Memorable outdoor premieres you’ve heard and/or your most unusual exposure to a new piece of music
Greg Sandow “Was it an outdoor experience? I’m not sure, and who cares?…” Michael Torke “I remember a concert at the Tanglewood Music Center that had both David Del Tredici’s “Happy Voices” (from Child Alice) and John Adams’s Harmonielehre on the same program!” Marilyn Nonken “…the sight of Brant –headgear, jumpsuit, etc.– will always stick… Read more »
Jul 01, 1999
How Festivals can Attract New Audiences to American Music
Frank J. Oteri Photo by Melissa Richard Five years ago some friends of mine drove me down to a bluegrass festival in Stumptown, West Virginia — a more than 10 hour journey from New York City which was more time than I’ve ever spent in a car in my whole life being the die-hard urbanite!… Read more »
Jul 01, 1999
Soundtracks: July 1999
For our third issue of NewMusicBox, we have expanded the scope of SoundTracks. In addition to featuring the cover and complete track information for all new recordings of American music that we can get our hands on, we are also featuring sound samples of every recording. So rather than hearing us rave about one of… Read more »
Jul 01, 1999
Looking For Red, White and Blue Between Bach, Beethoven And Brahms: Can American Music Be Found at American Music Festivals?
Mic Holwin photo by Lost In Brooklyn Studio Music festivals in America take on added pleasure in the summer, when a concertgoer can claim a spot on the lawn surrounding a stage, spread out a quilt handed down from an aunt in Pennsylvania, uncork a bottle of California Zinfandel, slice some Vermont Cheddar and Wisconsin… Read more »
Jul 01, 1999
Memorable outdoor premieres you’ve heard and/or your most unusual exposure to a new piece of music Greg Sandow, Composer & Music Journalist
Greg Sandow Photo courtesy Greg Sandow Was it an outdoor experience? I’m not sure, and who cares? But when I was new music critic for the Village Voice in the ’80s, I remember being invited to a private event, somebody playing his sax in an abandoned building in the East Village. This was magical, the… Read more »
Jul 01, 1999
Memorable outdoor premieres you’ve heard and/or your most unusual exposure to a new piece of music Michael Torke, Composer
Michael Torke Photo by Vivianne Purdom, courtesy Decca I remember a concert at the Tanglewood Music Center that had both David Del Tredici’s “Happy Voices” (from Child Alice) and John Adams’s Harmonielehre on the same program! This was the summer of 1984, fresh after Paul Fromm made public his criticisms of the ’70s kind of… Read more »
Jul 01, 1999
Memorable outdoor premieres you’ve heard and/or your most unusual exposure to a new piece of music Marilyn Nonken, Pianist
Marilyn Nonken by Sara Press A few years ago, I stumbled into a Henry Brant premiere taking place outdoors at Lincoln Center: a work written to commemorate Columbus’s discovery of America. Various ensembles were playing around the plaza: jazz band, orchestra, maybe a sax quartet or mariachi ensemble. Honestly, no matter where I went, I… Read more »
Jul 01, 1999
Memorable outdoor premieres you’ve heard and/or your most unusual exposure to a new piece of music Joseph Dalton, Executive Director, Composers Recordings Inc. (CRI)
Joseph Dalton Photo by Dorothy Alexander Collecting composers’ autographs used to be a hobby of mine. In my youth it was an early indicator of my future profession. It also got me to attend (and sometimes to endure) all manner of musical happenings, and allowed me to meet some wonderful figures, some of whom are… Read more »
Jul 01, 1999
Foster Reed of New Albion Records
One of the original “indie-classical” labels, San Francisco-based New Albion Records defined the West Coast Sound and helped to launch the careers of John Adams, John Luther Adams, Ingram Marshall, Paul Dresher, Stephen Scott, Chen Yi, Sarah Cahill, David Tanenbaum, Margaret Lang Tan, and many others. New Albion’s founder Foster Reed explains the label’s philosophy.
Jun 01, 1999
What recordings do you buy and why? What recordings have you listened to recently?
