Peter (LIFTS THE) Box - Melika M. Fitzhugh
Looking for unique chamber music instrumentation combinations? Check out the music of Boston-based composer Melika M. Fitzhugh!
Looking for unique chamber music instrumentation combinations? Check out the music of Boston-based composer Melika M. Fitzhugh! As a multi-instrumentalist, Fitzhugh performs with a number of ensembles covering a wide range of genres, including early music, world music, singer/songwriter, ambient rock, symphonic metal, and Balkan folk dance. As a composer, she combines elements of these disparate styles to write music full of unexpected juxtapositions through unique orchestration. Her string quartet+guitar+contrabass sextet Waiting for the Future follows a series of unique, sparse fragments with longer, sprawling tutti sections, each utilizing its own orchestrational figuration.
Alina (LIFTS THE) Box - Errollyn Wallen
Drop everything you’re doing and listen to Errollyn Wallen’s piece titled Daedalus arranged for Mezzo-Soprano and String Quartet, commissioned by The Brodsky Quartet.
Alina (LIFTS THE) Box: Over the last few weeks, I have been checking out Errollyn Wallen’s music. I don’t think I could be any more enamored with her writing than I already am. Drop everything you’re doing and listen to her piece titled Daedalus arranged for Mezzo-Soprano and String Quartet, commissioned by The Brodsky Quartet. Daedalus is a character in Greek mythology and was the father of Icarus who infamously flew too close to the sun. The haunting lyrics will have you weeping. Wallen writes the following: “I wrote this song from Daedalus’ perspective and alluded to his murder, years earlier, of Perdix, his nephew and apprentice, whose own talent for inventing threatened to overshadow that of Daedalus.”
I have to say, too, that her voice is stunning. The pop influence inserts itself so seamlessly into the luscious sound of the strings. I cannot yet describe the way that the voice and strings interact. Melancholy and lamenting do not quite cut it. Anyways, let me if you can capture the essence with more clarity than I can!
Make some time and listen her vocal works, “The Girl in My Alphabet” “Are You Worried About the Rising Cost of Funerals,” and “Comfort Me with Apples,” just to name a few. Of course, I thoroughly so much of her writing, but I am unabashedly bias towards the vocal works. I am excited to look deeper into her operatic works as well.
Kat (LIFTS THE) Box - Hannah Kendall
This week, I’ve been listening to Hannah Kendall’s Vera for clarinet, violin, viola, and cello. Clarinet and strings is such a great combination (I may be biased!), and I love how Kendall uses the instruments in this piece.
This week, I’ve been listening to Hannah Kendall’s Vera (2008) for clarinet, violin, viola, and cello. Clarinet and strings is such a great combination (I may be biased!), and I love how Kendall uses the instruments in this piece, especially the pizzicato melodies in the strings and how it’s imitated later in the clarinet. Although the material is based on a 12-tone row, Kendall plays around with how she makes use of the row by sometimes excluding notes. She writes, “In the first instance, the ‘white notes’ (as on the piano) were removed from the series in order and the opening playful section is based on these notes only. These pitches, but in retrograde, also form the basis of the clarinet line when it first enters.” In addition to the interesting theory behind the work, it is an enjoyable piece to sit back and listen to!
Peter (LIFTS THE) Box - Allison Loggins-Hull
Loggins-Hull’s composition Flock for four flutes and one alto flute takes its inspiration from the polyphonic layering processes of Steve Reich’s flute ensemble work Vermont Counterpoint to create an aural representation of the intricate flight patterns of a flock of birds.
This week I want to highlight the work of flutist/composer/producer Allison Loggins-Hull and her collaboration with Nathalie Joachim as the flute duo Flutronix, critically acclaimed for their fresh, genre-bending redefinition of their instrument in a classical chamber music setting. Loggins-Hull’s composition Flock for four flutes and one alto flute takes its inspiration from the polyphonic layering processes of Steve Reich’s flute ensemble work Vermont Counterpoint to create an aural representation of the intricate flight patterns of a flock of birds. There are two versions of this work, one being for the acoustic flute ensemble and the other incorporating electronics and drums, showcasing Loggins-Hull’s ability to seamlessly bridge the gap between the music worlds of classical and pop.
link to acoustic version: https://soundcloud.com/flutronix/flock-acoustic-version
link to electronic version: https://soundcloud.com/flutronix/05-flock?in=flutronix/sets/2point0
link to website: https://allisonloggins.com/
Alina (LIFTS THE) Box - Carlos Simon
I have been listening to the works of Carlos Simon these past few weeks. “Portrait of a Queen,” is written for string orchestra, percussion, and female narrator, with text by Courtney D. Ware. The piece navigates the experience of a black woman, starting in a place of power in Africa, through slavery, Jim Crow, and finally towards a “strong matriarch.”
