Stephanie Levine

TOHI Organics & World Music

Stephanie Levine is the name of an inspiring woman who has worked for Island Outpost and Bob Marley Music promoting and managing the music of mega stars such as Grace Jones and Bob Marley. She is also the main driving force behind TOHI Organics, a vegan meals line prepared with love and sold at the Westerly Market in NYC. We caught up with Stephanie to hear more about her focus points and healthy but also fun lifestyle tips.
 
Who ain’t in need of sharing a few good stories and valid opinions with someone who is always invested in the community and the world at large?! Stephanie Levine believes that making healthy lifestyle choices is not about sacrificing. 

Photo: courtesy of the artist
She adds, “Stay as true to your core beliefs as much as possible in your daily lifestyle… Keep goals that keep you engaged and make your mindset happy. Keep it real!” Listen to some world music numbers to jumpstart your summer but first read here.

Alvin Singleton

Time Past, Time Future 

"Alvin Singleton captures the whole universe in his music. From Brooklyn to Paris. From ear to heart. His compositions are amazing, emotional and heartfelt."  -Martin Garde Abildgaard, writer and director.
 
New York is incomparable to any other place in the world and that’s not a conceited way of describing this city. It’s just how it is. New York City is shiny and rough, mostly romantic but at times neurotic, still always a perfect mix of crazy beauty that never ceases to amaze. The Big Apple is especially magical in the fall. 

Photo credit: Jo Eldredge Morrissey
But this year is different for wild reasons. We are all trying to stay afloat and making it work somehow. Sweeping away thoughts of this nature, we decided to come out of the forced hibernation that lasted a few long months. We agreed that in these special times, it is best to connect with someone like Alvin Singleton as one of our favorite and most energetic New Yorkers.

​Alvin Singleton is the quintessential Brooklyn ambassador. His music gives the listener a glimpse to his soul and joyous universe. He continues writing music that connects the dots of our shared humanity. Alvin Singleton inspires us all to be daring as well as dedicated to our crafts and passions. He leads by example in his search for joy in every passing moment and timeless composition.

Take a break from your draining virtual routine and read our conversation with Alvin Singleton about his music and his hope for better days ahead.    
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Coherent Light Enclosed Without

Gahlord Dewald

Escapism is what most of us are looking for these days. The new album of Gahlord Dewald, Coherent Light Enclosed Without, is a musical journey that is truly rewarding. Different vibes. Otherworldly sounds initiated and created at the Tank Center for the Arts in Colorado. When you have had enough of whatever you do that drags you down but also keeps you afloat, just play Coherent Light Enclosed Without. But first, read Gahlord's conversation with us here. You’ll learn plenty of interesting details about his captivating music, snippets of his reality outside but connected to music. You’ll also get to know more about other remarkable artists who were involved in the making of his latest album.
Gahlord Dewald is the type of passionate human who is truly invested in his music, and his new album is a worthy addition to your playlist.

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When Crises Arise, Pianists Carry On

Radoslawa Jasik & Andrea Domenici

Radoslawa Jasik, known as Radosia, is a classical pianist from Poland. Andrea Domenici is a jazz pianist born and raised in Italy. The two of them met at music school in New York. That’s the beginning of their love story, and the Big Apple is their home now. In addition to being life partners, Radosia and Andrea make beautiful music together. Their professional collaboration was not as easy a choice as one might think. Although they have always supported each other’s individual projects, they have also been keenly aware of the fact that they belong to two different parts of the music world. 

Photo: courtesy of the artists
Radosia and Andrea were busy finding ways to make a mark in the competitive artistic circles in New York until a few weeks ago. Then their realities were turned upside down once the pandemic hit. Now they are counting their blessings and they say they have learned to live day by day.

Read more about these two passionate musicians and get a taste of their music. #NYlights

Tokyo Stories

Francesco Tristano

In a world of ever-growing armies of people giving it all they’ve got for an ounce of notoriety of any sort, there seems to be another group of people who are the complete opposite. They are the ones who do not seek glory but live and work in search of serenity. For this group, purpose and passion seem to intertwine. 

Fracesco Tristano is a Juilliard educated, Luxembourg-born pianist and electronic artist. He is a good example of multitalented, creative minds whose purpose is to share with the world his pure love of music. ​

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Diary of a French Girl

Margot Sergent

Margot Sergent is the star of The Piaf Experience, a Parisian Cabaret Revival featuring the best of Piaf, Aznavour, and Trenet. She will be performing at the legendary Birdland Jazz Club in NYC next month, on November 22nd and 23rd.

​Consider this your chance to get acquainted with a talented French-born, classically trained, jazz musician who sees herself as a citizen of the world surrounded by beauty. 

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The Tenor

Joshua Blue

Joshua Blue is a talented tenor who will sing with the Berkshire Opera Festival, the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and the Washington National Opera in the months ahead. He has already performed a few times at the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall in 2019. He has worked with some of the best conductors and performing organizations such as Gianandrea Noseda and Fabio Luisi as well as the National Symphony and Florida Orchestra to name a few. One of Joshua’s favorite recent experiences was traveling to Japan to cover the role of Monsieur Triquet in Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin conducted by Fabio Luisi and directed by Peter McClintock at the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival. Joshua Blue has all these accomplishments and he is only 25. Imagine his future... Then again, talking to him, we realize that age is only a number. 

Photo credit: Caitlin Oldham
​A shot of whiskey might not be a bad idea to calm your nerves ahead of an important event. Have a reliable list of friends you can reach out to any hour of day or night. Ambition, dedication and kindness help make the most of what matters to us individually and the world as a whole. 

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Formosa Quartet

​Our Musical Journey

Formosa Quartet should be your companion any day of the week for a thrilling musical journey. Their latest album titled From Hungary to Taiwan is on the GRAMMY ballot in three categories: Best Producer featuring cellist Clancy Newman, Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance, and Best Contemporary Composition for Dana Wilson’s Hungarian Folk Songs, Lei Liang's Song Recollections, and Wei-Chieh Jay Lin's Taiwanese Folk Songs. This delightful group of young people with impeccable taste in music gives powerful performances as their way of connecting with their audiences and the world. Listen to their latest successful project and try to catch one of their live performances. 

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Catalina Cuervo

A Study in Femininity and Power

"Opera is still the most powerful and most Grand art form in the world. It is the only art form that can truly put you in touch with who you are, where you come from and what are you made of, elevating all your senses with real live experiences." That’s what Catalina Cuervo believes. 

Ms. Cuervo is a passionate and stunning opera singer. She has performed Maria, the title role of Piazzolla’s Maria de Buenos Aires, in the most productions of this work. In addition to being an operatic singer, Ms. Cuervo is a Symphonic Metal singer, too. All she does generates excitement, resilience, and conquers hearts through music. 

Photo: courtesy of the artist
Catalina Cuervo was born for the stage. She has the voice, the stage presence, the energy that is touching and stirring in all music projects she takes on.

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Urban Inventory

Wang Lu

Wang Lu is a Chinese-American composer who describes her music as a reflection of the world as she is able to observe and experience it, as well as an imaginary extension of realities. These observations and experiences in Wang Lu’s notes make magic. Her imaginary extension of realities are a stimulating and thrilling way to feel adventurous. Try to be at a live performance or get a recording of Wang Lu's music and it will a special treat every time. 
 
Fascinated by Chinese traditional music and Western canon and having lived across different continents and cities such as Xi’an, Beijing, New York, Rome, Chicago, Providence and Berlin, Wang Lu writes music that enchants, charms, seduces, and leaves us wanting more.

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Ray Ushikubo

On Making This World a Better Place

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Ray Ushikubo is an exceptionally talented young piano and violin player currently studying for his Bachelor’s degree at the Curtis Institute of Music. He is laser focused on his musical journey and determined to make the world a happier place with his music. Ray is part of the younger generation seen as clear-eyed, interested, and fascinating. Learn more about Ray Ushikubo’s likes, loves, motivation, objectives and it’s guaranteed you will feel hopeful about the future.

