Mission: Commission

The premiere of Kate Soper's Telephone, performed by Kate Soper and the Parker Quartet. Commissioned by Miller Theatre at Columbia University for the Mission: Commission podcast.

The premiere of Vijay Iyer's Room for Ghosts. Performed by Vijay Iyer and the Parker Quartet. Commissioned by Miller Theatre at Columbia University for the Mission: Commission podcast.

The premiere of Oscar Bettison's "all keens and slow airs..." . Performed by the Parker Quartet. Commissioned by Miller Theatre at Columbia University for the Mission: Commission podcast.

As the creative journey comes to an end, we hear reflections on genre, and hear why these pieces defy categorization.

The composers rehearse or prepare for rehearsal with the Parker Quartet, and the pieces start to come to life.

The composers are deep in the work: writing, rewriting, tinkering with the myriad details that make the piece what it is, and what it will be. But what guides their decisions about how to shape the piece, or what direction to take it in?

Composers today don’t always want to follow the age-old rules of form. How do our composers think about form as they work on their pieces?

We go deeper in understanding how each composer thinks through their audio diaries documenting their process–sometimes words, sometimes music, sometimes both.

An introduction to our composers—Oscar Bettison, Vijay Iyer, and Kate Soper—as they begin their creative journey to compose a new piece of classical music in 6 weeks for Mission: Commission.

How does classical music actually get made? In season 2, the podcast follows the creative journey of three world-class composers, Oscar Bettison, Vijay Iyer, and Kate Soper, as they compose new works and unpack their creative process in real time. Over a period of 6 weeks, listen as the very first ideas and notes grow and evolve into vibrant new pieces of music. Hosted by Melissa Smey, Artistic Director of Miller Theatre at Columbia University in New York.