Alina (LIFTS THE) Box: I have been listening to the works of Carlos Simon these past few weeks, first coming across his piece, “Another Rising,” written for the Brooklyn Youth Chorus and performed with countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo. But, I really want to talk about his piece, “Portrait of a Queen.” I think it’s an amazing listen! “Portrait of a Queen,” is written for string orchestra, percussion, and female narrator, with text by Courtney D. Ware. The piece navigates the experience of a black woman, through her eyes. The poetry starts with this “queen” in a place of power in Africa, then journeys through slavery, Jim Crow, and finally towards becoming a “strong matriarch,” through four attaca sections. This “queen,” as Simon puts it, “represents strength, courage and selflessness.” I love the dramatic interpretation of the poetry spoken atop a tumultuous orchestra. The constant pulsing of the strings highlights the constant struggle of a disenfranchised people. I haven’t had the opportunity to see the piece yet, but visuals of the progression of racism accompany the musicians throughout the work. I have really enjoyed getting to know this piece as well as many others composed by Simon. I’d also suggest listening to his arrangement of Caro mio ben, commissioned by a fellow spartan, Brian Major!
ALSO! Simon was recently awarded The Sphinx Medal of Excellence, the the highest honor bestowed by the Sphinx Organization, recognizing extraordinary classical Black and Latinx musicians. Many congrats!
Excerpt of “Portrait of a Queen” (Jim Crow)
“Another Rising” written for the Brooklyn Youth Chorus, performed with Anthony Roth Costanzo
Kat (LIFTS THE) Box - Daijana Wallace
This week, I have been listening to two pieces by Daijana Wallace: “Shades” for solo cello and “Upstairs Neighbors” for cello and vibraphone. Daijana Wallace is a composer, cellist, and someone I ate a lot of gelato with at the Cortona Sessions for New Music in Cortona, Italy in 2018.
This week, I have been listening to two pieces by Daijana Wallace: “Shades” for solo cello and “Upstairs Neighbors” for cello and vibraphone. “Shades” is an incredibly beautiful solo piece. Check out Kivie Cahn-Lipman’s inspiring recording, or tune in on August 3rd to hear it performed live (and online) by cellist Audrey Snyder. (50% of donations will be donated to Brave Space Alliance.) I have also enjoyed listening to “Upstairs Neighbors” as a piece that masterfully combines lyrical writing with humorous and relatable moments. Daijana Wallace is a composer, cellist, and someone I ate a lot of gelato with at the Cortona Sessions for New Music in Cortona, Italy in 2018. She is also currently getting her masters in composition at my (and Alina’s!) alma mater, Michigan State University. Wallace has written for Sputter Box and is featured on our Sputter (SHRINKS THE) Box Album. Check out more of her music on her brand new website!
Upstairs Neighbors - Recording
Live Online Performance of Shades by Audrey Snyder: August 3, 2020
Photo by Julian Kincaid
Peter (LIFTS THE) Box - Evan Williams
Evan Williams is an accomplished Memphis-based composer and conductor whose music draws from a wide range of classical styles, from Baroque to Minimalism and everything in between.
Evan Williams is an accomplished Memphis-based composer and conductor whose music draws from a wide range of classical styles, from Baroque to Minimalism and everything in between. His work Heavy was commissioned by Levels, a student ensemble at Lawrence University, to be included on their 2016 album entitled “Still.” The influence for the piece was not drawn from programmatic associations, but instead from the ensemble’s dark instrumentation of bass clarinet, trombone, viola, electric guitar, and percussion. Williams utilizes these timbral characteristics by balancing sharp, jagged grooves with a gorgeous, lyrical B section.
