Posted on August 18, 2015 by Frank J. Oteri - Conversations
To conclude our first NewMusicBox LIVE! event, we invited Joan Tower to share her some of her acerbic wit and wisdom with us. It was yet another fascinating twist to an evening that had already showcased saxophonist/sound experimentalist Matana Roberts and singer/songwriter Gabriel Kahane. Though seemingly unrelated, having these three musical creators share the stage is an accurate reflection of what a big tent new music has become in the 21st century. Tower opined that there used to be only “three choices” for composers—“uptown, midtown, and downtown”—and no matter what you wrote, it would “usually hang out with dead white European males,” but now we have “God knows, fifty choices” even though all too often “we live in a world of compartmentalized music.” Joining her to perform two of her dazzling virtuoso solo compositions were rising star violinist Bella Hristova and the iconic new music pianist Ursula Oppens. Posted on August 11, 2015 by Molly Sheridan - Conversations
Saxophonist/sound experimentalist Matana Roberts took the stage at NewMusicBox LIVE! on May 19, 2015, to share a story from her four weeks of travel in the American south. “I’m obsessed with American history because it’s so, sooo messed up,” Roberts told the crowd to acknowledging laughter. Before launching into the tale of her visit to a Civil War cemetery as part of her #SouthernSojourn2014 project, she prepared the audience to share in its telling by contributing a sung tone when cued throughout her 30-minute set. Combining words and music, she then recounted an experience that showcased the kindness of strangers and the instincts of an improviser.
