The Who and Why of Bang on a Can
For the premiere issue of NewMusicBox (May 1999), the three founders of Bang on a Can–Michael Gordon, Julia Wolfe, and David Lang–met at ASCAP for a lengthy conversation with Frank J. Oteri, Richard Kessler, and Fran Richard about the current state of new music.
From California to Alaska: Lou Harrison in Conversation with John Luther Adams
Two major American maverick composers talk via telephone about creating music without compromise, the impending end of the 20th century, and how to develop new audiences for new music in the future.
Libby Larsen: Communicating Through Music
Composer and American Composers Forum co-founder Libby Larsen talks about how she came to music, taking charge of her own path as a composer, and how to be a good musical citizen.
Dave Liebman: Unabashed Eclectic
Saxophonist, composer, band leader, and one-time Miles Davis sideman Dave Liebman talks about the changing directions in jazz during his four decades involved in the scene.
Paul Kellogg: Life Beyond Bohème, Carmen, and Traviata
Paul Kellogg, then artistic director of both Glimmerglass and New York City Opera describes how these opera companies “show people that there is life beyond Bohème, Carmen, and Traviata.”
Thomas Hampson: Singing American Songs
Baritone Thomas Hampson describes his unending fascination with American art songs.
Steve Reich in Conversation with Richard Kessler
In this 1998 interview, which was the blueprint for “In The First Person” (and subsequently “Cover”) on NewMusicBox, Steve Reich reflects on the changes in the music scene that had occurred over the past thirty years. “Thirty years ago I had just returned to New York City from San Francisco. […] At that time, everybody was under the influence of music that was not ‘pulsitile,’ [not with a regular beat]. You can’t tap your foot to either Boulez or John Cage.”
