Composer Conversations with Daniel Vezza

Richard is a composer and improviser who has collaborated with many leading performers in both areas, while developing works and ideas which increasingly leave behind the distinctions between them. His long-term collaborations include the electronic duo FURT which he formed with Paul Obermayer in 1986 (and its more recent octet version fORCH), composing for and performing with the ELISION contemporary music group since 1990, and regular appearances with the Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble since 2003. He studied composition principally with Peter Wiegold, and currently teaches at the Institute of Sonology in The Hague. You can listen to more of his music at www.richardbarrettmusic.com.

Richard is a composer and improviser who has collaborated with many leading performers in both areas, while developing works and ideas which increasingly leave behind the distinctions between them. His long-term collaborations include the electronic duo FURT which he formed with Paul Obermayer in 1986 (and its more recent octet version fORCH), composing for and performing with the ELISION contemporary music group since 1990, and regular appearances with the Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble since 2003. He studied composition principally with Peter Wiegold, and currently teaches at the Institute of Sonology in The Hague. You can listen to more of his music at www.richardbarrettmusic.com.

These episodes are normally limited to one per composer but Chaya has been to too many interesting places. The first part will focus on her biography with the occasional excursion into her music and the second part will focus mostly on her music.Chaya is a composer from Israel who teaches composition at Harvard University. She has written music for all types of mediums including chamber music, orchestral music, opera, and music theatre. She has received numerous awards for her compositions, including the Kranichstein Music Prize, Asahi Shimbun Fellowship Prize, the Schloss Solitue Fellowship, the IRCAM reading panel, the Encouragement Prize by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation Prize, the Fromm Foundation Award, a nomination of the Berlin Wissenschaftskolleg, and a Guggenheim Fellowship Award. You can listen to more of her music at www.chayaczernowin.com.

These episodes are normally limited to one per composer but Chaya has been to too many interesting places. The first part will focus on her biography with the occasional excursion into her music and the second part will focus mostly on her music.Chaya is a composer from Israel who teaches composition at Harvard University. She has written music for all types of mediums including chamber music, orchestral music, opera, and music theatre. She has received numerous awards for her compositions, including the Kranichstein Music Prize, Asahi Shimbun Fellowship Prize, the Schloss Solitue Fellowship, the IRCAM reading panel, the Encouragement Prize by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation Prize, the Fromm Foundation Award, a nomination of the Berlin Wissenschaftskolleg, and a Guggenheim Fellowship Award. You can listen to more of her music at www.chayaczernowin.com.

Sebastian Elikowski-Winkler is a German composer who is currently based in Berlin. He studied composition at the University of the Arts in Berlin with Friedrich Goldmann, and at the Music Academy Prague with Marek Kopelent. He also studied architecture, musicology and history of art at the Technische Universität Berlin. In 2006 he received a scholarship of the Cité International des Arts from the Senate of Berlin, and in 2007 he was been awarded a scholarship for the Tschaikowsky Conservatory Moscow by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). You can listen to more of his music at www.elikowskiwinkler.blogspot.de.In out conversation we talk about the Sorbian culture he comes from, why he started composing, and his connection to politics and music.

Germán is a composer from Madrid who currently lives in Geneva. He studied Guitar and Composition (specialization in Electroacoustic Composition) at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid. He continued studying composition at the Strasbourg Conservatoire with Mark André and new technologies at IRCAM. He has been selected for Domaine Forget’s “Musique Nouvelle” in Quebec, “Voix Nouvelles” of the Royaumont Foundation in Paris, the “International Composer Pyramid” in Canterbury, among many others. His works have been played by Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Xasax, Asko-Schönberg, Grup Instrumental de València, Sigma Project, Patrick Stadler, Carl-Emmanuel Fisbach, Ums’n Jip, Interensemble, Zahir Ensemble, and Taller Sonoro. He was a finalist at the Gaudeamus Prize 2013. You can listen to more of his music at www.german-alonso.com.In our conversation we talk about his beginning as a rock guitarist, his use of saturation in music, and being a student at an older age.

Tobias is a German composer from Jena. He went to the Musikgymnasium Schloss Belverdere in Weimar. After that he studied composition and guitar at the Hocheschule für Müsik “Franz Liszt” in Weimar. Presently, he works as a composer, sound artist, and guitarist. His pieces are performed by well known ensembles and orchestras at various festivals for contemporary music, such as the Frankfurter Positionen and Klangwerkstatt Berlin. In 2010 Klich won the Bremen Composers Prize. He is the winner of the 2013 Gaudeamus Prize.In our conversation we talk about his first time composing for orchestra, his experience as a composer and classical guitar player, and how he relates visual aspects in the Goya prints Los Caprichos to performing.

Esaias is a Swedish composer who currently lives in Gothenburg. His music has been performed by ensembles and soloists such as Richard Craig , Hugo Ticciati, Karin Hellqvist, Pontus Langendorf, Sergej Tchirkov, Anna Petrini, Cora Schmeiser, Ensemble SurPlus, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, and the Curious Chamber Players. His music has been performed in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Lithuania, Iceland, Ireland, Austria, England, Portugal, Russia, Canada, USA, China and Dubai at festivals and radiobroadcasts. You can listen to more of his music at www.esaiasjarnegard.seIn our conversation we talk about the nature of the new music in Sweden, his time studying with Pierluigi Billone, and Norwegian Black Metal.

Amit is an Israeli composer who now resides in Germany. He has studied in Jerusalem, Ithaca, and New York. His music is influenced by electroacoustic mediums as well as improvisation. His recent pieces tend to be interdisciplinary and conceptual, combining political ideas, theatrical effects and movement plus textual sources ranging from the work of Walter Benjamin to anonymous online personal ads. His work reflects a desire for democratic forms of music making and audience engagement. He is particularly fascinated by the various ways in which music can be used to engage with topical events and to promote social justice. His music has been performed across Europe, the USA, Canada, the Far East, and Israel. You can listen to more of his music at www.amitgilutz.comIn our conversation we talk about his time studying in Israel, his approach to working with instruments and sounds, and how he approaches politics in his music.

Taylor is an American composer who is currently based in New York. His music has been performed in North America and Europe by ensembles and soloists such as the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Quatour Bozzini, JACK quartet, and soloists such as Joshua Modney and Mira Benjamin. Taylor participated in the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne FORUM 2010, composing a new work to accompany the Nathalie Bujold film Les trains où vont les choses; the piece was awarded the Prix Public and second prize from the jury. You can listen to more of his music at www.taylorbrookmusic.com.In our conversation we talk about his time studying in Canada, using theatrical elements in his music, and how a piece is developed when collaborating with different art forms.