Robert Hurwitz “I buy them to hear musician friends when they forget to send me a copy of their latest album…” Laura Kuhn “…I confess that what I’m listening to right now doesn’t really qualify as new American music…” Aaron Jay Kernis “I’ve always felt it important to hear as much new music in concert… Read more »
Jun 01, 1999
American Music and the Future of the Recording Industry
The sad reality of being unable to hear a large amount of American repertoire or new music of any national origin in the concert hall or on the radio is countered by the ecstatic joy of being able to hear anything you want if you’ve got it in your record collection.
Jun 01, 1999
Soundtracks: June 1999
Last month, when we launched NewMusicBox we featured information about 56 new CDs of American music issued since January 1999. For our second issue, we feature yet another 40! The year is not yet half over and already there are almost 100 new recordings of American music floating around. And the range this month is… Read more »
Jun 01, 1999
Off the Record! A Hyper-History of American Independent New Music Record Labels
Steve Smith photo by Andrew Kochera New music has always had a tough time finding a home to call its own. Faced with a lack of performances by mainstream classical performing groups, as we learned here last month, many composers and other devotees of the avant-garde took it upon themselves to found their own ensembles… Read more »
Jun 01, 1999
What recordings do you buy and why? What recordings have you listened to recently? Robert Hurwitz, President, Nonesuch Records
I buy records for at least five reasons: professionally (I want to hear people I haven’t heard before, or I want to hear recordings that people I trust are talking about); I buy them for my children (records they want and records I think they might like); I buy them to hear musician friends when… Read more »
Jun 01, 1999
What recordings do you buy and why? What recordings have you listened to recently? Laura Kuhn, Director, John Cage Trust
Laura Kuhn Photo by Betty Freeman NewMusicBox is terrific, but I confess that what I’m listening to right now doesn’t really qualify as new American music: both CDs available of Dulce Pontes, entitled Caminhos and Lagrimas, and both extraordinarily beautiful. American audiences may only be familiar with her work from the film “Primal Fear” (Ed… Read more »
Jun 01, 1999
What recordings do you buy and why? What recordings have you listened to recently? Aaron Jay Kernis, Composer, New Music Advisor, Minnesota Orchestra
Aaron Jay Kernis Photo by Daniel Vogel, courtesy G. Schirmer, Inc. Between visiting Tower, Music Boulevard on the Web and BMG Music Service (this is not paid advertising) I’ve recently seen about 6 recordings pass into my consciousness, but only briefly so far , since as I’m busily composing at the moment and can’t listen… Read more »
Jun 01, 1999
What recordings do you buy and why? What recordings have you listened to recently? Elliott Schwartz
Elliott Schwartz Photo by Joel Chadabe, courtesy Electronic Music Foundation As I’m living in England (on resident fellowship at Robinson College, Cambridge University) for the months of May and June, I’ve had a chance to hear some 20th century English music — ranging from the earliest part of the century (Vaughan Williams‘ wonderful song cycle… Read more »
Jun 01, 1999
What recordings do you buy and why? What recordings have you listened to recently? Derek Bermel, Composer
Derek Bermel Photo courtesy Derek Bermel Last month I found some CD gems, among them Pittsburgh band Don Caballero‘s new album What Burns Never Returns (Touch and Go TG185CD) a minimalist rock album which takes King Crimson’s early 80’s stuff to the next level; the drummer Damon Che weaves some incredible polyrhythmic lines. Listening to… Read more »
Jun 01, 1999
What makes you attend a music event? Matthew Sigman
Former editor of Symphony magazineCurrently an executive with R.R. Donnelley & Sons, a board member of the Chicago Civic Orchestra and of the American Music Center For several years, while I was on the editorial staff of Symphony magazine, it was my honor and anguish to edit the late great Ralph Black, a man whose… Read more »
May 01, 1999
What makes you attend a music event? Dean Stein
Dean Stein Photo © Peter Schaaf Executive Director, Chamber Music America I’ve always been a bit of a history buff — not so much academically as romantically. For example, I love the theater and try to see the off-off, off and Broadway productions that crowd a typical New York season – experimental works, revivals, classics,… Read more »
