The moment when you knew you wanted to be a musician:

There were 2 moments. When, as a little child, I first saw the movie Fantasia with Leopold Stokowski, and when I first played Final Fantasy VII and heard Nobuo Uematsu’s soundtrack for the game. In that moment music never left my head.

An important skill for a career in music that does not have anything to do with an instrument or making music:

Oh, Easy! Be a nice person. Be kind, helpful, open-minded, and respectful. Think about it. What people you gravitate towards and why? Think of your true friends. Be the person you want to hang out with.

Two ways you stay motivated:

Coffee (Obvi), and leaving prejudices behind. Most of our music knowledge is built on prejudices—what is right, what is wrong, what is tasteful, what is not. But when we leave all that behind, a whole world opens up with so many possibilities that motivation becomes a given.
Also, never lose perspective of who you are. If you follow what you truly want to achieve, despite what anyone can say, you’ll always be motivated because you’re following what you truly believe in.

Latest Project:

I’m working on a short opera, and preparing everything for the premiere of my third symphony.

What inspired it:

Well, the opera is based on a Puerto Rican legend what was artfully put into words by author Carmen Leonor Rivera-Lassen.

The symphony, titled “The Moral Question” is inspired by the barrage of absurdity that is coming out of the supreme court and how that is impacting us but especially non-white folks, and queer folks like me.

Who’s on it:

The opera will be staged and produced by White Snake Projects in Boston! And it will be live-streamed so stay tuned.

The symphony is for brass sextet soloists and symphonic band. The soloists will be The Brass Project and the symphonic band will be from the University of Colorado, Boulder, which they both commissioned the piece.

How do you discover new music?

I usually go to Spotify or Youtube. On Spotify I create a “radio station” based on a piece or song I like and then things appear that I’ve never heard that I end up loving. Also, Releases Radar, there’s always something new there. 

One living and one dead musician that deserves more attention:

Oh! How to decide…

• Ernst Boehe – Composer
• Pancho Vladiguerov – Composer
• Amazarashi — Rock Band
• Official HIGE DANdism — Pop Band
• Jose Valente — Accordeonist

Where can we find you online?

In all the socials as IvanEComposer: FB, Twitter, IG,
My Website or shoot me an email if you’re bored ivan@ivanrodriguezmusic.com

Upcoming Event you’d like to share?

Oh Yes! If you’re in the Dallas area on June 21st, come and visit me at the Meyerson Symphony hall at 2pm. the Dallas Symphony will be performing my second symphony!

For more info: https://www.ivanrodriguezmusic.com/upcoming-events/2023/3/1/dallas-symphony-orchestra-earshot-symphony-no2

The moment when you knew you wanted to be a musician:

I don’t know if it was a moment so much as an environment — namely the environment I was raised in. My household was musical in every way, and studying an instrument was simply expected of us. Not in a pressure-filled way, more that it was just something we all did. I started piano around the time I was learning to read, so being musical developed for me right alongside other ways of being. I had lots of interests growing up, including languages and literature and art history, which, looking back, I can see were all interwoven and contributed to my becoming a singer. I suppose the moment I knew I was going to devote my energy to being a musician happened later, at Hampshire College, when my advisor called to my attention the fact that I seemed to spend the majority of my time in the music building. (At that point I was pursuing a course of study that would have led to teaching secondary school English and Literature.) My advisor essentially helped me see myself from the outside, and gave me permission to commit outwardly to a path that I was, clearly, already committed to inwardly. I switched my concentration and advisor over to music and the rest, as they say…

An important skill for a career in music that does not have anything to do with an instrument or making music:

I cannot stress enough the importance of good writing skills. Very often, our written communications – whether with colleagues, mentors, teachers, institutions of learning, presenting organizations, or fans – precede our in-person interactions and set the tone for how other people perceive and relate to us.

Two ways you stay motivated:

Physical activity (yoga, hiking, weight lifting) keeps me sane and energized, and cooking keeps me inspired and grounded. Creating nourishing meals is how I unwind and find my center when the twists and turns of my career threaten to uproot me.

Latest Project:

Lifeline – an album of modern-day interpretations of chants by 12th century composer Hildegard von Bingen, distilled through the lens of the artist’s experiences in quarantine and crafted remotely through innovative collaborative processes.

