Jessie Montgomery: Reclaiming Creative Play & the Process of Anti-Racism
Composer and Violinist Jessie Montgomery shares how she has shifted her creative process since the pandemic began to cultivate a sense of playful freedom and reconnect with her childhood love of diverse musical styles.
Do You Hear What I See?
A visual that inspires the composer or improviser is sure to also inspire audiences to a fuller and more moving experience. The Kentler International Drawing Center is driving this connection home with its now-touring exhibition Music as Image and Metaphor.
McQueen & Blankenship: Partnership, Power & Vulnerability
Co-hosts of the Trilloquy podcast Garrett McQueen and Scott Blankenship share their experiences with depression, therapy, medication, cannabis, creativity, and addiction.
Upon Arrival: Experiencing My First Live Concert in Over 15 Months
I never thought I would feel so grateful for the small sounds of people coexisting with me, yet there I was, bobbing my head along, feeling pure contentment and gratitude for sharing this space with all of these strangers.
Susie Ibarra: Hybrid Culture
Susie Ibarra’s collaborative approach has informed her work with jazz, classical, indie rock, and traditional Philippine musicians.
Anxiety as an Editing Eye
The lingering anxiety that appears while I write can actually serve as a tool in the editing process, provided it remains in check and in direct dialogue with my work.
Christopher Trapani: Depression, Memory & Communication
Christopher Trapani evades and encodes the filter of depression into his music, as he tells Julia Adolphe in the latest episode of her LooseLeaf Notebook podcast. They also discuss myths about the tortured artist, medication, and therapy, and how mental health challenges can be better addressed in the workplace and in schools.
Tania León Orchestral Work Stride Awarded 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Music
Tania León has been awarded the 2021 Pulitzer Prize in Music for her orchestra work Stride which received its world premiere in a performance by The New York Philharmonic conducted by Jaap van Zweden in David Geffen Hall in New York City on February 13, 2020. According to the Pulitzer Prize guidelines, the annually awarded… Read more »
The Art of Being True: Sonic Ritual & Favorite Quarantine Recipes
In our final pair of excerpts from the M³ anthology, The Art of Being True, Val Jeanty explains how Vodou Culture has informed her own artistic practice and Tomeka Reid shares her recipe for Sunflower Butter.
The Art of Being True: Liberalism in Music & Stream of Consciousness
In our 5th installment of excerpts from the M³ anthology, Lesley Mok explains how conservatories co-opt the politics of “anti-racism” and Romarna Campbell describes the multiple identities contained for her in the word “skin.”
The Attraction of the Tortured Artist Myth
Julia Adolphe shares her thoughts on why the myth of the tortured artist has been attractive to society as well as to herself personally as she was struggling to come to terms with Anxiety Disorder.
The Art of Being True: Remembering Philly Joe & Your Backstory Is the Real Story
In our latest installment of excerpts from the M³ anthology, Sumi Tonooka remember Philly Joe Jones — “the last band leader that any parent would want to see their teenage daughter go out on the road with!” — and Jen Shyu contemplates parenthood: “Don’t wait for your ‘clock’ to start ticking. You might not hear it.”
Native Experimentalists
It’s crucial that the perspective of Native America be witnessed through the work of artistic practices.
2021 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Awards Announced
The ASCAP Foundation has announced the 21 recipients and 17 honorable mentions of the 2021 ASCAP Foundation Morton Gould Young Composer Awards, which encourage talented young creators of concert music ranging in age from 13 to 30.
The Art of Being True: Aretes of the New Cyrene & Reminder to Self
[Ed. Note: Beginning on April 30 and continuing on consecutive Fridays until the next round of concerts of M³ (Mutual Mentorship for Musicians) taking place on June 12 and 13, 2021 under the auspices of the National Jazz Museum (and which have received funding from New Music USA), NewMusicBox is publishing excerpts from each of… Read more »
Elena Urioste & Melissa White: Your Unique Body, Voice & Healing Process
Violinists and yoga instructors Melissa White & Elena Urioste discuss the impact of abusive or unsupportive teachers and methodologies in conservatory life that strip power from students instead of inspiring self-care and compassion.
The Art of Being True: Sonic Creation & Motherhood in Music
In our 2nd installment from the anthology of writings by the members of M³, Erica Lindsay states that the goal of sonic creation is to “express what is beyond your own understanding” and Sara Serpa decries the difficulties of balancing an artistic career with parenthood.
Ricky Ian Gordon: My Way of Enveloping a Story
For the past 20 years, Ricky Ian Gordon has been creating works for the stage—operas, musicals, or one-of a-kind music/theater hybrids—and getting them produced one after another, seemingly without a pause. But 14 months ago, everything came to a screeching halt as the world went into lockdown due to the pandemic.
The Art of Being True: To Speak in Memory & The Sun Itself
To celebrate today’s publication of The Art of Being True, an anthology of writings by the members of M³, and in anticipation of their upcoming concerts on June 12 and 13, we will be publishing excerpts from each of the 12 participants’ contributions, 2 per week, every Friday between now and June 12.
Untangling Anxious Signals and Creative Impulses
There are stark differences between imaginative impulses and anxious physiological signals.
Underscoring How Human and Relatable Immigrants Actually Are
While people who looked and sounded like us were being taken from their homes, we presented a song cycle underscoring how human and relatable immigrants actually were.
Daniela Candillari: Creative Blessings in Disguise
Conductor and composer Daniela Candillari reflects on her personal experience with performance anxiety, how emotion shapes our perception of time, and why her memories of living through the wars in the former Yugoslavia have returned to her during the pandemic.
Diversity, Inclusion, and Funding New Music in the '90s
This three-decade-old episode of an attempt to diversify the world of contemporary composition––amidst a landscape of increasing arts austerity, loud Congressional battles over avant-garde art, and public backlash from prominent composers––has much to offer today’s attempts at fostering inclusion.
Pamela Z: Expanding Our Imaginations
The only thing that is almost as exciting as watching and listening to a multimedia performance by Pamela Z is to hear her talk about it.