“nobody’s got a monopoly on the American story—in part because there is no single tale to be told.”
– The Arts Fuse on Guitar America 250

In the late 1800’s, my mother’s family escaped from pogroms in what is now Ukraine. Soon after, my father’s family emigrated from outside of Moscow, as Jewish families weren’t allowed to live in Russian cities without a permit. The latter came to the US through Baltimore, hence the C in Caplan and not K (see Declaration below). My mother’s family ended up in Colorado, one of the first Jews to own land in the State. My great-great grandfather Mendel “Max” Fisher was “pushed off” a Colorado cattle train and one relative ran the biggest brothel in Denver. My grandfather grew up poor in Denver, moving every few months to evade eviction. My mother and father met at college. My mother lives in Oregon and father in Colorado. I was born in Oklahoma. In August, I will have lived 30 years in Boston, 24 as a husband to Catherine, an immigrant.

It is my story. An American story. I love American stories. 

As I hear the noise in the world, I recognize shifts in higher education, the arts, and of course, politics. Sadly, I see a grand circling of the wagons both in large and small communities. I work for another outcome where we share our traditions, welcome each other over music, and break bread with good butter and excellent cheese.

As I tour Guitar America and share the stories of the composers featured, I learn stories from audience members, new to America and well seasoned. One thing I hold close to my heart: be elite, not elitist.

Though some disagree, this is the time to celebrate US history. Celebrate those who stood up before us against unjust laws, those who sacrificed for a greater good, and those alive today who inspire and protest – in all forms. I celebrate the premise and belief in an ideal, the USA, with recognizing and learning from where we fall short and our failures. 

As we’ve seen the arts weaponized, a very American thing to do, actively support American music and musicians, stand up for a neighbor (serve them some cider while welcoming them in), be an active and positive member of society, listen well…(American) Dream well

Declaration of Intention

A few years back, my aunt sent me a beautiful copy of the 1911 ‘Final Papers’ for my Great Grandfather, Charles Caplan, renouncing his allegiance to the Czar of Russia and becoming a US Citizen.

I celebrate the bravery of those who left their homes either for safety or a better future, and those who continue to do so. I read this document with great pride, it gives me chills, and have no intention of giving that away easily.

(Click to expand)

What’s your American story?

Read this on my new substack

I’m excited to return to the Rocky Mountains for a series of concerts June 25-28 in Garfield County sponsored by the Garfield County Libraries. I’ll be performing music from my album Guitar America 250 with a couple of originals and ‘A Room’ by John Cage. All of the events are free and open to the public.

In Oklahoma, I’ll be taking part in the Leyenda Convention at Oklahoma City University with a recital on Wednesday July 1 at 3:30pm. Again, I’ll be performing music from my album Guitar America 250 with a couple of originals and ‘A Room’ by John Cage. This is ticketed: https://events.humanitix.com/leyenda-convention-aaron-larget-caplan-in-concert

The Leyenda Convention begins on June 29 and runs through July 2. Check it out at: https://www.leyenda-foundation.com/2025-convention-schedule

As GUITAR AMERICA 250 – REVOLUTIONARIES AND ROCKSTARS features spoken word by Trevor Neal, Charles Coe, Jeffrey Lependorf, and myself, I decided that the album release concerts should also feature spoken word. So, I invited poets, musicians, speakers, and writers to join me. I am honored by their trust and can’t wait to see what happens!
Learn about the artists by reading the brief biographies below.

The Concerts and Performers (click for links):

• April 10 – Wellfleet Preservation Hall • Guest Felice Coral & Jeannette de Beauvoir
• April 11 – Arlington Street Church Chapel, Boston • Guest Jeffrey Lependorf
• April 14 – King’s Chapel, Boston • Guest Lloyd Schwartz
• April 19 – The Music Mansion, Providence, RI • Guest Trevor Neal
• April 25 – Unitarian Society of  Northampton, MA • GUEST Jeffrey Lependorf
• April 30 – Jacob Edwards Library, Southbridge, MA • Jonathan Blake
• May 3 – Charlene Larsen Center for the Performing Arts, Astoria, Oregon • Julia Hesse and Patrick Webb
• May 16 – Upham’s Corner Library, Dorchester, MA • Richard Hoffman, poet

Poet-musician and friend, Charles Coe, passed away in November 2025. He and I had performed Words & Music programs many times for Convergence Ensemble over the last few years. We had planned to tour again this spring and summer, but it was not too be. Because of his loss and his immense presence works in his honor are on each program. 

