Passing It On: Zappa on Playing Zappa
When putting together Zappa Plays Zappa in 2006, Dweezil Zappa set expectations for himself and the musicians that clearly reflected his late father Frank Zappa's exceedingly high musical standards. Shortly before the band embarked on a 40-plus-date tour this past spring that included stops across the United States, as well as in Mexico, British Columbia, Nova Scotia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Israel, Italy, France, and the UK, Dweezil and I spoke about the challenges and the preparation that has gone into presenting his late father's music to both new audiences and longtime fans. read more
By David Brensilver
Published: 8/25/2010

When in Rome: 2010 AAR Composers Share Their Plans
Last week, the American Academy in Rome announced the beneficiaries of its next season of year-long residencies for We asked the two composers chosen, Huck Hodge and Paul Rudy, to describe what the residency means to them and what they plan to do during their year abroad. For Hodge, it will be a great opportunity to think about and experience things outside of contemporary music. Rudy, on the other hand, is looking forward to continuing his work on a couple of ongoing projects including a massive series of CD length works collectively called 2012 Stories. read more
Published: 4/21/2010

What'll It Be? MATA Composers Give Us a Festival Preview
On April 19, MATA kicks off its 12th annual festival in New York City. Under the banner of "Young Composers—Now!" this four-night event at Le Poisson Rouge includes 14 world premieres—three of them MATA commissions. With such a range of composers on tap, we caught up with a few of them pre-festival to sample their sounds, find out a little more about them, and make sure we knew what their drink was before this thing was out of the gate. read more
By Molly Sheridan
Published: 4/15/2010

Remembering Eleanor Hovda
Eleanor Hovda (1940-2009) was known and loved by a close-knit circle of people, many of whom are readers of this publication. She was one of our treasures. It seemed that it was only a matter of time before everyone else beyond that circle caught on. However, she was an intensely private person, but not bashful—so wider public recognition might be delayed, but it was certainly coming. read more
By Jack Vees
Published: 3/24/2010

Garrett Fisher—At the Hawks Well
There is a fluid back and forth motion across continents and centuries that impresses when it comes to the work of Garrett Fisher. It's showcased once again in his latest piece At the Hawks Well. read more
By Molly Sheridan
Published: 3/16/2010

Cuban Festival Offers Wealth of Music; Too Bad Americans Can't Hear It
My week and a half at the Festival de Música Contemporánea in Havana, Cuba was much more than a musical education: it was a remarkable artistic immersion that left me sad and frustrated that the U.S. travel ban is depriving other Americans of access to this rich culture. I heard nine concerts over ten days, with about 80 pieces by 56 different composers. The festival was largely a celebration of music by Cuban composers, although invited performers from six different countries (Spain, Denmark, Mexico, Uruguay, Argentina, and Japan) included compositions from their own nations. Oddly enough, I was the only attendee from the United States and no music from the U.S. was performed (apart from arrangements of popular standards performed by a trombone quintet, and an electronic piece on a concert that I was unable to attend). read more
By Liane Curtis
Published: 2/10/2010

The Back Story of an Award-Winning Work
It was with special joy and shared pride that I received the news that J. Mark Scearce was awarded this year's Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in Composition. But I was especially delighted when I learned that the score Mark had submitted for consideration by the Award committee was one of my commissions as music director of Orchestra Nashville: This Thread, for solo mezzo, solo violin, and orchestra. The story of its premiere is one that I hope will lead to more performances as well as serve to inspire ideas for how orchestras can successfully present new music. read more
By Paul Gambill
Published: 12/2/2009

Remembering Maryanne Amacher, A Sound Character
Maryanne Amacher (1943-2009) Maryanne could be a challenging person in many ways. She lived in financial poverty in a massive three story home on 2.5 acres in Kingston, New York. The house was in such terrible repair that most of it was uninhabitable and it is probably not salvageable. She had boxes of papers piled almost to the ceiling in places. These boxes were full of ideas from projects past, present, and future. The main living space had blankets covering windows for insulation and dark areas of mold on the ceiling from years of water leaking in two stories above. A section of ceiling in the unused main parlor had fallen on a grand piano rendering it useless (or maybe prepared). She was both grateful for help repairing her house and might also get angry at you while doing work on it to make it livable (an ordeal I went through on a few occasions). It seemed to be a rite of passage for many of her friends to get yelled at while helping her. One always ended up a closer friend afterward. read more
By Bill Brovold
Published: 10/26/2009