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in manus tuas

Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti

Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti represents all that’s good in the music scene. She is a composer with a busy schedule who has impressed music lovers and critics alike. She owns any stage she stands on performing noteworthy works by her contemporaries. She is talented, studious, generous, and humble. Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti has made a name for herself in sounds and words. She writes beautifully about music: what it means, why it matters, and how it relates to our lives.

​Anne is very thorough in her studies, detailed in her understanding of compositions and interested in connecting with composers as much as with audiences.
Buy and listen to Anne Lanzilotti’s debut solo album released today on New Focus Recordings. It is a unique compilation of viola versions with repertoire by Caroline Shaw, Andrew Norman, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, and Lanzilotti herself. These are passionate and eloquent renderings of some seriously striking music composed by leading contemporary composers. in manus tuas is made with love by a community of people: composers, performers, visual artist, recording artist, record label. It’s all there. in manus tuas is what you need in your life right now.

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Grace McLean

A First Rate Version of Herself

​Grace McLean is a well-rounded artist born and raised in California. She came to New York to study at Drama and Art History at NYU. The Big Apple has been her homestead, main stage as well as her work area and play space ever since. She is a New Yorker with a busy schedule covering her fields of interests and exploring new opportunities as a singer, actor, writer, and voice teacher. In a world where bombastic words have become cliché, there are real artists with fierce strength and firepower. Grace McLean is one of them. 
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​Hers is not an overnight success story. It is about the power of the arts liberating a soul and making it shine for the world to see. Thanks to her multitude of talents and never-ending dedication, Grace has earned critical acclaim and acknowledgment from peers, critics, and audiences alike. 

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She is the Writer in Residence at Lincoln Center and a 2018 MacDowell Colony Fellow. As a performer and educator, she has traveled the world. Currently, Grace is in a new musical adaptation of CYRANO with The New Group starring Peter Dinklage and with music by The National. It runs through the end of 2019 so you can get your tickets now.  

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Hallelujah Anyhow

Alvin Singleton

Photo: courtesy of the artist

It is a thrill to have my quartet number four, Hallelujah Anyhow premiered by the fabulous musicians of Momenta Quartet. They have performed my 2nd and 3rd String Quartets. I like very much working with them. They understand my music and how it is organized. Hallelujah Anyhow is a work of extremes, very loud, quiet; fast/slow, high/low, supported by a preponderance of octave and unison textures. I look forward with excitement to hearing the premiere on October 15th, at 7pm at Americas Society in NYC.

Also, my 2nd Quartet, Secret Desire to be Black has been program to be performed by Castle of Our Skins at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston on October 27. Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend. Castle of our Skins is a Boston-based concert and education series organization dedicated to celebrating Black artistry through music. I have not worked with them previously; however, am grateful for the performance.

Best,
Alvin Singleton

Spanish Inspiration

Judith Jáuregui

Judith Jáuregui is a young pianist who travels the world performing some of the most magical pieces written for piano. She started learning piano at the age of five and she was on stage performing for an audience at the age of 8. Technical perfection, sensibility, elegance describe Judith Jáuregui’s piano performances.

​Her playing as well as her stage presence embody character and style. What Judith Jáuregui lives for are those powerful moments of magical silence during her performances when there is an intense connection between the artist and her audience. An enchanting experience like no other.
If you are in Spain, France, Germany, England these coming months, you will have many opportunities to catch a live performance of Judith Jáuregui. On Saturday, February 17, 2018, she will be performing piano works by Beethoven, Debussy, Schumann, Poulenc, Mendelssohn at the Festival du Piano de Toulon in Toulon, France. She will return to France many times throughout the year and one of her most special concerts will be her Paris debut at the Auditorium du Louvre on May 17. Judith will also be performing in Germany, all across Spain, and tour China in July. But we have to confess, the biggest treat for us all will be to go to a Judith Jáuregui concert here in New York City. Really looking forward to that!

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Nordic Tunes

Danish String Quartet

The Danish String Quartet is one of the most exciting quartets presenting really exhilarating programs of beautiful music. The best news is that they are on tour in the US this month. Their conc​erts are a treat like no other for all music lovers. Skeptics and new comers are invited to accept the challenge of attending a live performance or listening to a recording by the Danish String Quartet. The fluidity of their performances, their confidence, thorough understanding of each work they pick and fine interpretation is captivating. 
February 25th is the date to circle for the Danish String Quartet concert at the Alice Tully Hall in New York City. It will be the last leg of their tour after having performed in Santa Fe, New Mexico; Seattle, Washington; Eugene, Oregon; San Francisco, Santa Barbara and a few other cities in California. Their final US based performance will be in Princeton, New Jersey, on February 28th after a concert on the 27th at the Williams Center for the Arts in Easton, Pennsylvania. To get everyone worked up about the possibility of experiencing a live performance by the Danish String Quartet, we are sharing with you an interview with Rune, Asbjørn, Fredrik. We are looking forward to see them all in NYC including Frederik who has been extra busy taking on probably the most important role of his life that of being a father. Everything these musicians do, how they live their lives, how they make music, how they appreciate and adore their families, how they work, research, rehearse and share a beer with one another speak volumes about their individual characteristics, their group portrait, their road to success, and their path ahead. It's an honor getting to know The Danish Quartet from up close. We'll be hearing more exquisite music from them for years to come. 

​Enjoy our interview with these happy Vikings and listen to excerpts of music by The Danish String Quartet.

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Electrifying Sounds

Pauchi Sasaki

Pauchi Sasaki is a composer, performer, improviser, inventor and all-around explorer. She has written music for film, dance, theater, and she is the author of numerous successful, interdisciplinary performances. Pauchi is a multi-talented artist who always seeks to learn something new, to make friendships, to enjoy every moment while also focusing on endless preparations of one of a kind type of experiences through her live music performances. 

Photo credit: Musuk Nolte
Last Friday, she played her “GAMA XVI” as part of the sold-out American Composers Orchestra concert at Carnegie Hall. She was wearing her “speaker dress” made of 100 speakers. It was one of the highlights of a truly memorable evening with special offerings as part of a program titled Reflected in Glass: Philip Glass and the Next Generation. 
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​We say it with confidence that Pauchi Sasaki is one of the most impressive artists you’ll come across. She is all smiles and positive energy every time of day, every day of the year. Sasaki puts on magical music performances that awaken the senses in small stages and large venues alike.

Her musical career started at the age of five with a violin in hand. But by then, she had accumulated five years of listening experience as her mom was a piano player. After completing her studies in journalism, Pauchi decided to return to violin. She earned a Master degree in electronics music at Mills College in California. This past year she has worked under the mentorship of Philip Glass as part of the Rolex Mentors and Protégé project. She just finished her Goethe Institute Artist Residency in Salvador Bahia in Brazil and she is already planning for the many exciting projects she has lined up.  Read more of what Pauchi Sasaki shared with us and listen to her music as it will inspire to do more with your time. 

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Trust your Instrument - the VOICE

Samantha Hankey

Samantha Hankey is a talented, Juilliard trained, American mezzo-soprano, who is also a self-described coffee addict, lover of French Bulldogs, and amateur photographer. She is the Grand Finals winner of the 2017 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. Among other prestigious contests, Samantha also won the First Prize of the Dallas Opera Guild Competition this year.

​Be on the lookout as you will hear more and more of this gifted singer whose dedication to music is as thorough and as heartfelt as they come.

Photo credit: Andrew Bogard
In October, Samantha Hankey will be appearing at Den Norske Opera in Oslo, Norway as Rosina in Rossini’s Il barbiere di Siviglia. In December, she will return to Carnegie Hall in the US to sing her first Handel Messiah. The same month, she will travel to Lancaster, Pennsylvania for a concert with Voices of Hope. In February, Samantha will fly to Switzerland to perform Siebel in Gounod's Faust at Le Grand Théâtre de Genève. Don’t miss the chance to catch one of her live performances.