Jeffrey Lependorf, April 11 & April 25 – Boston & Northampton, Mass.
Jeffrey Lependorf is a composer and visual artist, and is also a certified master of the shakuhachi, a traditional Japanese bamboo flute. In 2025 he became the director of the John Cage Trust. Lependorf’s music has been performed around the globe — literally, in fact: a recording of his Night Pond for solo shakuhachi was launched into space when the shuttle Atlantis took off on May 15, 1997 and remained for a year aboard the Russian space station Mir. Recently, he has made a return to his first love, visual art, focusing on collage. http://jeffreylependorf.com/

Jeannette de Beauvoir, April 10 – Wellfleet, Cape Cod, Mass.
Jeannette de Beauvoir is a poet and novelist who lives in Provincetown, on the tip of Cape Cod. She writes mystery and historical fiction, and her work has appeared in the Looking Glass Review, Avalon Literary Review, and the New England Review, among many others; she received the Mary Ballard Chapbook Prize and the Outermost Poetry Contest national award. More at jeannettedebeauvoir.com

Felice Coral, April 10 – Wellfleet, Cape Cod, Mass.
Host of Café Classical on WOMR Outer Cape Radio.
https://provincetownindependent.org/tag/felice-coral/

Trevor Neal, April 19 – Providence, Rhode Island
Hailed for his “extremely warm and rich baritone” by Opera News, GRAMMY®-nominated Trevor Neal (he/him) has built an exciting international career that makes him a favorite among audiences in the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America. A 2018 Metropolitan Opera National Council Audition award winner and finalist, Neal has performed leading and supporting roles with renowned companies such as New York City Opera, The Dallas Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Sarasota Opera, Virginia Opera, and Opera San José. 

Lloyd Schwartz, April 14 – Boston, Mass.
Lloyd Schwartz is currently Somerville’s Poet Laureate, for which he has been awarded a major fellowship from the Academy of American Poets. His latest book, “Who’s on First? New and Selected Poems,” is published by the University of Chicago Press. His work has been selected for “The Best American Poetry,” “The Best of the Best American Poetry,” and the Pushcart Prize, and he is the recipient of a 2019 Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship for his poetry. The longtime classical music critic for NPR’s Fresh Air, he was also the classical music editor of The Boston Phoenix, for which he was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism in 1994. He is the Frederick S. Troy Professor of English Emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

Jonathan Blake, April 30 – Southbridge, Mass.
Jonathan Blake has been following the gospel of his heart his entire life. Writer, educator, arts organizer, he makes his home in central Massachusetts. His book of poems, In the Kingdom, can be found at lostvalleypress.com, local independent bookstores, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Julia Hesse, May 3 – Astoria, Oregon
Julia Hesse has lived in Astoria for nine years. She works to weave together a sense of community, an awareness of our shared humanity, and a deep belonging within the wider web of the living world. Music has been a lifelong source of inspiration and comfort for her. She is the director of Vocal Uprising, a community-powered chorus that brings people together to raise their voices in service of action, courage, and joy. She offers this poem as another small act of connection—a testament to the power of music and song to soothe, strengthen, and guide us forward. Julia is also a semi-retired tarot teacher and reader. Learn more at www.juliahesse.com.

Patrick Webb, May 3 – Astoria, Oregon
Patrick Webb is the retired managing editor of The Astorian who will celebrate 50 years in newspaper journalism in July. He is an occasional actor in plays at the PAC and most recently at the Ten Fifteen Theater in Astoria where three of his four characters in “Macbeth” were slaughtered. From his childhood in England until now, he has embraced a lifelong love of words and is delighted to be sharing one of Walt Whitman’s pieces, “Proud Music of the Storm.” It was written in 1869.