What inspired it:

I entered the initial lock-down phase of the COVID-19 Pandemic with a bizarre case of laryngitis that lasted about 7 weeks, accompanied by lingering respiratory challenges that prevented me from walking more than a few blocks at at time. (I most likely had COVID but was unable to get tested at the time.) When I returned to singing, Hildegard was the music I was drawn to. Singing chant in isolation made a lot of sense, but I found myself craving the collaborative process. So I reached out to instrumental colleagues who had the capacity to record themselves at home, and we co-created intricately-layered “drone” environments to serve as backdrops for, or in some cases conversations with, Hildegard’s vocal compositions.

Who’s on it:

• Matt Berkeley – Fender Rhodes Piano, Synthesizers
• Sidney Chen – Shruti box
• Eric Fraser – Bansuri flute
• Trace Johnson – Cello
• BZ Lewis – Guitars, Synthesizers
• Jessie Nucho – Flutes
• Colm Ó Riain – Violin
• Justin Ouellet – Violin, Viola
• Carrie Smith – Guitar
• Recorded, edited and mixed by Alberto Hernandez
• Mastering, additional mixing and engineering by BZ Lewis
• Additional engineering by Jeff Kolhede
• Remote engineering by Matt Berkeley, Sidney Chen, Eric Fraser, Jeremy Garcia, Trace Johnson, Jessie Nucho and Justin Ouellet
• Recorded in Berkeley, Sacramento, Oakland and San Francisco, CA; Houston, TX; Madison, WI; Claverack, NY
• Graphic design by Edgar Alanis
• Album cover photo credit: Tony Nguyen
• Chants transcribed by Beverly R. Lomer and edited by Barbara Newman
• Translations by Nathaniel M. Campbell and Ann Moss
• Produced by Ann Moss and Justin Ouellet

How do you discover new music?

My students, friends, and family turn me on to new music all the time. Also, lately, I’ve been letting YouTube music generate playlists for me which has weirdly reconnected me to a lot of music I used to listen to but had forgotten about.

One living and one dead musician that deserves more attention:

LIVING: Kev Choice is a Pianist/M.C./Producer/Composer/Educator/Activist based in Oakland who has been innovating, collaborating, and inspiring the Bay Area (ever so slightly under the radar) for decades. I believe he deserves national attention. Check out his music!

DEAD: I am a huge fan of Heinrich Isaac and I rarely get the chance to sing his stuff. Think Josquin but with more meat on the bone.

Where can we find you online?

www.annmosssoprano.com

Instagram

Twitter

Upcoming Event you’d like to share? 

I’m singing Gérard Grisey’s gorgeous final opus – Quatre chants pour franchir le seuil – with After Everything in San Francisco on Saturday, May 6th.
Details here: https://www.annmosssoprano.com/calendar/2023/5/6/grisey-quatre-chants-with-after-everything

Ann Moss and Steve Bailey at Skywalker Studio

On February 15, Now Musique received a Cultural Recovery Grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council awarded.

Founded by Aaron Larget-Caplan in 2019, Now Musique is dedicated to exploring the new and neglected in music with solo and chamber music concerts being presented in Boston and beyond. 

Between August and November 2022, Now Musique presented 5 program in 8 concerts in the Boston neighborhood of Dorchester. The programs featured 25 composers with many in attendance, as well as a few dead composers for balance. 

We are honored and grateful to have received the award and we look forward to celebrating through music in the near future!

http://nowmusique.com/ 

Our next concert is May 19 in Providence, Rhode Island with Grammy Nominated baritone Johnathan McCullough.

Now Musique is fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas. All donations are tax deductible.

Mass Cultural Council Celebrates $51M in Cultural Sector Pandemic Recovery Grants

Funding List

The moment when you knew you wanted to be a musician:

Amateur or professional?  I began piano lessons at 5. then clarinet, sax, electric guitar, mandolin, classical guitar. So amateur age 5:). professional mid teens

An important skill for a career in music that does not have anything to do with an instrument or making music:

Being nice 🙂
Organising  skills, patience, and perseverance

Two ways you stay motivated:

Don’t need ways to stay motivated.  Everyday is a joy if I can practice music  and learn

Latest Project:

A CD called “Dale and Friends”. consisting of a group of my duos and a trio.

What inspired it:

I like to compose and want to work with my friends.

Who’s on it:

Thomas Kirchhoff, Laura Young, Sümeyye Ergun, Liying Zhu, Frank Gerstmeier, Zoran Dukic and Aniello Desiderio,  and Margarita Escarpa. Also, my two amazing sound engineers-producers were Hubert Kaeppel and Hans-Werner Huppertz.

How do you discover new music?

Asking friends who is new on the block, going to concerts etc..

One living and one dead musician that deserves more attention:

Michael Torke

Dora Pejačević 1885-1923

Where can we find you online?

www.dalekavanagh.com

www.amadeusduo.com

Facebook, Instagram, Spotify, Apple Music etc……

Upcoming Event you’d like to share? 