Whatever role she takes on, Samantha Hankey will sing her way to her audiences’ hearts. She love working through and performing characters that have strong and complex personalities that need discovery. Taking the audience through that journey is what interests to this young, ambitious, talented opera singer the most.

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How To Go On

Dale Trumbore

Dale Trumbore is an LA based composer who writes beautiful music that is touching and pertinent to our modern lives. Her compositions have been commissioned, awarded and performed widely in the U.S. and internationally by a diverse group of outstanding ensembles. Dale Trumbore is the type of artist who truly engages in every project she is involved with and it shows in the quality of her music. Trumbore's latest project is a successful collaboration with Choral Arts Initiative finalized with the recording of her secular requiem titled How to Go On.  The composer sets in music words of three living poets--Barbara Crooker, Amy Fleury, and Laura Foley. The end result is a graceful, yet breathtaking work that warms the heart and gives strength in facing small and big challenges of any type.
​Choral Arts Initiative recently released their first album, How to Go On: The Choral Works of Dale Trumbore, that debuted at #6 on Billboard's Traditional Classical Chart. The  album has been very well received by listeners and critics. They have described it as “Beautiful. Soul-Healing Music.” and “Absolutely stunning from beginning to end.” Spend a few minutes to buy and then take your time listening to CAI’s recording of Trumbore’s music. It'll help in your search of finding meaning to every passing moment of life. 

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Timo Andres

Words Fail, Music Triumphs

Timo Andres is a composer and pianist living in Brooklyn. He is a 2016 Pulitzer Prize Finalist for his piano concerto The Blind Banister. 

What makes Timo’s music particularly special is the brilliance behind his reserved temperament, easy to detect once you listen to his works or attend one of his performances. He is an ingenious composer with a deep understanding of the world around him and the preceding history. He is a gifted pianist who travels constantly and has a good grasp of what audiences love and what they welcome when it comes to new music offerings.
Shy and Mighty, his 2010 debut album for two pianos, was a triumph by all accounts for the young Nonesuch Records artist. Alex Ross wrote about this work in The New Yorker stating that “it achieves an unhurried grandeur that has rarely been felt in American music since John Adams came on the scene… more mighty than shy, [Andres] sounds like himself.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016, is a date to mark on your calendars. It's the National Sawdust curatorial debut of Timo Andres, promising an exciting evening of delectable treats for musicians and non-musicians alike. The impressive program will also feature the New York premiere of Andres' Words Fail performed by celebrated violinist Yevgeny Kutik accompanied on the piano by the composer himself. If you ain’t got the chance to attend National Sawdust, listen to Home Stretch, Shy and Mighty and other works by Timo Andres.  

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Serena Brook

Different Genres in One

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Serena Brook is an actor, singer, voice over artist from Minnesota. The cold, cold winters don't scare her one bit. But she also loves traveling around the country with really cool projects. The ukulele, a birthday gift years ago, has turned into a passion side project. After working Off-Broadway and on the national circuit, Serena got another surprise. She became a member of the Prairie Home Companion team. Listen for yourself and you'll see she is a truly good fit for it. Serena thanks her lucky stars for living such a dream which includes having cast-mates that are the cream of the crop. The whole experience is a beautiful combination of her favorite artistic worlds—theatre, music, comedy, voiceover, creative writing...
​Serena Brook is a genuine artist with real love for her craft, visible desire and dedication to a truthful life full of laughter, adventure, music, and creativity. Enjoy the art and follow Serena’s words, “see the world and be inspired by the genuine, eccentric, and delightful people in it…”

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Stephen Duane

For the Love of Swing

​If in Charleston, yes, the city of cobblestone streets, horse-drawn carriages and pastel pre-Civil-War-era houses, birthplace of ...,you got it, the Charleston, why not go out Swing dancing. The Roaring 20’s Hot Jazz Dance Club is the group you want to meet and join, like, right now.  
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You love the stylish, carefree attitude of that bygone era but you certainly don’t think, you’re cut for the dancing part. Well, don’t sell yourself short. Stephen Duane of The Roaring 20’s Hot Jazz Dance Club says confidently that anyone of any age, size, or ability to keep rhythm can Swing dance. It all starts with love of the music.  
If not in the Lowcountry area, plan to visit Charleston just to catch a performance or take a class with Stephen Duane and the team of talented dancers, artists, photographers, and musicians of the Roaring 20’s Hot Jazz Dance Club. It will be well worth it. You can thank us later. 

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Bloom

Areni Agbabian

Areni Agbabian is a singer, songwriter, and pianist. Her vocal power is undeniable and her voice has an enchanting quality to it that is mesmerizing and dreamy. Her latest album “Bloom” was recently released on ECM records. It’s a perfect way to get introduced to Areni’s music or obsess over it as much as you’d like. It’s guaranteed that Areni’s music will only a have positive impact on your entire being: body, mind and soul. She is that special type of artist whose ease and enjoyment of her art making shine through and listening to her music is a delightful experience.  
In September, Areni Agbabian will be in Switzerland at the Jazz au Peuple festival. In October, she will be performing at the SFJazz ECM night with Tigran Hamasyan. Take note of these two awesome events in case you plan attending one of Areni’s live performances. Areni's spirituality, faith, and folk music roots allow her to create her own unique universe of exquisite sounds and words intertwined seamlessly together. 

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Holly Mathieson

Reaching for the Moon

Holly Mathieson is a talented conductor whose connection with music you can witness first-hand today, over the weekend and in early May as she conducts Dextera with the Scottish Ballet. She will conduct the Scottish Chamber Orchestra performing Saint-Saëns, Mendelssohn, Beethoven in July. There's a June date of Mo. Mathieson leads the Garsington Opera on Britten’s Turn of the Screw and more performances with the NZ Opera this fall. So many opportunities to get to know a conductor who sounds fantastics on the podium and in real life.

Photo: courtesy of the artist
Talent, hard work, honesty, and a worldview that puts music at the epicenter of it with the goal of bringing people together and servicing communities is what Holly Mathieson does best. Can you imagine a world where more people added love and dedication to everything and focused on learning more on a daily basis, explored more, and thus had the power to lift everyone’s spirit as Holly does through music? She tells us about her life in musical journeys and work experiences. She says, “I try to find a way to make it easier, more effective, more rewarding for those taking part. My other natural disposition is to try to foster a collaborative and collegial work atmosphere….” 

Little girls and boys are lucky to have amazing leaders like Holly Mathieson to look up to as an inspiring example. We appreciate the opportunity to connect with this wonderful human being who leads, motivates, and keeps it real. Here is your chance to learn about Holly Mathieson, her music and her world.

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Connecting Through Music

Wojciech Milewski

Wojciech Milewski  is a young conductor with a promising future and a track record that shows his passion for music and dedication to it. His life choice is his way of dealing with “beauty and almost a responsibility to elevate every second you spend with music, and that’s pretty much the reason I love doing what I do for a living.”
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​Wojciech has read, studied, practiced music since the young age of nine. He almost made the decision to pursue a life in international business but his heart had deeper ties to music. He is currently preparing two concerts here in Summerville, SC these last days of March and in May. He will be the Music Director of an educational tour with the Santa Fe Opera in April and May. He is certainly looking forward to his return as an assistant conductor at Opera NEO in San Diego. 12 hours a day surrounded by music, with access to amazing food, and the beach so close...who wouldn’t fall for that?

Photo: courtesy of the artist
Enjoy what Wojciech Milewski shares with us on the path of becoming a conductor, the meaning and effort to get to a certain point and how to push forward. What we were reminded of is that a musician’s life is much more exciting, stressful, idealistic, suspenseful, and much more rewarding than most realize. 

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Partir

Elina Duni

Elina Duni, the Swiss-Albanian singer-songwriter and instrumentalist, is currently on the last leg of her European tour promoting her latest work, her first solo album Partir, another exceptional ECM release. 