Richard Hoffman, May 15 – Dorchester, Mass.
Richard Hoffman is the author of five books of poetry: Without Paradise; Gold Star Road, winner of The Barrow Street Press Poetry Prize and the Sheila Motton Book Award from The New England Poetry Club; Emblem; Noon until Night, which received the 2018 Massachusetts Book Award for Poetry, and his most recent, People Once Real. His other books include the memoirs, Half the House and Love & Fury; Interference and Other Stories, and the essay collection Remembering the Alchemists. His Each Child a Disappearance: New & Selected Poems, and Children Elsewhere: Collected Series, Sequences, & Suites are forthcoming in September. He is Emeritus Writer in Residence at Emerson College and Nonfiction Editor of Solstice: A Magazine of Diverse Voices. https://richardhoffman.org/

Charles Coe (1952-2025) – Everywhere
Charles Coe (1952–2025) is the author of three books of poetry: “All Sins Forgiven: Poems for my Parents,” “Picnic on the Moon,” and most recently “Memento Mori,” all published by Leapfrog Press. His novella “Spin Cycles,” about a homeless man living on the street in Boston, was published by Gemma Media. “Peach Pie,” a short film by filmmaker Roberto Mighty based on his poem “Fortress,” has been shown in film festivals nationwide. https://www.charlescoe.org/

Quick Update!

In December, I was awarded the Professional Development Grant from the professional music fraternity Foundation of Mu Phi Epsilon to attend and showcase at APAP NYC in January (Association of Performing Arts Professionals).

Taking place at the Hilton NYC Midtown, I performed two 25min showcases of two programs: 1) Solo Guitar – Revolutions in Music and 2) Azimuth Duo with cellist Stephen Marotto.

With over 3000 attendees in the music industry including Artists, Presenters, Management, and many more, it was a very intense time.

Showcasing is not a small or inexpensive endeavor. I’m extremely grateful for the funds provided by the Professional Development Grant. Getting seen by the buyers in our industry is very powerful and we are already seeing the benefits from it.

Azimuth Duo plays Asturias at APAP: 

In December, the 60-voice choir Kantorei, under the direction of Joel Rinsema, premiered my ‘Cider Meditation’ for SATB + Guitar on a choir & guitar holiday program featuring 18 compositions by various composers including a couple of premieres. I wrote a text inspired by the events happening in the US and the ideals of the holidays: protecting strangers from the cold, and warmth and safety.

Performed six times in a three-week period in the Greater Denver area, it was heard by over 2000 people. It will air on Colorado Public Television later this year. The score is available from the American Composers Alliance.

In December, the American Composers Alliance published my latest collection of arrangements to commemorate the USA at 250: American Patriotic Songs Arranged for Guitar. Featuring 6 solo from pre-Civil War through World War I and an Amended version of the Bill of Rights by James Madison, all the works are featured on my forthcoming album ‘Guitar America 250’ being released on March 6 on Navona Records. Pre-Save the album.

In February, composer and pianist John McDonald premiered the second piano solo, Foraging, from my forthcoming solo piano collection! It is inspired by the Mushroom Hunter, John Cage. The rest of the collection will be premiered later this year.

Foraging (2026):

Aurore (2024):

2025 was quite a year. I’m not sure how to express exactly what it was, especially with all that was/is happening outside of my little bubble, but it was quite a different experience from anything prior or from what I expected. 

I went into 2024 with a plan: recording, performing, premiering particular works and living life, and besides a few bumps it went well. 

2025 began with a lot of questions due to a less than typical performance schedule, which brought a bit of anxiety, but also allowed me to do things I hadn’t done prior: write more music! 

January, I attended APAP in NYC to observe and learn. I met so many people in the music industry and was overwhelmed in the best way possible. 

February, attended Chamber Music America in Houston. Similar to APAP, but much smaller in scale focusing only on classical music, I met many presenters and wonderful artists! 
Podcast for Piano Technicians Masterclasses – Watch
Gave a scholarship to a Cambridge high school student from Mu Phi Epsilon Boston Alumni.

March, Tour in California performing for Ventura Classical Guitar Society, the Bender family in Encinitas, the Athenaeum in La Jolla, and Center for New Music, and a talk for composition class of Ken Ueno at UC Berkeley. AMAZING: visiting Muir Woods!! 
Visited luthier Pepe Romero Jr. and recorded multiple videos 
Wrote first draft of ‘Cider Meditation’ for choir and guitar.

April, Performed on Bargemusic in Brooklyn, New York for two concert programs; very pleased that the NY composers concert was very well attended. Returned to Maine for a last minute performance at Bowdoin College to premiere a guitar duo by Hayden Byrne.

May, Recorded all of the solos for Guitar America 250 (coming on March 1, 2026!), and reconnected with violinist Irina Muresanu for a recording of our arrangement of ‘Adoration’ by Florence Price. Premiere of New Lullaby Project solo ‘All Through the Night’ by Keane Southard.

