Relevant Tones

Called “alluring” and “wildly inventive” by The New York Times, the “irresistible” (San Francisco Chronicle) music of Vietnamese-American composer Viet Cuong (b. 1990) has been commissioned and performed on six continents.

In his music Cuong enjoys exploring the unexpected and whimsical, and he is often drawn to projects where he can make peculiar combinations and sounds feel enchanting or oddly satisfying. 

Host Matthew Dotson chats with him and features an eclectic mix of music.

Since their founding in 2007 New Music Detroit has produced an annual marathon of new music called Strange Beautiful Music, commissioned new works, presented concerts in major institutions and off-the-beaten path venues alike and generally been an all-around force in adventurous music.

Seth Boustead talks with pianist and Creative Director Justin Snyder, co-founder and saxophonist Erik Rönmark, soprano Jocelyn Zelansko and cellist Una O'Riordan.

Amanda DeBoer Bartlett, DMA is a soprano, improviser, composer, and organizer specializing in contemporary classical music. She is the founder of Quince Ensemble, an all-women contemporary vocal group, and Hasco Duo, an experimental improvisation and songwriting project.

She is also a member of and program curator for Ensemble Dal Niente, a Chicago-based chamber orchestra that commissions and performs the music of living composers. The Bones Still Glow is a series of emotional ballads and intimate portraits written and collected over the past 16 years.

Bartlett says, "they traveled along with me as a young, touring classical musician, helped me reach back home when I needed it, or get lost in space when I needed that, chronicled my transformation into motherhood, and were a source of comfort during chaotic times."

Set against Afghanistan’s volatile history, A Thousand Splendid Suns tells the breathtaking story of Mariam and Laila, two Afghan women. Brought together under the brutal Taliban rule, the bond between Laila and Mariam leads to unthinkable sacrifices, and ultimately, one family’s survival. 

Based on Khaled Hosseini's best-selling novel, this story has captured the hearts of millions including American composer Sheila Silver and librettist Stephen Kitsakos who adapted the novel for the opera stage.

Host Stephen Anthony Rawson sits down to talk with Sheila Silver about her opera, its journey to the Seattle stage, and her musical studies in India with vocalist Pandit Kedar Bodas.

Suzanne Farrin is a composer and performer of the ondes Martenot, an early electronic instrument created by the engineer Maurice Martenot in the 1920s as a response to the simultaneous destruction and technological advances of WWI.

Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times called her first opera, dolce la morte, a work of “shattering honesty.” Her debut recording, Corpo di Terra, was described in Timeout Chicago, “like field recordings from inside the cerebral cortex.”

Her works are frequently performed at festivals around the world and she has performed in a wide range of film scores, and appeared as herself in an episode of Mozart in the Jungle.  Matthew Dotson talks with her about several exciting upcoming projects.

Chicago musician & composer Raquel Gonzalez has spent the last five years as a studio and live musician for various bands throughout the Midwest, often involved in the composing and arranging process. Their composition series, Sonic Creations with a Lyra-8 highlights a synthesized violin sound and duets between the instrument and a Lyra-8 synthesizer.

About the album & its process, Gonzalez says, “Sonic Creations for Violin and Lyra yielded experimentation with my electric violin and a Soma Lyra-8 both separately and together. Side A is mostly standalone Lyra. Straight up, a fair amount of it is harsh noise.

Host Austin Williams chats with LoadBang ensemble members Andy Kozar and William Lang about their most recent Premieres concert.

JUNO Award-winning composer Vivian Fung has a unique talent for combining idiosyncratic textures and styles into large-scale works, reflecting her multicultural background.  Matthew Dotson talks with her about her upcoming opera and new string quartet projects with the Jasper Quartet.

The country's largest chamber music conference was back this year after a three-year hiatus and Relevant Tones was there. One of the highlights of the conference was two days of incredible ensemble showcases at Drom in lower Manhattan.

We feature audio recorded live at these showcases from Shouthouse, Interwoven, the Beo String Quartet and the Johnston Brothers plus a piece featuring Lucy Shelton, one of the conference honorees.

Featuring music by Gabriela Ortiz, Thomas Osbourne, Liu Tianhua, Chan Yaoxing, Nigel Westlake, Will Healy, Daron Hagen and Paolo Bellinati.

Nina Shekhar is a composer who explores the intersection of identity, vulnerability, love, and laughter to create bold and intensely personal works. Described as “tart and compelling” (New York Times), “vivid” (Washington Post), and “surprises and delights aplenty” (LA Times), her music has been commissioned and performed by numerous leading artists. Since 2021, Shekhar has been the Composer-in-Residence for Young Concert Artists.

Host Stephen Anthony Rawson sits down to talk with Nina about the recent performance of her piece Lumina at the Seattle Symphony, exploring identity through remixing and sampling, mental health, and much more.