Singing in nine languages, Elina connects with listeners on an emotional level through her heartfelt and unique renderings of this carefully curated selection of some stunning staples from our world's cultural treasure trunk. Feelings of loss and longing, as well as personal and collective journeys in search of love and acceptance, are universal. Elina Duni's Partir is a perfect reminder of our common humanity. 
Enjoy our interview with Elina for a sneak peek at her magical world and music. Buy her latest album, or all her previous albums for that matter, and join our call for Elina Duni's North American tour.

American Dream

Scott Wollschleger

Scott Wollschleger is a composer, music editor, avid reader of literature, philosophy, and realities. He is an intellectual of modern times with a deep understanding of the world as it is, as it comes, without simplifying anything or anyone. Scott writes music that speaks of truths that cannot be downplayed or watered down. He is honest and funny, opinionated and thoughtful. Scott Wollschleger is the composer whose works you need to listen to right now. His music has been described as “apocalyptic”, “distinctive and magnetic” possessing a “hushed, cryptic beauty” (The New Yorker, Alex Ross) and as “evocative” and “kaleidoscopic” (The New York Times).  His latest work, American Dream, will have its release show on Friday, February 8, 2019 at the Tenri Cultural Institute.
Scott Wollschleger's concert works can be heard across the US and the world, most recently featured at MATA Festival Interval Series, the International Music Institute at Darmstadt, and the Festival of New American Music in Sacramento. His critically acclaimed piano concerto, Meditation on Dust, was recently performed with pianist Karl Larson alongside Bang on a Can Festival fellows at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art. His apocalyptic monodrama, We Have Taken and Eaten, was recently featured on NPR’s Arts & Letters.

Upcoming and recent projects include commissions from andplay, Bearthoven, violist Anne Lanzilotti, Metropolis Ensemble with violinist Rachel Lee Priday in collaboration with The String Orchestra of Brooklyn, and Third Angle Music. His debut album, Soft Aberration, was released on New Focus Recordings in 2017 and was named a Notable Recording of 2017 in The New Yorker. Don’t miss the chance to be part of the live performance of Scott Wollschleger’s American Dream, written for Bearthoven, released on Cantaloupe Music this coming Friday.

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Experiments in Opera

Jason Cady

Jason Cady composes music and writes stories for small-scale operas. Born in Flint, MI, and an enrolled member of the Sault Ste Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, he lives and works in NYC. One of his specialties is performing on pedal steel and modular synthesizer.

Cady’s CDs have been released on Lockstep Records and Peacock Recordings. His projects have received funding from the likes of The Brooklyn Arts Council, New Music USA, free103point9, The Casement Fund, Lighton International Artists Exchange and the American Music Center. He has lectured on his music at NYU, New School University, Wesleyan and ASU.
Getting to know more about the music he writes and the music he likes, produces and promotes, the portrait of Jason Cady fills in as that of a good humored and highly analytical visionary whose presence is always felt in the vibrant music scene in the Big Apple. What gets attention is the fact that he collaborates, leads, and inspires without being arrogant. Listening to Jason’s critical approach towards contemporary opera works it is easy to realize that he rejects labeling systems that confine artists and prevent them from truly connecting with today’s audiences.

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Unlived Dreams

Kellie-Anne Poirier

Rigid systems are not dead. But there’s competition. Talented people of any age do not have to follow old world rules and strict paths to find an audience and connect with those who might appreciate their work.
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These are some of the thoughts that come to mind while listening to Kellie-Anne Poirier. She is a very young singer who has lived in different parts of the world, adapting to and adopting the best of all the places she has called home. 
Early on Kellie-Anne realized her love for music and with the support of her family she has kept building on that passion. How refreshing to hear a delightful voice sing thought out verse pouring from her soul! Seeing the world through the eyes of young talent is always a treat. Listening to Kellie-Anne Poirier speaking about life, music and her future might make some of us feel old, but more importantly, it makes us feel hopeful because dreamers never stop dreaming. It’s even better when dreamers never stop working to make their voices heard believing that they have what it takes to awaken the optimist in all of us. Support young artists and become involved in all channels that showcase the beauty that inspiring artists like Kellie-Anne Poirier bring to this world! 

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Wired

Pablo Nouvelle

Wired is the title of the newest CD by Pablo Nouvelle released on March 16. This is the type of music that creates good vibes and a chill atmosphere anytime and anywhere. The author isn’t keen on talking about genres, but his music has always been released by successful electronic labels so that’s what most people see it as. Regardless of all categories of genres and labels, Pablo Nouvelle’s sounds offer something for everyone. Is that good? Yes, it sure is. Especially when you get to know more about the man behind his chosen stage name, Pablo Nouvelle. He is a multifaceted artist who is credited as producer, director, DJ, composer, filmmaker in numerous projects. 
This artist says his native terrain is the digital world, but he spends most of his time in the midst of beautiful nature where inspiration is endless. One or two cups of coffee to start the day and off to work on what fire needs to be extinguished first. “The privileged ones need to concentrate on building bridges not walls”, says Pablo. And he sure does his part through music and art.
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Read more from Pablo Nouvelle and listen to his music on Spotify or Apple. 

Bright Circle

Beth Levin

It’s a good day when one gets the chance to share some of the same space, not just physical, but mental, intellectual, spiritual, and so on, with a superb artist, an amazingly talented pianist such as Beth Levin.

Debuting as a child prodigy with the Philadelphia Orchestra at age twelve, Levin was subsequently taught and guided by legendary pianists such as Rudolf Serkin, Leonard Shure and Dorothy Taubman. From that dreamlike experience at early age, Beth Levin has built up a body of work that includes critically acclaimed performances as a concerto soloist with some of the best orchestras in the world. Her piano recordings are praised by critics and music lovers alike. 
That's because “Levin plays with a rare percussive audacity, making notes and phrases that usually rush by in the background stand out in high relief,” writes Richard Brody in The New Yorker. 

When we ask Beth Levin how she characterizes her life and career in music she says, “I guess it's really a love that has led to dedication over the years. In the beginning, it all felt like a game and as natural as breathing. And I hope I still imbue performances with those qualities.”

​Beth Levin confesses that her dedication to music can be characterized as an obsession, something that takes over and directs the work. Our obsession is listening to as many recordings of Ms. Levin’s as possible. We recommend you do the same. 

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Lei Liang 

Tremors of a Memory Chord & More Music, Secrets, Stories

Photo: courtesy of the artist
A woman’s ghostly wails, her immeasurable pain is what Xiaoxiang conveys in such a powerful manner through the distinctive sounds and notes of Lei Liang. It is the work for which the composer was named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in music this year, 2015.

Layers of meaning, adventures in the beautiful unknown, fearlessness, and always rooted in human passions are a few reasons why Lei Liang’s music is “brilliantly original and inarguably gorgeous” The Washington Post.
The man who says he “grew uprooted wanting to be re-rooted” is bored by the ordinary and endlessly curious to learn of and experience the world. 
To Lei Liang, it is “very, very important to feel the thickness of time, to feel history alive, the breathing underneath.” 

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Unconventional Beats

Swing Opera

Swing Opera is the best find of the day. This group of clear eyed, multi-talented, musicians from Italy is a breath of fresh air at a time when the world seems to be spinning with maddening sound bites and self-serving tirades. Swing Opera’s mission is to present the best-loved opera arias combined with the rousing rhythms of swing music for unique, entertaining and enchanting shows designed to appeal to everyone. ​Swing Opera is the collection of these four passionate and ambitious dreamers who care deeply about the music they make and share with their audiences in a variety of venues.

Photo: courtesy of the artist
They see themselves as part of a new frontier in the music world. They aim breaking down barriers and erasing borders usually concealed by glitzy offerings. 