June, Attended the Guitar Foundation of America in Louisville, Kentucky. Write and record Bill of Rights, Amended for new album. 

July, performed concerts in Boston and a mini-tour along the Maine Coast in Eastport, Steuben, Hallowell, and Kittery. 
Recorded Trevor Neal, poet Charles Coe and Jeffrey Lependorf reading works of Francis Harper, Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau/John Cage for Guitar America 250 in Newport, Rhode Island and Northampton, Mass.

August, visited Art Omi in Ghent, NY and made a few videos in their SILO, gave livestream for New England Conservatory and an interview performance for WOMR radio. 

September, the 2025-26 Season started with a rush of events:
09-9-25, Cage Trust Event – A beautiful event celebrating outgoing JCT director Laura Kuhn. 
09-10-25, Hingham Library – My first all-Latin American concert in over 10 years.
09-13-25, Wellfleet Preservation Hall – My first performance in this amazing space!
09-16-25, BU Composition Class – return to BU to speak and share music with young composers.
09-17-25, Radio – WCRI – Conducting Conversations with Mike Maino – Listen
09-28-25, NSM – Convergence Ensemble – Words & Music with poet Charles Coe. 
09-30-25, King’s Chapel – bunches of New Lullabies and album preview!
Sign with Rhizome Arts for touring and management – announcement
Article Revelations on Guitar The Provincetown Independent

October, debut with Newport Classical. Premiere of New Lullaby Project solo ‘Night Echoes’ by Jin Hee Han.
WCRI’s Kids Classical Hour – New Lullaby Project – Listen

November, Tufts University all-Latin America program.
Publication of ‘American Patriotic Songs for Guitar’ with the American Composers Alliance
Publication of ‘Cider Meditation’ for SATB+G with the American Composers Alliance
Music Career Talk for Mu Phi Epsilon Boston Alumni – online

December, 3-weeks in Colorado!
12-05-25, Perform with the Cherry Creek High School Meistersingers and Kantorei
12-6/7-25, Perform concerts of 14 works for choir & guitar with Kantorei – Premiere of ‘Cider Meditation’!
12-8/9-25, 2-day residency in Carbondale and Basalt public/private schools for the Aspen Music Festival
12-10-25, Perform with the Cherry Creek High School Meistersingers
12-12-25, Bravo! Vail – 1-day residency in Edwards in the public middle and high school
12-19/21-25, Perform with Kantorei – Premiere of ‘Cider Meditation’ and Sir Christemasse by M. Ryan Taylor!
Article feature in The Aspen Times on the residencies for the Aspen Music Festival

Over 2-million streams in 2025!

Premieres 

• All Through the Night by Keane Southard, guitar solo
• Cloud Lacrymae by Douglas Knehans, electronics and guitar
• Cider Meditation by Aaron Larget-Caplan, choir and guitar
• Coastal Highway by Aaron Larget-Caplan, guitar solo
• Night Echoes by Jin Hee Han, guitar solo – New Lullaby #80
• Sir Christemasse by M. Ryan Taylor, choir and guitar
• Suite for a Changing Climate by Hayden Byrne, guitar duo

Premieres (arrangements) 

• Adoration by Florence Price, guitar solo
• America* by Paul Simon
• Battle Cry of Freedom* by George F. Root
• Harmony 20, O Give Thanks – James Lyon (From Apartment House 1776)* by John Cage
• Harmony 26, Judea – William Billings (From Apartment House 1776)* by John Cage
• Lift Every Voice and Sing* by J. Rosamond Johnson
• Star Spangled Banner* by John S. Smith

* Featured on Guitar America 250 (Navona, March 2026)

Publications

• ‘American Patriotic Songs for Guitar’ with the American Composers Alliance – HERE
• ‘Cider Meditation’ for SATB+G with the American Composers Alliance – HERE

Videos

• Videos Pepe Romero Jr.
• Videos in Muir Woods
• Videos in a Silo at Art Omi

Supporters (Spirit, Fractured Atlas, Patreon & Private)

American Composers Alliance, Beverly Abeg, Bender Family, Simon Henry Berry, Christopher Bush, Laurie Caplan, Gene Caprioglio, Charles Coe, Olivier Fanton D’Andon, Stephen Drury, Alex Fedorov, Peter Frewen & Jenie Smith, Gina Genova, Frederic Hand, Paul Hatala, Simon Henry, Steve Hunt, Ross & Cody Jones, Patricia Krol, Laura Kuhn, Catherine Larget-Caplan, Caroline Larget, Patrick Lathrop, Jeffrey Lependorf, Beverly Maher, John McDonald, Melissa & Alex Menter, Marcelino Miranda, Nick and Jessica Morgan, Irina Muresanu, Mu Phi Epsilon Boston Alumni, Trevor Neal, Lubos Naprstek, Will Rowe, K.S., John Weston, Ian Wiese, Peter & Bonnie Yates.

