Contemporary Classical Music Podcast
We celebrate the beginning of the Year of the Ox with music by composers from countries that celebrate the lunar new year. Program:Year of the Ox by Sufjan Stevens, arranged by Matthew AtkinsonElectric Aroma by Viet CuongKhse Buon by Chinary UngShades of Raindrops by Sungji HongWisdom of the Land by Narong PrangcharoenAncient Chinese Dances - … Continue reading #287 Lunar New Year Celebration
We celebrate a string of palindromic dates - 1/20/21 to 1/29/21 - with music written in palindromic form. Music by Martha Horst, Ben Johnston, Frank J. Oteri, Andrew Norman, Ted Hearne, Joseph Schwantner and Bela Bartok.
We take a break from our chaotic world to listen to music from composers inspired by utopian visions from Ursula K. LeGuin, Thomas More, Plato, HG Wells, John Milton and Greek myth.
There are a variety of reasons that people decide to leave home for good and settle in another country. But according to the U.S. State Department there has been a veritable exodus lately with a 47% spike in expatriation in 2019 over 2014. We talk with four composers living abroad about their lives and music.
The great Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges has had an enormous influence on artists, writers, philosophers and thinkers of all kinds, and composers are no exception. We spoke with renowned Borges scholar Daniel Balderston about the life and times of Borges and with composers Carla Kihlstedt, Diego Vega and Gheorghi Arnaoudov about how his work … Continue reading #277 Musical Legacies: Jorge Luis Borges
New music releases have slowed to a trickle, it's true, but they haven't stopped entirely! Seth chats with four creative musicians and ensembles who have recently released wildly inventive new music including saxophone quartet Nois, Third Coast Percussion, Sunny Knable and Amy Wurtz. Music:Vaisseau Fantôme by Nikki HarlaftiApertures by Matthew Arrellin - Performed by NoisSongs … Continue reading #276 Is This Nois?
Access Contemporary Music's popular Sound of Silent Film Festival features newly commissioned scores performed live to modern silent films. 2020 marks the 15th anniversary and they're celebrating with two ambitious programs presented virtually. Seth talks with several of the filmmakers and composers about their inspiration and process and plays selections of the scores. Find out … Continue reading #275 Sound of Silent Film
Composers and performers are finding incredibly creative ways to continue connecting and making great music in the midst of a global pandemic. Seth talks with composers Suzanne Farrin, Gene Pritsker, Carlos Simon, Liza Sobel and Greg Bartholomew as well as countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo and American Composers Orchestra's Artistic Director Derek Bermel. MUSICNacht (excerpt) by … Continue reading #274 Pandemic Dances
There’s a subsection of contemporary music called ‘Musical Historicism;’ a genre of music that uses historical elements and revives them in modern works. From Minimalism to Totalism, Modernism to Post-Modernism to Neomodernism; we’re taking a look at pieces that influence contemporary compositions, either to mimic the past or to be the antithesis. Hosted by Seth … Continue reading #268 Antecedents
Chopin, Kreisler, Bach and more have written compositions less than three minutes in length. This trend is no stranger to contemporary pieces. We’ll pack as many of these tiny gems as possible as we uncover why composers enjoy creating these mini masterworks. Hosted by Seth BousteadProduced by Sarah Zwinklis Music3 Miniatures for Violin and Piano … Continue reading #262 Musical Miniatures