Suzanne Fiol (1960-2009)

Suzanne Fiol

Known to all as a fiercely passionate advocate, ISSUE Project Room Founder and Artistic Director Suzanne Fiol's passing is an utterly profound loss for the experimental arts community. The fabric of Suzanne's personality and spirit are woven into every inch of the ISSUE Project Room quilt. Her background outside the field of music as both an esteemed photographer (with works in the permanent collections of The Art Institute of Chicago and The Brooklyn Museum, among others) and a commercial gallerist afforded Suzanne a singular, artist-centric perspective. What ISSUE at times lacked in production materials and funding in its early days was exponentially made up for with old school hospitality, collegial camaraderie, and genuine respect for the various artistic languages and voices being explored. Like Suzanne, ISSUE successfully straddles the precarious line between challenging aesthetic concepts and a personal connection to the art with a relaxed, inviting demeanor that welcomes novices and initiates alike. read more
By Christopher McIntyre
Published: 10/7/2009

John Adams and Stanley Silverman Remember Leon Kirchner
Last week we reported the death of Leon Kirchner who was among the most honored American composers. Kirchner was also an important teacher for many composers. We asked John Adams, who studied with Kirchner at Harvard, and Stanley Silverman, who studied with Kirchner at Tanglewood and Mills, to share their memories. read more
Published: 9/21/2009

Remembering Leon Kirchner: Anxiety, Restlessness, and Ecstasy
Leon Kirchner, who died last week at the age of 90, was my teacher during the stormy years of the late sixties and early seventies. Somehow it still seems fitting that I should always associate my apprenticeship with him with that turbulent era, an era full of anxiety, restlessness, and ecstasy. Those are the words—anxiety, restlessness, and ecstasy—that pretty much sum up Leon's music. read more
By John Adams
Published: 9/21/2009

Remembering Leon Kirchner: Talmudic Dedication
When I was informed of the passing of Leon Kirchner at age 90, my response was one of disbelief. I soon discovered when communicating with other mutual friends that this was a shared feeling. Yes I know, he had a "long, productive life," "a good ride," etc. But what a life force—and to the very end. read more
By Stanley Silverman
Published: 9/21/2009

Remembering Dina Koston
Dina Koston (1940-2009) was a passionate person and voiced her opinions freely, which for some made her a difficult and complicated person to interact with. She certainly was that, but her passion for music was also infectious, her heart a big one when she cared about you, and her ear was, without a doubt, one of the greatest the American music scene has known. read more
By Laura Elise Schwendinger
Published: 9/14/2009

Looking Up At Joe Maneri
Those of us who were close to Joe Maneri will need to adjust to life without his infinitely expressive face, the sound of his voice, and the access we were accustomed to having to his acute mind and compassionate soul. Or, to view it in a more hopeful light, we will now need to find another means of access. It is often the death of an important artist that prompts us finally to go and seek his or her work. In the case of Joe Maneri, there are two bodies of work to explore: his substantial and powerful output as an improvisor, and his smaller, but no less powerful, output as a composer. If you have never heard Joe's performances as an improviser, go and find them now. But before you get too excited about Maneri's composed music, understand that finding it is a complicated matter. read more
By Julia Werntz
Published: 9/1/2009

Remembering Merce
I first met Merce through Laura Kuhn, director of the John Cage Trust. I had met Merce a number of times through my wife Lisa Boudreau, a 14-year veteran of the company (Lisa and I even met at a Merce Cunningham benefit in 1997). But it was my friendship with Laura that introduced me as an artist to Merce, and we started sharing dinners and conversation at Merce's place on a regular basis. Ultimately, Lisa was invited into the mix, and it became a kind of extended family. Over the last decade we spent almost every Thanksgiving and Christmas at Merce's—more holidays than we ever got to spend with our actual families. read more
By Mikel Rouse
Published: 8/6/2009