1 2 3 ►

A full circle moment: Aaron Larget-Caplan 

Link: https://www.aspentimes.com/news/aspen-music-festival-winter-music-recitals/

Aspen Music Festival and School also supports teachers and students across Roaring Fork Valley. This includes in-school enrichment and its Musical Connections program, which provided outreach by inviting esteemed musician Aaron Larget-Caplan to visit the school this month.

Acclaimed guitarist, composer, and Colorado-based musician Aaron Larget-Caplan returned to Basalt and Carbondale from Dec. 8-9 to work with the students by leading workshops and assemblies as part of Music Connections outreach.

For Larget-Caplan, who attended Colorado Rocky Mountain School, Basalt Middle School, Carbondale Community School, Waldorf School on the Roaring Fork, and Carbondale Middle School, these visits “pay it forward.” He traces it back to a similar school visit he experienced in his youth. 

“Growing up in Denver, I remember when the Denver Symphony came to my elementary school. I played the clarinet. He performed a Brahms Sonata, and I thought, ‘Wow.’ When I heard this, I didn’t know this existed, and music really saved my life as a teenager. It improved all my grades, discipline, how I think, and how I learn,” Larget-Caplan said.

Now, as a concert guitarist, he has performed across the U.S., Europe, Russia, and Taiwan. He’s premiered more than 120 solo and chamber works, soloed with orchestras, and led commissioning projects. He has also received multiple awards and held prestigious residencies at the Banff Centre and John Cage Trust at Bard College.

He added, “As soon as I was a halfway decent musician, whenever I came back to Colorado, I wanted to make sure that these kids heard this and had opportunities to hear music.”

He’s also determined to demystify the world of music for young learners.

“You don’t have to be a professional with music,” he said. “There are so many paths. This is not something our society is very warm to unless you’re famous, and I refuse to accept that.”

For more information, visit aspenmusicfestival.com/events/winter-music-2026 or Aaron Larget-Caplan.

Aspen Music Festival and School’s Musical Connections program brings musical experiences to Roaring Fork Schools.Jennika Ingram/Courtesy photo

While out west Dec. 3-22 and between concerts with Kantorei, I will perform twice with the advanced choral group at Cherry Creek High School, my alma mater, the Meistersingers, give a 2-day residency for the Aspen Music Festival and School, a 1-day residency for Bravo! Vail, and a house concert in Taos, New Mexico.

All information can be found on my website calendar.

Aspen Music School and Festival: a two-day residency (12/8-9) where I will visit Lead Guitar programs in Carbondale and Basalt to work with young guitarists and aspiring musicians.

Bravo! Vail: 12/12 – a day performing and discussing being a professional musician at Black Mountain High School and the Community College. 

CCHS: I will perform Jeffrey Van’s ’14 Angels’ at Cherry Creek High School with the advanced chamber choir, the Meistersingers, under Sarah Branton on December 5 & 10. (Dec. 5 info)

TAOS: I will return to Taos, New Mexico for a solo performance at the home of dear friend, Cee Bearden in El Prado. The performance includes a preview of pieces from my upcoming album, Guitar America 250. Info HERE.

Stephen Marotto and I have partnered formerly as a duo of cello and guitar as the AZIMUTH DUO

Azimuth Duo traverses an arc across cultures and continents—where Spanish dances and love songs ignite, tangos smolder with longing, and American dreams shimmer with the promise of new frontiers. Performed by cellist Stephen Marotto and guitarist & composer Aaron Larget-Caplan, this duo blends passion, nostalgia, and discovery into a single horizon-seeking musical journey.

Based in Boston and playing together since 2019 as a duo and as a trio with flamenco dance, the Azimuth Duo is a classical music ensemble passionate in exploring cultural music dimensions, living composers, and presenting in traditional and atypical settings with excitement and precision.