• 03/03/2023            Bonn (Hardberger Gitarrenkonzerte)
• 15/04/2023            Augsburg (Gitarrenfestival)
• 29/04/2023            Kuala Lumpur
• 01/05/2023            Kuala Lumpur
• 04/06/2023            Bedburg (Schloss Bedburg)
• 09/06/2023            Burgwedel (with Duo Gruber & Maklar)
• 16/06/2023            Stettin/Polen (Baltic Guitar Days)
• 02/07/2023            Lübbecke (mit Orgel, Hermann Grube)
• 24/07/2023            Iserlohn (31. Gitarren-Festival)
• 02/08/2023            Dillington, England
• 03/08/2023            Dillington, England
• 14/08/2023            Carrion de los Condes, Spain
• 16/08/2023            Carrion de los Condes, Spain

The moment when you knew you wanted to be a musician:

Not long after starting music lessons at age 12. I sopped all the music I could up like a sponge.

An important skill for a career in music that does not have anything to do with an instrument or making music:

Friendliness. Being pleasant and friendly is incredibly helpful in finding people who want to work with you.

Two ways you stay motivated:

Finding great collaborators. Remembering how much I like having a roof over my head.

Latest Project:

Show Offs! A cycle of four concertos: 1 for harpsichord, 2 for sax quartet, 3 for piano, and 4 for viola.

What inspired it:

Looking at the 6 symphonies I’ve written which are conscious commentaries on an old form made me want to do it for another venerable tradition and try to deconstruct it.

Who’s on it:

Soloists: Michael Delfín, harpsichord; Zzyzx saxophone quartet; Erika Dohi, piano; Michael Hall, viola. Conductors: Chris Hisey, Thomas McCauley, ShawnCrowch Ensembles: Montclair State University Wind Symphony, American Chamber Orchestra, Society for New Music (Syracuse), Ensemble Ibis. (And others may join, especially on the harpsichord and viola pieces).

How do you discover new music?

Mostly through other people who share their stuff. And browsing the web and the occasional used record store.

One living and one dead musician that deserves more attention:

Living: Carlos Carrillo. A phenomenal composer who deserves to shine brightly.

Dead: Louise Farrenc. Her music is amazing.

Where can we find you online?

Website (best place to listen to my tunes)
Twitter
Facebook

Upcoming Event you’d like to share?

I have performances at University of Illinois Urbana/Champaign as part of the Festival of Puerto Rican Music, March 30- April 2, with Kristina Bachrach, Winston Choi, and The Victory Players; and a portrait show at Epiphany Center in Chicago with Kristina Bachrach and Winston Choi on April 2.

I lived in Arlington, Mass.

Catherine and I filed our marriage license at the Arlington City Hall, which happens to be adjacent to the Robbins Library, a public library dating from the 1880’s.

Though I called it home from 2001 until 2004, I didn’t perform their until February 2020.

When my Spanish classical music and flamenco dance ensemble ¡Con Fuego! performed at Arlington’s Regent Theater just a few blocks from the library.

The Friends of the Robbins Library reached out in 2019 about performing for their Reading Room Series, which I happily agreed to.

We were very excited for the May 2020 solo concert in the historic Reading Room…

Yes…May 2020…

It did not happen.

An online concert hosted by the Friends of the Robbins Library happened in April 2021.

Not the same…

But we stayed in touch.

We made plans and on February 26, 2023 an in-person, live, breathing, physical, concert occurred!

It was exhilarating!! Packed house! Standing Ovation!! Encores! 

Thank you to the Friends of the Robbins Library, the Arlington Cultural Council, and all of those who came out to the concert. 

Though it took 3 years, it was perfect! Thank you!

Support concerts like these by signing up to be a member of the Robbins Library (HERE)

Looking Bach, Listening Forward

PROGRAM
J.S. Bach – Prelude in C Major, BWV 846*
Aaron Larget-Caplan – sweet nuance
Vineet Shende – Carnatic Prelude N. 1, After J.S. Bach*
Isaac Albéniz – Granada*
Francisco Tarrega – Recuerdos de La Alhambra w/improvised introduction
Larget-Caplan – moving still
John Cage – In A Landscape*
Bach – God’s Time is the very best Time, BWV 106*
Esteban Sanlucar – Mantilla de Feria
Albéniz – Sevilla*
Alan Hovhaness – Mystic Flute* – US Premiere

*Written for or arranged by Aaron Larget-Caplan