Alina (LIFTS THE) Box - Brian Raphael Nabors
This week I have been checking out music by Brian Raphael Nabors. I love his piece, “We Wear the Mask,” using the poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar.
Alina (LIFTS THE) Box: We’ve been wrapping up our Sputter (SHRINKS THE) Box project, but we have not stopped listening to new music! This week I have been checking out music by Brian Raphael Nabors. I am moved his piece, “We Wear the Mask,” using the title and poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar. The media has a constant stream of mask content as we try to stay safe during the pandemic. The mask in this poetry is about a different type of “protection.” In Dunbar’s poetry, the smile is a mask, a facade. It conceals pain and suffering, mollifying white oppressors. Nabors has set this poetry with such intention and beauty, opposing kind smiles with their troublesome meaning. In addition to the music, “We Wear the Mask” highlights the poetry through choreography with a single dancer. This piece was written for Castle of our Skins for their 2019 I AM A MAN Celebration. Listen to more music by Nabors by following the link to his website.
Kat (LIFTS THE) Box - Castle of our Skins//Shannon Sea
If you have enjoyed our Sputter (SHRINKS THE) Box project, you MUST check out Castle of our Skins’s Black Composer Miniature Challenge. Every Friday at 12PM EST, they premiere a short piece for solo piano, solo viola, or viola-piano duo on Facebook and Instagram Live.
If you have enjoyed our Sputter (SHRINKS THE) Box project, you MUST check out the Castle of our Skins Black Composer Miniature Challenge. Every Friday at 12PM EST, they premiere a short piece for solo piano, solo viola, or viola-piano duo on Facebook and Instagram Live. I’ve reposted one of my favorites so far composed by Shannon Sea, but you should check them all out! (They’ve posted 8/18 so far!) I was drawn to this one because of its meditative nature and beautiful use of the viola’s sound. In Sea’s interview with Castle of our Skins, she talks extensively about meditation and her sound healing sessions. I’ve included the link to that interview below, which I encourage you all to read. She also talks about how she got into music, which is an incredibly beautiful story! Check out Shannon Sea and Castle of our Skins, and tune into their premiere this Friday! If you like what you hear, I’ve also included a link where you can make a tax-deductible donation to Castle of our Skins.
Shannon Sea, “Hannah Elias II” for solo viola
Castle of our Skins Black Composer Miniature Challenge
Peter (LIFTS THE) Box - Shelley Washington
If you’re not already familiar, check out the music of Brooklyn-based composer Shelley Washington, specifically her 2018 work for choir and chamber ensemble, The Farthest.
If you’re not already familiar, check out the music of Brooklyn-based composer Shelley Washington, specifically her 2018 work for choir and chamber ensemble, The Farthest. Her music addresses social injustices through a mixture of rock, jazz, and folk influences, all filtered through her “layered listening” compositional style and her desire to move people in both mind and body. This piece combines some gorgeous choral harmonies with some raucous string and big band scoring. This piece slaps, check it out!
Alina (LIFTS THE) Box - Alicia Hall Moran
If you haven’t heard the music of of Alicia Hall Moran, I suggest you head on over to her website and read all about her RIGHT NOW! Moran is extremely multi-talented, performing and composing, as she says it, “between” disciplines.
Hey it’s Alina! If you haven’t heard the music of of Alicia Hall Moran, I suggest you head on over to her website and read all about her RIGHT NOW! Moran is extremely multi-talented, performing and composing, as she says it, “between” disciplines. I love listening to and directing children’s choirs, and The Brooklyn Youth Chorus is a staple in my playlists. They have shown a dedication to advancing the contemporary repertoire of children’s choir. Their project “Silent Voices” was a showcase at Prototype Festival back in 2017, where I first heard of Moran. And though I could and should go on about Moran’s pieces and project “Two Wings” about the Great Migration, or “Black Wall Street,” or her Alt-opera piece “Breaking Ice,” I want you to listen to the piece she wrote for the Brooklyn Youth Chorus and that project titles, “Keep On.” Plus, she is the soloist for the piece so that’s a huge bonus! This piece gives such a vibrant new life to youth choir music. The undulating figures along with the contrast and overlay of vocal timbres bring the growth and tenacity of the lyrics to life! Listening to her mature voice live within the youthful sound is spectacular! Link in bio for the video and her website.