**APAP Showcase Sunday Jan. 11, 6:30pm Regent Parlor @ Hilton Midtown NYC**

Artists

• Stephen Marotto – StephenMarotto.com
• Aaron Larget-Caplan – ALCGuitar.com

Programs Sample

• Albéniz: Asturias,
• Flaherty: Timeflies
• Granados: Spanish Dance #5 “Andaluza”
• Piazzolla: Café 1930 & Revirado
• Price: Adoration
• Rodrigo: Adagio from the Concierto de Aranjuez
• De Falla: Seven Spanish Folk Songs
• Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5

Besides formal concerts, we are available for:

Community Outreach

• Educational programs in schools
• Community settings

Arts Residencies

• Middle & High Schools
• Community Music Programs
• Conservatories, Colleges & Universities

Contact & Booking Information
Rhizome Arts • www.rhizomearts.com • +1.305.998.9969 • glauco@rhizomearts.com
601 Brickel l Key Drive #700 Miami, FL 33131

¡Con Fuego! – La Conja, Aaron, and Stephen

In December, I return to Denver, Colorado, where I grew up, for a series of concerts with the choir Kantorei under the direction of Joel M. Rinsema, titled ‘Silent Nights‘. We will have 5 performances in the Denver area on the first and third weekends. Of special note, is the premiere of ‘Cider Meditation,’ a piece I wrote this year for Kantorei and commissioned by the Hatala Family. (program below)

KANTOREI INTERVIEW with AARON (click)

Watch a brief 2′ video on FB about Cider Meditation: 

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/17k2xE7pFK/

**********

While out west, I will also perform at Cherry Creek High School, my alma mater, as well as a give residency for the Aspen Music Festival and School, and a house concert in Taos, New Mexico.

Aspen Music School and Festival: a two-day residency (12/8-9) where I will visit Lead Guitar programs in Carbondale and Basalt to work with young guitarists and aspiring musicians. Details on the calendar

Bravo! Vail: 12/12 – performing and discussing being a professional musician at Black Mountain High School and the Community College. 

CCHS: perform Jeffrey Van’s ’14 Angels’ at Cherry Creek High School with the advanced chamber choir, the Meistersingers, under Sarah Branton on December 5 & 10. (Dec. 5 info)

TAOS: I will return to Taos, New Mexico for a solo performance at the home of dear friend, Cee Bearden in El Prado. The performance includes a preview of pieces from my upcoming album, Guitar America 250. Info HERE.

Aaron’s Concert Calendar HERE

SILENT NIGHTS PROGRAM (Choir-Guitar selections)

1. Eight holiday works by Jeffrey Van
2. Individual holiday works by Ryan Taylor, David Carney, Michael Fink
3. Two works by Alf Houkom
4. Cider Meditation by Larget-Caplan – world premiere (score)

Newport Classical Kid’s Program
Presents
Aaron Larget-Caplan’s New Lullaby Project
October 12, 2025

Program

• A World of Your Own (2012)                                                                                           Jim Dalton
• Remembering (2021)                                                                                                  Laurie Spiegel
• Ninna Nanna (2021)                                                                                               Pasquale Tassone
• Berceuse Inquiète (2021)                                                                                               Ronald Pearl
• Night Echoes (2025) – World Premiere (no. 81)                                                        Jinhee Han
• Lullaby (2020)                                                                                                                  Stepan Rak
• Stuff at Night (2024)                                                                                                   Larget-Caplan
• Counting Backwards (2021)                                                                                      Anthony Green
• Midnight Train (2021)                                                                                                        Ian Wiese
• All Through the Night (2024)                                                                                   Keane Southard

New Lullaby Project

• Begun in 2007 by Aaron Larget-Caplan, the New Lullaby Project present bridge the chasms of fear of contemporary music to audiences and composers in writing for the guitar. Since then it has premiered of over 80 New Lullabies by 75 composers from 12 countries, issued three albums and two anthologies of scores published by the American Composers Alliance.

Who’s afraid of a lullaby?!

• There are two basic types of lullabies: one gives the listeners warmth and protection, while the second tends to be darker with hints of fear. The former calls for good dreams to the wary soul and lets him know that he will awake safely in a better tomorrow. The latter lives on the idea that night and even sleep can be dangerous. Maybe this comes from the folk tradition of tempering our demons by singing to them, voicing our fears that are greater than our worldly matters, or the simple truth that one can catch a cold if one’s feet are not fully covered while sleeping.