Reflections on Music and Nature

from June 25, 2020:

Megan Roth and Evan Leontis, two tremendous singers and co-directors of Calliope's Call talk with Ryan. Calliope's Call is an art-song collective based in New England dedicated to diverse and inspiring programming. Topics include activism in music, curating programs, calls for scores, and the complexity of writing and performing vocal music, among many other things.

Calliope's Call

Mothers Out Front

Melissa Dunphy, composer

decketh joy, water destroy (by Ryan Suleiman)

from June 18, 2020:

Sacramento-based Citywater's Tim Stanley (cello) and Cathie Apple (flute) talks with Ryan about collaborating on large-scale works by Griffin Candey and Derek Keller, not consciously seek inspiration from nature, and the intersectionality of issues artists must face. Tim also reveals a few things about Sacramento State School of Music's Festival of New American Music 2020 (spoiler: it will be different this year, but in some ways, for the better)

Citywater

Derek Keller

Griffen Candey

This project is affiliated with Landscape Music's Earth Year 2020 - learn more at https://landscapemusic.org/

from June 11, 2020:

What does it mean when musicians invoke a "natural" sound, or method of music making? This week's guest, violist/scholar Vijay Chalasani, explores this question and other topics, discussing musical pedagogy, tuning configurations, and artists he enjoys performing from the last many centuries. We also discuss his work on the music of Pauline Oliveros and a future project of his.

This project is affiliated with Landscape Music's Earth Year 2020 - learn more at https://landscapemusic.org/

from May 28, 2020:

San Francisco Bay Area-based Left Coast Chamber Ensemble's Anna Presler (violin/artistic director), Tanya Tomkins (cello), and Stacey Pelinka (flute) discuss their collaboration with composer Clarice Assad on "Lemuria," about ancient mythical people and their work on George Crumb's timeless Vox Balanae. They get philosophical about the question of what does an artist do in times like these (should one become an activist?) and speculate about the influence of soundscapes on musicians in past centuries versus now. Anna reflects on her walks in the Berkeley hills and we talk about birds, who evidently learn better from their teachers than from pre-recorded songs.

Left Coast Chamber Ensemble

Clarice Assad (composer)

Crumb: Vox Balanae (LCCE)

Messiaen: Abîme des oisseaux

This project is affiliated with Landscape Music's Earth Year 2020 - learn more at https://landscapemusic.org/

from May 21, 2020:

Composer Juhi Bansal talks with Ryan about her work and shares excerpts from two of her compositions, including "Sirens," a collaboration with the Los Angeles Opera on a multimedia work performed outdoors on a historic dock. Topics include composing music that integrates ambient sounds (which sometimes includes a surprise Mariachi band!), plastic, the joys and challenges of writing for amateur performers, and the role of artists in our times.

Juhi Bansal: https://juhibansal.com

Sirens: https://juhibansal.com/sirens-for-two-sopranos-mezzo-soprano-and-pre-recorded-track/

Travels (for piano): https://juhibansal.com/music/teaching-pieces/

This project is affiliated with Landscape Music's Earth Year 2020 - learn more at https://landscapemusic.org/

released May 14, 2020:

PREMIERE EPISODE: Ryan talks with composer Marti Epstein about the role of nature in her work and we listen excerpts from two of her compositions. Topics include Nebraska, Boston during quarantine, the meaning of sounds, climate change, and one of our mutual heroes, Toru Takemitsu.

Marti Epstein: https://martiepstein.com/

Hothouse: https://soundcloud.com/marti-epstein/hothouse

Komorebi: https://soundcloud.com/marti-epstein/komorebi

About this series: https://www.ryansuleiman.com/rmn

This project is affiliated with Landscape Music's Earth Year 2020 - learn more at LandscapeMusic.org

Reflections on Music and Nature. What is this thing about? Why is it important? www.ryansuleiman.com/rmn