More on her project “Two Wings” because it is just that important to check out
PC: Renaldo Davidson
Kat (LIFTS THE) Box - Nathalie Joachim & Spektral Quartet - Fanm d'Ayiti
“Go inside of you and express yourself. Don’t try to mimic or be cute.”
After going through the Flutronix discography last week, the next logical step was to listen to Nathalie Joachim’s newest album, Fanm d’Ayiti with Spektral Quartet. While I had heard some of the tracks when it was released in 2019 and nominated for a Grammy, this week I took the time to sit down and listen to the album in its entirety.
“Go inside of you and express yourself. Don’t try to mimic or be cute.”
After going through the Flutronix discography last week, the next logical step was to listen to Nathalie Joachim’s newest album, Fanm d’Ayiti with Spektral Quartet. While I had heard some of the tracks when it was released in 2019 and nominated for a Grammy, this week I took the time to sit down and listen to the album in its entirety. Fanm d’Ayiti translates to Women of Haiti, and this album for voice, flute, string quartet and electronics celebrates many of Haiti’s under recognized female artists. This album makes you think, listen, and leaves you with a bop at the end. I’ve included some links below if you want to read (and watch) along with me about the album and the women it is centered around.
The quote above is from the track “Interlude: The Ones I Listened To.”
Fanm d’Ayiti Recording (Stream for Free or Digital Purchase for $9)
Nathalie Joachim: Travel Diary to Haiti Part 2
Two-Minute Video on the History of Emerante de Pradines (Part of the Haitian Women of History YouTube Playlist)
Peter (LIFTS THE) Box - Marcos Balter
Recently I was going through Marcos Balter’s catalog and his work Bladed Stance really caught my ear. Enjoy this gem that I missed back in 2013!
Recently I was going through Marcos Balter’s catalog and his work Bladed Stance really caught my ear. Despite its resemblance to an ambient-electronic track, you may be surprised to learn that this piece is scored for an entirely acoustic ensemble of flute, clarinet, trumpet, violin, viola, and cello. Enjoy this gem that I missed back in 2013!
Recording: https://soundcloud.com/ymusicnyc/02-bladed-stance-marcos-balter
Website: https://marcosbalter.com/
Alina (LIFTS THE) Box - Sweet Honey in the Rock
Sweet Honey in the Rock is a performance ensemble rooted in African American history and culture. The content on their album #LoveInEvolution, is just as relevant now as it was in 2016. Give it a listen!
Hey hey! As promised, more on Sweet Honey in the Rock. I have been listening to their most recent album, #LoveInEvolution this week. The message that these songs give is just as relevant now as it was in 2016. I want to share a quote about this album from their website. “The strongest songs on #LoveInEvolution come literally ripped from the headlines of today’s world news, railing against systemic injustice as it pertains to people of color—past and present—police brutality, gun control and the Black Lives Matter movement.” Those are still the headlines today. And we still have a lot of work to do. I was drawn first to their song of hope, “IDK, But I’m LOL!” honestly because of the name. The poignancy of that track really came through once I listened to the whole album though.
A little bio info. Sweet Honey in the Rock is a performance ensemble rooted in African American history and culture. The ensemble educates, entertains and empowers its audience and community through the dynamic vehicles of a cappella singing and American Sign Language interpretation for the Deaf and hard of hearing.
BUT ALSO THIS THIS THIS! Sweet Honey in the Rock is giving a virtual concert and panel on Juneteenth, Friday, June 19, 8pm. Support, tune in, listen!
Kat (LIFTS THE) Box - Flutronix
This week I’m listening through Flutronix’s entire discography. Fluxtronix is made up of Nathalie Joachim and Allison Loggins-Hull, both flutists, composers, and producers. I highly suggest sending a link to your friends who “just aren’t into that new music thing.”
This week I’m listening through Flutronix’s entire discography. Fluxtronix is made up of Nathalie Joachim and Allison Loggins-Hull, both flutists, composers, and producers. Flutronix is known for their “urban art pop sound,” and I highly suggest sending a link to your friends who ‘just aren’t into that new music thing.’ Last night Nathalie gave an inspiring keynote speech at the New Music Gathering 2020, and I was motivated to dive deeper into Flutronix’s work. My favorite piece so far is “Life Lines” from their album Flutronix 2.0, but I also highly recommend “She Is” from their EP City of Breath. I’ve attached a link to the album recording of “Life Lines” and also to a live video of them performing it at the Brooklyn Museum. You can also buy any of their albums and compositions from their website. I’m looking forward to listening to the rest of their music this week!