​If you feel trapped in your routine of listening to the same old suggested listings, this is your chance to break free. Make your own musical choices and pick Swing Opera. You’ll be pleasantly surprised and who knows what you might be inspired to change next…

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Sally Beamish

The Musical Voice
Sally Beamish is a fine composer hailing from the UK. Her musical journey started at the age of four under her mother’s tutelage who taught her to read and write music. Viola was her first love. Fast forward to the years when she decided to write her own music. How, what, why and other questions sort of all found their answers in the right order. Composition became and remains the main world of Sally Beamish for decades now. The catalog of musical offerings she has brought to light is rich and wonderful. Influenced by jazz and Scottish traditional music, the composer has a clear voice of her own captivating hearts and minds of music lovers around the world.
Sally Beamish is that talented creative power whose essence of work is love and a kind of light that uplifts the soul. Take a minute to pick your favorites in the long list of beautiful works of music written by one of UK's finest composers. Listen to her music as a treat for complete satisfaction and zero guilt. Our conversation with Ms. Beamish is the perfect way to start a new day. There is so much inspiring material from the genuine portrait of a contemporary composer. It is a reminder that it is definitely worth it to never stop seeking, making, creating, and doing it all in good harmony and with love. 

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Where Are We Now?

American Football

Steve Lamos of the American Football music band took the time to tell us a bit about their recent tour schedule and what it feels like to live the dream of being in a band that people still love after so many years. It was also a chance to hear what is making most of us reach for a drink or two or three…
If you have never heard of American Football, here’s your chance to redeem yourself. If you are in the DC, Brooklyn, Philadelphia or Boston area, you’ll have the entire month of November to catch this really awesome band playing and singing live for a cool crowd near you. Don’t talk to them about anything ‘mind blowing’ as that sounds like the type of sensationalism this American Football is not very interested in. They could care less about playing dress up and wasting time on nonsense. They sing about life as it happens without the need for window dressing. Loads of raw emotions in their songwriting and truthful, unpretentious tunes will get you in the mood of listening to American Football over and over again.

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The Insatiable Appetite for Music

Dover Quartet

It is necessary that the New Year begins with notes of hope, optimism, and joy. That’s why we turned to Dover Quartet, also dubbed as “the young American string quartet of the moment” (New Yorker). A conversation with Dover’s own Joel Link (violin), Bryan Lee (violin), Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt (viola), and Camden Shaw (cello) gives us a sense of security about the undeniable talent and humble beauty of true greatness that cannot be bought in gold and slogans.  
Dover Quartet has a big year ahead and that’s something to look forward to in 2017. Fresh off their December performance as the first Ensemble-in-Residence at NYC’s Peoples’ Symphony Concerts, they are hard at work preparing for Mozart’s birthday party at WQXR’s Greene Space in NYC later this month. Even if you miss them in NY, you can always catch them in one of their performances elsewhere in the country or around the world or be on the lookout for a brand new album they’re planning to release soon. And the first bits of a documentary about the Dover Quartet are in the works. So keep calm and be on the lookout as plenty of good stuff is our way.

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Get to Know the New "Singer of the World" Winner

Catriona Morison

Catriona Morison was crowned the winner of the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2017 Main Prize and Song Prize in June. She won thanks to her silky-smooth tone, perfect diction and stage presence with the right touch of dramatic flair. Catriona confesses that this last victory, a major step up in her career as a young artist, is still a dream that has barely started to sink in.

Listening to Catriona Morison sing is a real treat. Listening to the way she speaks about her view of the classical music world makes it clear why she has captivated attention from the most prestigious circles of critics and music lovers. The level of honesty and openness she expresses is what sets her apart from the crowd. Of course, hard work and good technique cannot be substituted or faked and Catriona Morison is the type of artist who pays serious attention to such essential details in her line of work. At the same time, she concentrates in having a thorough understanding of the music, the words, and the interpretation of her repertoire.

Photo credit:
​Claudia Scheer van Erp
We expect to hear a lot more from this wonderful artist. Catriona Morison emphasizes honesty, open mindedness, flexibility and a good sense of humor to connect and build partnerships with her fellow musicians, conductors and audiences. The path ahead is bright and the tone is hopeful for a talented singer whose love for her craft and the world is contagious. It is a breath of fresh air we all welcome in our lives. 

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30 Years of Innovative Music

Bang On A Can

Asphalt at Marathon           
If there is one thing you do today is to get out and go to the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Not simply for the exquisite art and exhibitions, but especially for the music. That's right. The Music. It is where this year's Bang on a Can Marathon will take place. This event is called a marathon concert of politics, resistance and love. Take a fresh new approach on politics. Witness, understand and join the resistance. Seek love while listening to some of the most exciting voices in music coming together and celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of Bang on a Can. Free your mind and enter a new dimension that can only be created by an American institution such as Bang on a Can.
For some perspective on the event, its organizers and participants, here is our conversation with Michael Gordon, one of the founding members of Bang on a Can. The world is a better place and hope is always alive because of dreamers, doers, innovative and creative geniuses like Julia Wolfe, David Lang, Michael Gordon, the founding members of Bang on a Can, and the circle of brilliant minds they attract. Today take the chance to remind yourself there's plenty of beauty in the world. Be open to experience, connect, and share the love.

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Crisp Piano Perfection

Conor Hanick

Conor Hanick is a superbly talented pianist who plays gorgeous music throughout the country and around the world. He is as awe-aspiring as the music greats he has played with, and this group includes the likes of Pierre Boulez, David Robertson, James Levine and that list keeps growing by the day. He is as scary-gifted as the colleagues with whom he shares the stage and the contemporary composers whose works he champions. But of no less importance, Conor Hanick is one of the coolest people who doesn’t see the need to brag about the number of rave reviews he has deservedly received. He is a happy explorer of real life in the cities he visits and the Big Apple he calls home. Conor has a crisp understanding of the music he performs and the world we live in. He connects the dots between what is brilliant in the music environment and what attracts the listeners everywhere.

Photo: courtesy of the artist
Conor knows that music-making is about telling stories with sound—carrying the narrative thread, creating structure, giving almost voyeuristic access one minute and exploding your listener’s sense of expectation the next. He makes sure that his experience of performing is as interactive and giving as the experience of listening.

Listen to Conor Hanick anytime you get a chance, take a deep breath, and do your part to preserve and enjoy the beauty of this life.  

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The Cosmos 

WindSync

WindSync is an energetic and imaginative wind quintet of dream makers with the ability to read the time and places we share to take us on exciting journeys through their exhilarating music performances. This group is the brainchild of Garrett Hudson who also plays the flute. He is joined by Anni Hochhalter on horn, Emily Tsai on oboe, Kara LaMoure on bassoon, and Julian Hernandez on clarinet. Music conservatories, summer orchestras, chamber music festivals, and international trips brought together these talented and ambitious young musicians. It is their passion for dramatic and fearless music that strengthens their bond. 

Photo: Shannon Langman
What makes WindSync unique is the level of risk they take by incorporating elements of staging and choreography. They strive for an authentic appreciation of the places where they live and perform, and they present themselves authentically in return. Grab a friend and attend one of their performances in the days to come and you'll find it is one of the best treats you've enjoyed in a long while. 

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In Connection

with Derek Thomas

Photo: courtesy of the artist
Get introduced to Derek Thomas, songwriter, surf addict, alien shaman from Southern California. Listen to his music, get inspired by his lifestyle and just imagine what your days would look like if you followed your passions. For Derek, a regular day includes, writing music for a few hours every morning, surfing while the wind is down, teaching music or surfing in the afternoons, a yoga class, gym, running/swimming, working on songs or hanging with friends. While his evenings are generally occupied with band rehearsals, going to see shows, meditating/reading or watching movies/documentaries.

But as you’ve probably heard before a life in the arts is rarely an easy path. 

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Roomful of Talent

Roomful of Teeth

Roomful of Teeth is a Grammy-Winning vocal octet featuring some of the most talented vocalists who are also composers, conductors, professors and innovators in today’s new music world. This amazing group of multidimensional artists set out to mine the expressive potential of human voice. They are in a league of their own with serious interests in musical traditions and techniques from around the world and their commendable goal of commissioning new vocal works without borders.

