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs”, an opera with music by Mason Bates and libretto by Mark Campbell, opened at the Santa Fe Opera Festival last month. Washington Post critic Anne Midgette took that as an opportunity to talk about the way opera is built, and to compare it to TV and other art forms. Oliver and George respond... And but of course you get all your opera headlines and our hot takes on them in ‘The Two Minute Drill’... https://www.facebook.com/OBSCHI1/

Program: Robert Schumann: Adagio and Allegro, op.70 Arvo Part: Fratres Luigi Boccherini (arr. Katims): Sonata No. 6 in A Major, G4 Robert Schumann: Märchenbilder, Op.113 Henri Vieuxtemps: Élégie, Op.30 Aurelien Pederzoli, viola Chicago-based violist Aurelian Pederzoli trained from a young age on the violin and his talent and skill earned him wide acclaim from critics and the public alike. But something was missing. Artistic frustrations with the violin led him to pick up the viola and, to his surprise, his authentic musical voice emerged. “The sonority of the viola just seems to resonate with the fibers of my being,” Pederzoli says, “and I love the viola’s repertoire and the very communal role it plays in ensembles.”  A finalist in the 2015 International Hugo Kauder Competition for Viola at Yale University, Pederzoli merges a deep reservoir of  musicality with wide-eyed curiosity about his instrument as a soloist and chamber ensemble player, and as a teacher at the New Music School in Chicago. He is a member of the innovative Black Oak Ensemble which pairs classical works with music from around the world, a frequent collaborator with the Lincoln Trio, and he has toured internationally with blues harmonica virtuoso Corky Siegel. A deft collaborator, Pederzoli works with other musicians of many stripes, including members of eighth black bird, bassist Matt Ulery, composer/pianist Fernando Otero, members of the Vermeer Quartet, pianist H.J Lim, accordionist Julien Labro, violinist Rachel Kolly d'Alba, pianist Christian Chamorel, violinist Daniel Rowland, violist David Aaron Carpenter, and composer/saxophonist Miguel Zenon. He also works with many of the leading composers of our time, Recent project have included Lee Hyla, Hans Thomalla, Gunter Schuller, and Robert Dillon, and he has premiered and recorded works by Augusta Read Thomas, Bernard Rands, Mason Bates,  Shulamit Ran, Sarah Ritch, Jennifer Higdon, Marc Mellitts, Nico Muhly and others. Aurelian Pederzoli was born in France and graduated from the Paris Conservatory before moving to Chicago. He studies viola with Frank Babbitt and Li Kuo Chang. His violin teachers included Jean Lenert, Shmuel Ashkenasi, and Veda Reynolds. In 2008, Pederzoli cofounded Anaphora Ensemble to explore and present adventurous music in Chicago. Pederzoli was a founding member of the Spektral Quartet in 2010 and played with the ensemble until 2014. His work appears on recordings from Azica, Parlour Tapes+, Cedille, Southport, and Aparte labels. A new string trio recording with Desirée Ruhstrat, violin, and David Cunliffe, cello, of music by Conrad Tao, Jennifer Higdon, David Ludwig, and Marc Mellits, is forthcoming in 2016.   Matthew Hagle, piano Pianist Matthew Hagle is a musician of great versatility and depth, whose performances are a rare mixture of musical understanding, imaginative programming, pianistic mastery and beauty of sound. In solo recitals he often explores the boundaries of the piano repertoire, using thoughtful programming and committed performance to integrate newer repertoire and lesser-known older works with the traditional canon. At the moment, he is working on a more conventional project: performing the 32 Beethoven Sonatas in a series of live radio recitals. Mr.

It was on this day in 2012 the orchestral work, "Alternative Energy," by Mason Bates had its world premiere with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Bates is one of America's most performed composers and he's also DJ. On today's "A Classical Day in the life," we explore "Alternative Energy" and the nontraditional sonic elements entwined within the work.

Mason Bates Interview, Pt. 1 by The Loose Filter Podcast

Mason Bates Interview, Pt. 2 by The Loose Filter Podcast

1 - Trecho da/ Excerpt from "Sinfonia N. 6" (Beethoven/Liszt). Glenn Gould, piano. 2 - "Siren music" (Mason Bates). Mason Bates & Chanticleer. 3 - Canto Yanomami/ Brazilian indian chant 4 - "Greensleeves" (Tradicional/traditional). Ronn MacFarlane & Williams Simms, alaúdes/lutes