Alina (LIFTS THE) Box - Ysaÿe Barnwell
Hey, it’s Alina! You MUST go check out the music of Ysaÿe Barnwell. Her song “Wanting Memories,” is on constant repeat in my brain.
Hey, it’s Alina! You MUST go check out the music of Ysaÿe Barnwell. Her song “Wanting Memories,” is on constant repeat in my brain. Ysaÿe Barnwell is a multi-talented musician, composer, and scientist. There is not much that this woman doesn’t do. She conducts music workshops such as "Building a Vocal Community: Singing in the African American Tradition", wrote the book “No Mirrors in my Nana’s House,” holds a bachelor’s, master's, and Ph.D. in speech pathology, is an actor, an arranger, and sings bass. That’s right, A FEMALE BASS! Barnwell was the first to truly introduce me to the African American singing tradition back in 2014 when she visited Michigan State University’s Women’s Chamber Ensemble. I admire her union of vocal arts with the artistic world around her. For 34 years, she was a member of Sweet Honey In The Rock. Her work with American Sign Language led to the inclusion of an interpreter for all of the ensemble’s performances. But more on Sweet Honey in the Rock later. For now, you can listen to them sing Barnwell’s “Wanting Memories.”
And just one more thing! Listen to the vulnerability in the lyrics. Barnwell wrote this piece back when both of her parents were alive. However, by the time it was recorded, her father had passed and mother has also since passed. As she puts “in a sense, the song was an unconscious wish or prayer that actually came true.”
Recordings: https://youtu.be/vW2TpW4gCt8 & https://www.ymbarnwell.com/larger-works
Find out more about Ysaÿe Barnwell here: https://www.ymbarnwell.com
Peter (LIFTS THE) Box - Yaz Lancaster
This week I have been listening to a percussion duo by Yaz Lancaster.
This week I have been listening to a percussion duo by Yaz Lancaster. Lancaster is a composer, violinist, and poet whose music directly addresses current social issues in the United States. Movements III and IV of their 2019 piece [dis]armed for percussion duo layers audio from interviews following recent shootings over a lo-fi chord vamp before fading into a haze of meditative bowed vibraphone, a solemn reflection on the tragic patterns we continue to see in this country. This live recording of these two movements was performed by the Washington Squared percussion duo as a part of Sō Percussion’s Brooklyn Bound concert series.
Recording: https://soundcloud.com/yazjanelle/disarmed-iii-reset-iv-refocus
Find about more about Yaz Lancaster here: https://www.yaz-lancaster.com/
Kat (LIFTS THE) Box - Jessie Montgomery
Hi - Kat here! This week I’ve been listening to Jessie Montgomery’s “Records from a Vanishing City” for orchestra.
As an ensemble comprised of three white musicians, we have a lot of work to do to become an actively anti-racist organization. As a team, we are currently working through Rachel Cargle’s #DoTheWork program (we highly recommend it for our fellow white/non-Black POC allies) and have commissioning projects in the works that will create a diverse repertoire for our unique instrumentation the does not currently have a standard set of repertoire. We would also like to share with your every week an artist or piece that we are each listening to. Sputter (LIFTS THE) Box is something we will continue for the entirety of our time as an ensemble in order to support our fellow musicians, friends, and those who inspire us. Kat’s up first!
Hi - Kat here! This week I’ve been listening to Jessie Montgomery’s “Records from a Vanishing City” for orchestra. Montgomery grew up on the Lower East Side in the 80s and 90s, and this tone poem is based on the music and poetry she heard around her. I’ve been thinking about this piece lately as the block parties start back up in Brooklyn and the protests have people out of their houses. I was also supposed to perform this piece with the Stony Brook Symphony Orchestra back in April with our student-programmed conductor-less concert. I hope to perform this piece one day (I mean- just LISTEN to those clarinet solos!), but for now I’m going to continue listening to it and the rest of Montgomery’s music. This piece was commissioned and premiered by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. The link included here is the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra’s recording.