In addition to their annual performance at Mass MoCA,  Roomful of Teeth ​​​

Photo: Bonica Ayala 
performs exhilarating programs for curious minded audiences in exciting venues across the country. They are in great state of Texas this very week. If you are not in Texas this week, do not despair. RoT has a full schedule planned out for the rest of the year and even 2017. So check out their website and pick a date. You’ll enjoy a great musical experience full of genuine vocal interpretations by remarkable artists, who are some of the most fantastic people you’ll ever share a room with in your lifetime. See you at a RoT performance. 

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Vibrant Violin Sounds 

Kinga Augustyn

Photo: courtesy of the artist
If you hear Kinga Augustyn play her violin, you’ll fall in love. What perfection! This award winning concert violinist is always giving her fullest attention to every piece of music she selects for her many engagements. When a show is over, she feels sad, maybe for a moment. Then back to work for her next concert, recital, or festival appearance.

Kinga Augustyn was born to be a star, and somehow she knew it at early age, ready to perform any chance she got, at a family gathering or in front of a group of strangers for that matter. At about 3 years old, she sat down at her piano figuring out some tunes she had heard her mom sing and her father play on his bassoon. Before turning 5, she had figured out how to read music with basically no proper instruction on how to do it. She enjoyed playing the piano, as well as singing. Then her dad bought her a violin and that was “it” for Kinga. The rest is history.
Nowadays, her virtuosic abilities, her intelligent selections, her love for the violin never go unnoticed. She is an asset to the New York music scene. She has the power to win hearts and minds with her violin everywhere she travels. Kinga Augustyn credits her love for music, violin music in particular, as her inspiration and raison d’être.

​We are so proud of knowing Kinga and so lucky of having her share some thoughts, ideas and feelings with us here. 

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My Heart Comes Undone

Judah Adashi

my heart comes undone is a mesmerizing piece of music by Judah Adashi.
​It is one of the most meditative and meaningful Valentine's Day presents ever. It was Judah’s surprise for his love, the beautiful cellist Lavena Johanson. 

More than the ultimate romantic, Judah is an accomplished artist, a talented composer, dedicated professor, founder and artistic director of Evolution Contemporary Music Series that has made Baltimore a destination for outstanding new music and musicians for over a decade now.

Photo credit: Noah Scialom
​Judah Adashi’s music is as compelling as it is relevant with a wide range of ideas that transcend what is ordinarily seen in a season’s fashions. Read about some of the guiding principles behind such depth of soul with the power to communicate and connect with more than his idols, his circle of friends and collaborators. Find out about Judah Adashi’s love for his hometown, Baltimore, and his involvement on how to better connect what we do to the life of our city, and our world.

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Love Parade

Jessica Allossery

Photo: courtesy of the artist
Tired of all the pathetic games, silly or outrageous acts, useless lies and fakery? Feeling like you’re on the brink of losing faith in humanity with all the tragic events and never ending sadness?

Don’t despair! Don’t give up!

There are good, great, honest, warm hearted, amazing people who live truthfully, create, and keep movin’ forward.

Jessica Allossery is one of those beautiful people who spread sunshine with the way they live in art. Jessica is a young musician from Canada. She is sweet, sincere, and very gifted. Listening to Jessica play her guitar and singing with her melodious voice is such a breath of fresh air. It’s a treat to witness real talent sharing a beautiful world of feelings forgetting about gimmicks, costumes, worn out stunts.

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Gabriel Prokofiev

The Prokofiev Sound of the 21st Century

Gabriel Prokofiev is a talented composer with a new approach to classical music. He is not keen on playing it safe or sticking to rigid, stuffy, pretentious formulas undermining the power of music, contemporary music for modern audiences. A successful music scene for Gabriel Prokofiev means creative programming and collaborations reflecting on shared rhythms of our time. 

As founder of NonClassical “classical club nights” in London, Prokofiev has succeeded in bringing his ideas to life working with a team of musicians, composers and promoters who are redefining the rules and breaking out of the constraints of the traditional concert hall. 

Photo credit: Hannah Lucy Jones
Gabriel Prokofiev’s newly finished Saxophone Concerto for Branford Marsalis, co-comissioned by the Naples Philharmonic and Detroit Symphony will be premiered on March 17-18, 2016, in Naples, Florida. On April 13, 2016, his Concerto for Trumpet, Percussion, Turntables & Orchestra will have its UK premiere by Southbank Sinfonia, conducted by Gerry Cornelius, ft. DJ Mr. Switch. 

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Windmills and Wishes

Ange Hardy

Photo: courtesy of the artist
Ange Hardy is a talented folk music artist with a fan club that extends three generations of the same family, at times, and plenty of other entirely lovely people with appreciation for good folk tunes and storytelling. Music is and has always been at the core of Ange’s life. Listen to her story and you’ll understand the power of her songs. Writing does not come from the body, the mind or even the heart, but from the soul. It is an 'out of body experience' and an incredible gift. 
At first she turned to the forest or at sea for a true folk song. 
Then she realized her life story and stories of many others gave her plenty of material for the the touching and tender songs she writes. Ange Hardy is a beautiful soul with an incredible gift that inspires with her heartwarming and soul soothing performances. 

​Listen to Ange Hardy and you’ll be part of her rich and enriching world that never ceases to amaze.

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Gang Of Youths

The Aussie Band on Hope & Regret
You’ve heard of Gang of Youths, haven’t you? Gang of Youths is an indie rock band from Australia. Last year their debut album, The Positions made it to the top five best albums charts in the land down under. It scored high with critics and audiences.
​Did you get a chance to hear them live in one of their concerts of their US tour beginning on June 9? You missed it? Well, just buy their music. You won’t regret it. It’ll be the best remedy to beating misery. We had the chance to speak with David Le'aupepe, Gang of Youth’s frontman and songwriter. Our conversation will give you a fuller picture of this new, exciting, 21st century rock band with totally addictive sound and lyrics. 

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​Derek Bermel

​A Shout, a Whisper, and a Trace

​Derek Bermel, a New Yorker, an exciting composer, amazing clarinetist, busy professor, and candid writer, simply does it all as a seeker of objectivity, to deal honestly with cruel truths. He chooses to experience the world through the eyes of an outsider by flying off to another country to live the reality of others, speak their language, share their meals, jokes, culture, and learn to perform or analyze an unfamiliar musical tradition. Bermel is a polyglot who loves to dig deep and not just stare at shiny surfaces. Blessed with a good heart and such a down to earth attitude, it’s easy for him to connect and make friends with people anywhere and everywhere.

Derek Bermel’s music reflects the eclecticism and stylistic colors of our modern lives. There is also a timeless quality to it because of the composer’s profound knowledge and unquenchable thirst for what the academic world and raw realities of mankind offer. Yes, no set formulas of how he goes about writing his notes. 

Photo credit: Richard Bowditch
So, for his Migration Series, Bermel refers to Jacob Lawrence’s paintings, the shapes, lines, colors to convey that same mosaic quality with his own rhythms, melodies, and timbres. ​For other works, he collaborates with other music genres such as hip hop and jazz or he starts a conversation with literature and José Saramago. As a self-described chronic reviser and tinkerer, Derek Bermel knows reality is much messier than our dreams.  But in his words, if completeness is not a point of arrival, but merely a hazy aim, then he and we all are allowed to strive for gorgeously impossible things.

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Meditations and Dances for the Millennium

Carman Moore

Photo: courtesy of the artist
"...I have been blessed by a career filled with wonderful artists I’ve known and with whom I’ve shared excellent working situations. Robert Redford and Earl the Pearl Monroe were long-time tennis partners of mine. John Lennon and Yoko Ono have been friends, both of whom attended my N.Y. Philharmonic premiere. B.B. King came up and lectured at a class I was teaching at Yale University. At what is now New School University back in the day I had Peter Yarrow (of PP and M) as a student of the orchestration class I taught, and friend Frank Zappa lectured to my 20th Century Music class and subsequently led the whole class, Pied-Piper-like to hear him and The Mothers perform at Fillmore East..."

