Sounds Heard: Jefferson Friedman & Craig Wedren—On In Love
Composers Jefferson Friedman and Craig Wedren have joined forces to shove their different-yet-connected musical worlds successfully closer together into the album On In Love. With the ensemble ACME, the two have constructed a group of songs that are dramatic, unpredictable, and beautifully crafted, serving up both both punch and substance.
Music and The Number Four
I have poured a great deal of energy into the way I write about music, as I have similarly done for the way I compose and play music itself. I am discovering that it is not so much a matter of finding (or re-finding) the right note, the right chord, the right word. Rather, a note, a chord, a word, then another, then another, until you are out of space.
2014: Remembering The Year That Isn’t Over Yet
Since we’re constantly talking about 21st-century music on this site and we’re not even a sixth of the way through the 21st century, it should be fair game to reminisce about 2014.
Houston: River Oaks Chamber Orchestra
Based in Houston and drawing on some of the finest players in town and from around the nation, River Oaks Chamber Orchestra is gearing up for their tenth season. Founder Alecia Lawyer talks with Andrew Sigler about how this perception-challenging ensemble got started and where it’s headed.
The Class of 2013
We are nearly finished with the NewMusicBox @ 15 Anniversary Celebration! This is a look back to some of the most interesting content of 2013 in a “yearbook award” format. Befitting this season of graduations, no?
20 Composers Honored at American Academy Ceremonial
Twenty composers were honored during the 2014 American Academy of Arts and Letters Ceremonial, including 18 award recipients who received cash prizes totaling over $200,000.
Performers as Co-Creators
Co-creation is something not often explored in the classical genre, and after working on Potential Energies, I’ve been thinking about how the choreographer-dancer process could be applied in creating new compositions.
2012: A Baker's Dozen
2012 was so chock full of great content that it was honestly tough to choose these thirteen highlights! Whether you prefer to read, get creatively active, or massage your ears with new sounds, there is something here to tempt.
Boston: Caroline Shaw's Common Cause
It is a remarkably elevated art that is so incapable of settling down, constantly inspiring its practitioners to use the output of one set of rules as the input for a completely different set of rules. Musical style is a moving target. It certainly must be.
Twelve Tidbits from 2011
2011 marked numerous changes—especially within the realm of technology and how we use it—that set NewMusicBox on the path to the present day.
Music and The Heart
The Heart does not care about the Music you have prepared for him to grasp. Music is already difficult to grasp through the Mind and Body; why would it be any different for The Heart?
2014 BMI Student Composer Awards Announced
Eight young composers, aged 14 to 27, received cash prizes totaling $20,000 during the 62nd Annual BMI Student Composer Awards. Among the winners were Michael Boyman and Daniel Temkin who tied for the William Schuman Prize, the top honor, and Benjamin P. Wenzelberg who received the Carlos Surinach Prize, awarded to the competition’s youngest winner.
2010: Favorite Things And Inspirations
2010 was significant for me personally since I officially began working at The Box that year. Included in this post are links to favorite articles, inspiring composer interviews, and assorted tales from that year.
You Don't Say! Quotable Quotes from NewMusicBox
In its 15-year history, composers, musicians, and industry professionals have shared countless pearls of wisdom with NewMusicBox, but these are some that have become particularly quotable quotes around the office, starting with one I used to keep on a sticky note posted above my desk.
David T. Little Named 4th Composer in Residence at Opera Philadelphia
David T. Little has been selected from over 100 applicants as the fourth composer in residence in a collaborative initiative between Opera Philadelphia and two NYC-based organizations—Gotham Chamber Opera and Music-Theatre Group.
2009: Just Add A Dollop Of Salsa
As you may have noticed, our artist interviews are a hugely important part of “The Box.” The variety of musicians and genres represented are why we coined the slogan, “Expect the unexpected!”
Should I Start a New Music Ensemble?
Considering that our industry is saturated, audiences are small, and funding is limited, it’s essential to think about how you’re going to fit into the world of new music. Perhaps it would be more worthwhile to seek an ensemble where you can share your ideas and join an already fully formed team instead of pursuing a similar venture from scratch.
2008: NewMusicBox Snapshots—Nine Images for Nine Years
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a handful of images from NewMusicBox in 2008 seemed like great way to illustrate the year that was.
2007: Big Ideas In a 140-Character World
There were so many new and shiny ways to share our inner monologue in 2007. In honor the information acceleration that marked the year, let’s take a deeper look at just a few mile markers.
Sounds Heard: Meredith Monk—Piano Songs
Meredith Monk: Piano Songs, a new compilation performed by Ursula Oppens and Bruce Brubaker, features music that finds expressive possibilities in the act of moderating between extremes. Old and new, traditional and experimental, memory and transformation–within all those competing forces, Monk’s music seems to hover at a point of balance.
2006: Walk Right In, Sit Right Down
A chair is a terrible thing to waste, and in 2006 any and all vacancies were weighing heavily on our minds. Venue was a central variable in the new equations, but long-term solutions meant more than just locating a cooler landlord with a liquor license.
Music and The Body
The body, and the use of it, is the only way to dismantle those lofty ideals of immortality created by virtuosity. I’m not interested in watching a superhuman compete in a human challenge. No one likes a rigged game.
2005: The Friends and Family Plan
If 2004 had a genre-busting vibe, by 2005 we were embracing friends old and new as barriers cleared. The questions at the intersection of music and digital delivery, however, were getting much more complex as the novelty of what we could do careened into what music was worth and how we were going to pay for it.
Viewing Party: An Artist Profile Highlight Reel
With all the serious reflection that’s been going on around here of late, it seemed like it was time to pop some popcorn and re-watch a few of the mini artist documentaries NewMusicBox has produced.