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Olsi Gjeci

Live, Create and Dance!

Olsi Gjeci is the Artistic Director and Choreographer of Sublime Dance Company. 
Starting his professional career as a folk dancer at the age of 15 was a natural choice for him. After all he is the son of Guri Gjeci, a renowned Albanian choreographer with a career spanning over 40 years. Following in his father’s footsteps, Olsi has performed and continues to dance around the world in countries like the US, France, Spain, Israel, Italy, Turkey etc. 
​In 2006 Olsi Gjeci moved to New York City and began studying Modern Dance and Philosophy at Hunter College.

Photo: courtesy of the artist
He calls himself privileged to have had the opportunity of dancing under the mentorship of Vicky Shick, Jana Feinman, Gerald Otte, Barbara Mahler, Jennifer Nugent, and David Capps. 

Outside Hunter he was fortunate to find the support of Carlos Fittante and Catherine Turocy for BALAM Dance Theatre, and New York Baroque Dance Company, respectively. To this day, Olsi Gjeci is a member of the BEMF Dance Ensemble and he continues to appear with Linda Tomko in baroque style dances.  

​We are pleased to share this interview with you, after attending an amazing performance of Olsi Gjeci and his colleagues of Trisha Brown Dance Company as part of Spoleto Festival USA 2015 in Charleston, SC (end of May 2015). 

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Vicky Chow

Surface Image

Photo credit: Kaitlin Jane Photography
“Live in the present, go with the flow, and be flexible. Try not to take yourself too seriously and try to have fun,” says Vicky Chow. She is the pianist whose performances continuously earn well deserved accolades from the press. ‘Brilliant’ is how The New York Times has described her performances. She is “the new star of new music” according to the LA Times.

If you haven’t had a chance to do so yet, listen to Vicky Chow live. She is one of the busiest musicians and one of the most exciting curious minds of endless talent. 
Listen to her recording of “Surface Image” – the solo piano piece composed by Tristan Perich for her. It made The Rolling Stone Magazine top albums list for 2014.
“I don’t make decisions to work on a project based on whether or not it would be successful and widely accepted but rather on the artistic and aesthetic content and intent of the work,” says Vicky Chow. Everyone wins, especially the audiences. The world needs more of Vicky Chow’s passion, talent, love for music and life.  

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Scott Rudd

Things That I Am Not

​Scott Rudd is the quintessential Brooklyn artist: real talent, no bullshit, no games. He came to NYC ten years ago drawn by “the imagery he was seeing in photographs from the 30/40/50/60’s.” He loves Brooklyn for the simple fact that you can do anything you want, really, any night of the week. He shares a sense of camaraderie with a lot of people who are here to hustle and make things happen instead of just waiting around. And Brooklyn owes its megawatt coolness to Scott Rudd and artists like him. 

Photography is his work life and overall artistic universe. It’s hauntingly amazing work as he captures that “moment of unguardedness or direct honesty/emotion in a subject.” 

Photo: courtesy of the artist
But we were first introduced to Scott Rudd through his music. He says his songs are either dealing with heartbreak, loss, longing or about his own existential turmoil - concerns over life, career, purpose etc. Listen to his music and you’ll get hooked. ​​

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Joan Shelley

Over and Even​

​Listen to Joan Shelley’s music, her lyrics as in Over and Even, “Outside the river flows/Its course unfolding/A strength it never knows/A sweet outpouring…”.

Fly away with her melodies, hum along, and surrender to the beauty of her world. Her music takes root from "the Kentucky limestone rock with its distinct smells in the spring when the ground unfreezes, and the seasons change." It is nourished by the natural beauty of the land and the wonderful people and artists who call it home. 
Joan Shelley says, “Good artists have given my spirit something to chew on, wrestle with, something to overcome. It has helped me to let go of ideas that don't fit anymore, made me comfortable with uglier realities, more accepting of myself and others.” She is a great artist who keeps us wondering about life and all it entails.

​Appreciation for Joan Shelley - a great modern artist hailing from Kentucky with her easy going style and deeply touching sound. 

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Khari Joyner

Of Joy, Brilliance, and Liberty
“I came to know Mandela through this work—the humility, grace, extreme courage, leadership, fire, and passion with which he lived his life. In many ways, he embodies what, not only myself, but other artists strive to exhibit in playing an instrument and delivering artistry.”  These are the words of Khari Joyner, the cello soloist of Carman Moore’s Madiba premiered by the American Composers Orchestra at Carnegie Hall last winter. 

Listen to him play the cello, get to know him through his achievements, battles, enthusiasm and you will see his humility, grace, and fire for life. 
Khari Joyner is a handsome young man of big dreams, inspiring journeys, with a fine path ahead of him. Listen to Khari Joyner, be amazed, and be inspired.  

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Ken Ueno

Visible Reminder of Invisible Light

Ken Ueno is a composer, performer, sound artist, professor, and overall explorer of all sounds that are not fixed; but alive, visceral and somatically healing. 

He is one of the most generous geniuses you’ll come across in your quiet or quite hectic life. He credits his heroes, Hendrix and Coltrane, among a long list of brilliant minds, with saving his life. 

Ken Ueno is well versed in time travel through works of literature, music, visual art, philosophy and more. He is a world traveler in search of the infinite beauty in the world, and art, as an attitude (which) needs to be flexed to claim some measure of it every day. He dares his students and us all to test the limits of our comfort zones to broaden our creative capacities.

photo credit: Peter Gannushkin
Ken Ueno is all about fucking things up to to discover more personal sounds by inventing new techniques, hacking instruments, and/or inventing new instruments. Live & Learn…

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Ayana Haviv

The Vocal Power Suspending Time

​Photo: courtesy of the artist
Receiving major street cred with the extended family about that phone call when she heard, “Barbra Streisand would like to talk to you…” Ayana Haviv won a Grammy® as part of the chamber chorus Cappella for the recording of a baroque choral album, PADILLA: SUN OF JUSTICE. 
She admits being in awe of her boss and other great artists she works with on a daily basis. This is totally understandable when such a group includes Placido Domingo of the LA Opera or Gustavo Dudamel of LA Philharmonic, and composer John Adams among others. 

Ayana Haviv is an achiever of the highest levels. Her voice is heard in music for movies big and small. She is as excited to perform at the Hollywood Bowl as she is with Street Symphony.  But behind all the happiness with her work, it is easy to see that family time is what she cherishes most. This is how we learned of her grandmother, Mathilde Yary. 
Grandma was always singing the beautiful German lieder although she never got the chance to develop her glorious coloratura voice. Ayana Haviv is living the dream and she is so humbled by it all. She simply loves it and we love her. 

​"Ayana Haviv, a truly special voice, the kind of voice that sends chills up my spine. Ayana has mastered a large number of vocal styles and idioms, and sounds authentic in all of them. She has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard, and on top of that, she is a great musician and an amazing reader. She can sing anything, and in any style." 
Sharon Farber, Composer, WHEN NIETZSCHE WEPT, AS THE WORLD TURNS

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Alvin Singleton 

Becoming a Composer

"Alvin Singleton's music is soulful, with an understated simplicity that I particularly prize. Despite the studied economy of his means and the set character of his images, the music is never cold ... nor abstract. It glows with warmth, it hovers in the air, it paces itself with a glacial but palpably intuitive momentum. It refuses to pander to either academicism or populism, but is so honest and self-assured that listeners flock to it anyway."
- Kyle Gann, Chamber Music Magazine

Stephanie Berg

Young, Talented, Unpredictable, Successful

Stephanie Berg's music, both for large and small ensembles, has been heard across center America with performances by the Quincy Symphony Orchestra Association, Parkville Symphonic Band, DDG Oboe Trio, Columbia Civic Orchestra, Mizzou New Music Ensemble, Ninth Street Philharmonic, and University Philharmonic of Mizzou. 

​Her works are premiered at the Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis Contemporary Art Museum, The Sheldon Theatre. Berg is commissioned by the Ninth Street Philharmonic and the Columbia Civic Orchestra. Her piece, Ravish and Mayhem has been selected for performance in 2016 by the Rochester Philharmonic.

Photo: August Kryger
Her chamber work, Of Air Sweet and Water Deep, earned her a spot as one of eight national finalists in the 2011 MTNA competition in composition, and in 2013 she was selected as the winner of the Missouri Composers Orchestra Project. 

Berg also enjoys a rich performance career, playing clarinet, E-flat clarinet, bass clarinet, and saxophone. 

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Sweet Melodies

Rana Santacruz

Photo: Erin Patrice OBrien
Rana Santacruz is the coolest rana around singing ranchero style. Embrace the visual landscapes painted in words and enjoy the fun and joyous rhythms that melt away sadness, boredom, or apathy. Rana Santacruz is a talented singer, instrumentalist, poet  with a wicked sense of humor, and love for adventure. 

In a world of ordinary noise invading more than its fair share, to be an artist who explores, creates and lives in dignity is very respectable indeed. Without wanting to sound too preachy and not to forget the theatrical side of things, know that two ghosts 
​whispered to his ear, “Bury my ashes under a tree near the sea, enjoy a polka and have a feast.” He went ahead and wrote a song.
Listen to his repertoire and pick your favorites. This is a good chance to venture away from familiar waters. It might help knowing that only a few months ago many people lined up at Lincoln Center in NYC and Vive Latino in Mexico City to hear Rana Santacruz. ​

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Molly White

B is for Baroness, BABE     

Molly White – Holy Skirts fan, Suzuki method instructor, mastermind and front woman of B is for Baroness, ½ of Peach & Knife, princess of whimsical flights in sound, queen of musical arts, sweet, sincere, true to self and her fun, smart, dreamy approach of love and the journey of life. 

"...I’ve always been interested in how an independent artist can bring some elements of “world music” into their music without overshadowing their own voice; whether its African guitar licks, Eastern European vocal technique or Latin Percussion, and if they can mix that with their own experience of popular music. 
Also, I'm so influenced by many genres including Indonesian gamelan music, gypsy jazz, Latin American folk, including 80s rock music and other genres but it’s not always easy to bring those influences together in an artful way." 

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Conrad Winslow

Pulsing Rhythms

Conrad Winslow is a young composer whose principal desire is to design experiences through his music. As a child, he wanted to be an architect. John Corigliano, (yes, that John Corigliano) his professor at Juilliard, made him realize that architecture is why he writes music.
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His Sonata for a Northern Sea Town was composed to better understand his origins (life starting in Homer, Alaska) in relation to his current direction (calling NYC his main residence and all it entails). How magical must’ve been to hear this piece of music premiered on a floating stage in a little ocean cove. Nevertheless, we’re pretty happy Conrad loves the big apple with all its conflicting poles of thought as they send him to deeper questions about his own work. "And the music improves" and we have no doubt.

​Photo: courtesy of the artist
Most recently, his composition, Joint Account—which will be streaming later at Q2 music— was premiered by the American Composers Orchestra at Zankel Hall, Carnegie. You had to be there for all the excitement but you’ll have other opportunities, many more, we hope.

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Mira Calix

Observing. Discovering. Story Telling. Her Timeless Art

​Photo: courtesy of the artist
Mira Calix is a self taught musician and award winning composer with a solid background in fine arts and dance. 
The talented artist born in South Africa, based in the UK, has never had an issue learning or making new discoveries. 
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In her words, “It can be frightening to learn something new, but it’s also exhilarating to figure out stuff and be a problem solver.” 

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KOTORINO

Into the Sky

Kotorino is a band of multitalented people who live artistic lives and love making music together. New York City is the amazing creative universe they call home, full of captivating magic and daring reality with its high rents and low available square footage. Kotorino musicians feed off each other’s energy performing their hearts out for audiences around the country wherever cool music, meaningful lyrics, and big smiles are welcome.  

 “I ain’t no clown, but I loves the circus’ is a quote from a sculptor friend," says Jeff Morris, the mastermind behind it all, “and it perfectly sums up the attitude of Kotorino. Work hard, retain an awareness and enjoy the things we can’t control.”

​Photo: courtesy of the artist
Catch up with Kotorino to dance and cheer a group of real good musicians who explore, express, and invigorate with their unique sounds and songs. Life is more than our struggles, shortcomings, or disappointments. It’s about seizing those moments that define real joy and that's Kotorino. 

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Nazanin Aghakhani

On the Podium Captivating Audiences Without Borders

Fluent in Viennese classics, Nazanin Aghakhani is a very talented young conductor and pianist, born and raised in Vienna, the city of music. Studying in some of the most revered auditoriums in Europe, she never forgets her oriental heritage as a true source of inspiration. An autodidact with multilingual powers, conductor Aghakhani is interested in exciting, sometimes challenging repertoire pieces of Northern European and Russian composers. At the same time, she feels a special attraction to new music and works by contemporary composers. What better way than real time communication of composers with performers for new music offerings to modern audiences.
For Aghakhani, being a conductor means hours of study, extensive research, but also understanding and truly knowing your orchestra and audience. At the same time, conducting gigs require and are supported by other assignments such teaching engagements, interviews, film or TV projects. In fact, Nazanin Aghakhani was featured with Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna on Women´s Day 2015 broadcast on Austrian National TV. 

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The Ozark Highballers 

A Musical Treasure from Fayetteville, Arkansas
The Ozark Highballers: 

Aviva Steigmeyer on guitar
Clarke Buehling on finger-style banjo
Seth Shumate on harmonica
Roy Pilgrim on the fiddle.

The Ozark Highballers make music that reflects the spirit and drive of the rural string bands of the 1920s and ’30s, particularly those of the Arkansas Ozarks. 
Listen to The Ozark Highballers, and it’s guaranteed you will love their sound. Zero attitude or gimmicks. All heart & talent. A natural treasure from Fayetteville, AR. 

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Why I Love Teaching Music

Jennifer Sacher Wiley, D.M.A.

Photo: courtesy of the artist
Jeniffer Sacher Wiley, an Associate Professor of Music at Susquehanna University, began her music career as a violin performance major at Oberlin Conservatory of Music. She started conducting student operas and musicals including the first full production of Aaron Copland's opera The Tender Land since its premiere in 1935. With a master degree from New England Conservatory of Music and a D.M.A. from University of Minnesota, Dr. Wiley has a busy schedule with conducting and violin performances throughout the country. 
Most recently, she has conducted the Universidad de Cuyo Symphony in Mendoza, Argentina, the Baltimore County Honors Orchestra in Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, and premiered the oratorio "Rain, River, Sea" by Patrick Long in Carnegie Hall. Despite her many roles, teaching is Jennifer's passion and she is fully dedicated to it. 

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Matt The Electrician

It's the Little Things
​"We drove forever into the sunshine… To see, to find, to seek love and… freshness and the first tastes of freedom as a pre-teen."

Know what you want from life and go for it. Don’t complicate stuff, don’t be scared by the simple stuff, own it. Matt the Electrician knew he wanted to be a writer even as a very young kid. His 3rd grade teacher told him, “write what you know” and that’s what he does in his songs. Not only you won’t ignore his lyrics, but you’ll enjoy them, too, a lot. MtE says most of what he writes comes from his family, his wife, his kids, and whatever is going on in their own little (immense) world.  
Don’t forget it’s better to work harder doing something you love than settling into something that you don’t feel strongly about. Do the best you know how to do whether there are 10 people or 10,000 people in the audience. This is what MtE does and the results are super impressive. Just listen to his music before work, while working, after work, and you’ll get hooked. 

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