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

I’m not sure there ever was a moment – It just crept up on me when I wasn’t looking.

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

The ability to create compelling ‘content’ (in whatever form you prefer.)

Two ways you stay motivated:

No.1 – I look back on all I have achieved and congratulate myself that I made it so far, then (No.2) I go look at my bank balance!

Latest Project:

My second album of Philip Glass transcriptions called “The Poet Acts”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What inspired it:

After the success of my first Glass album “Escape’ I really wanted to explore more of his vast output. There’s so much variety in his compositions that I wanted to show that not all of what he does should be termed ‘minimalist’. (Check out his Cello composition ‘Orbit’ or his Piano Etude No.20.)

Who’s on it:

Just me and my guitar.

How do you discover new music?

One piece leads to another, don’t you find?

One living and one dead musician that deserves more attention:

Derek Gripper – a South African guitarist who expanded the guitar repertoire with his Malian Kora transcriptions.

Manolo Sanlucar – can you imagine being a flamenco guitarist and having Paco de Lucia as a contemporary! Yet somehow he found a way – his album Tauromagia is a masterpiece.

Where can we find you online?

www.gerardcousins.com

Spotify

Upcoming Event you’d like to share?

New Album “The Poet Acts” is released on 7 July 2023

 

 

 

 

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

I asked my parents for piano lessons at age 4 and was immediately hooked, so I feel like I’ve always known that I wanted to be a musician. Choosing music as a career path came later, with lots of support from family, friends, mentors, and a solid foundation of resilience.

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

Time management and self-care are very important skills for musicians. Often, as a freelancer, I have to set my own boundaries regarding when I’m working and when I’m not, to manage the pace of my work and adapt to various obstacles that may arise along the way to a project’s fruition. I have found that resisting capitalistic definitions of “success” are key to finding a balance.

Two ways you stay motivated:

I go to concerts or other artistic events and find inspiration in what other people are doing! Deadlines are usually the real motivation though!

Latest Project:

Letters That You Will Not Get: Women’s Voices from the Great War

 

 

 

 

What inspired it:

“Letters…” is a chamber opera created and performed by an all female/nonbinary team that tells the story of women’s experiences in World War I in their own words. Six singers and string quintet present 21 vignettes written by women from around the world during one of the most catastrophic conflicts in history, which continue to resonate meaningfully today.

Who’s on it:

 

The American Opera Project commissioned, developed, and premiered it in Brooklyn. Librettists Susan Werbe and Kate Holland, stage direction by Kate Bergstrom, music direction by Mila Henry, design by Sara Brown, Stefania Bulbarella, An-Lin Dauber, and Masha Tsimring, featuring the Opera Cowgirls.

How do you discover new music?

Concerts, various internet radio stations (college, community radio, new music shows), and recommendations from friends

One living and one dead musician that deserves more attention:

Living: Arooj Aftab — I think she’s actually gained quite a bit of notoriety at this point, but when I discovered her music a few years ago, I was totally enraptured.

Dead: Cesária Évora — She is a Cape Verdean legend and had an international career starting in the 80s. May her incredible voice and legacy live on!

Where can we find you online?

Website • Bandcamp • Facebook

Upcoming Event you’d like to share?

Verdant Vibes Album Benefit Show with spoken word artist Christopher Johnson – LINK

June 4, 2023 at 7:30 pm

Grant Recital Hall, Brown University
1 Young Orchard Avenue, Providence, RI
$25–40 suggested donation (notaflof)

Includes free digital download when album is released!

• ​Amanda Feery — On Shuffle
• ​Matt Frey — Lean
• Christopher Johnson — TBD
• Scott Lee — Engine Trouble
• ​​Kirsten Volness — for Anna Atkins
• Roseminna Watson — Lullabies for Icarus
• Evan Williams —  GRIME

We’re recording our first album at Machines with Magnets and are playing this concert to raise funds to cover production and distribution costs. Please join us—we appreciate your support!!

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

After seeing the film The Pianist.

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

There are many things that qualify more as personality traits, which can be mutable (though usually not). But in terms of actual skills, I would say learning how to manage money, and learning about the audio/video recording process.

Two ways you stay motivated:

Listening to my favorite pieces of music or favorite musicians & reading a piece I love but have never studied.

Latest Project:

The Brahms Age – the complete Violin Sonatas of Johannes Brahms played on historical instruments (hänssler Classic, HC22081) coming out this summer.

What inspired it:

My enduring connection and aptitude for the music of Brahms is inspired by his unique fusion intense and sensitive romanticism, which provides a vehicle to exhibit the expressive abilities of the violin, and his Bach-influenced architecture that transcends the violin.

Who’s on it:

Myself and Constantine Finehouse

 

 

 

 

How do you discover new music?

YouTube and recommendations.

One living and one dead musician that deserves more attention:

Living: Shunske Sato

Dead: Alexander Labko

Where can we find you online?

Youtube or on facebook

Spotify

Upcoming Event you’d like to share?

Next is a little concert featuring Korngold and Rachmaninoff Piano Trios @ Brookhaven in Lexington on May 16 (with Jonathan Senik, piano and Joan Herget, cello)

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

I knew I wanted to be a musician pretty early, around age 13. I had only been playing guitar a few years at that point but I had fallen so deeply in love with making music I knew I wanted it to be a central part of my life.

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

Perseverance! It’s a long journey full of ups and downs, successes and failures, opportunities and closed doors. It’s important to keep going. Be smart about it, learn from your mistakes and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. In the end, opportunities and a career will emerge.

Two ways you stay motivated:

The first way is that I am always setting short term and medium term goals. That way I am always working towards something that gives me a sense of completion. That could be a new composition that I give myself a few weeks to compose, or a setting a date to learn and record it. We need to feel that sense of completion and these short and medium term goals provide that.

The second way is challenging myself to try things that are difficult for me. Fretless guitar is difficult. However, I love challenging myself to push the envelope and try things that I don’t think I can do.

Latest Project:

I am working on a second solo album of fretless guitar compositions as well as some collaborations with other guitarists. Additionally, I am developing my company, G&G Guitars, which are exclusive resellers of Altamira fretless guitars, which I play and helped develop. I am proud of these guitars and I want to make them available to more guitar players interested in fretless guitars.

Additionally, I am in the development phase of some fretless electric guitar models which I also eventually hope to make available to the public.

What inspired it:

I am very motivated to do everything I can to popularize the fretless guitar. This includes not only composing, performing, and teaching fretless guitar but also making fretless guitars easier to acquire.

Who’s on it:

Well, the collaborations are secret 😉

How do you discover new music?                     

Online. Social media. People recommend music to me a lot too. I’ve heard some great music that otherwise I’d never hear were it not for an online follower sharing it with me.

One living and one dead musician that deserves more attention:

For living, I would say the Turkish fretless guitarist Erkan Ogur. He “invented” it  back in the 1970’s and uses it to primarily play Turkish music. He is well known within Turkey but not so much outside of Turkey. A great musician.

For a dead musician I would say the Egyptian oudist Hamza el Din. He did a lot of interesting East/West collaborations when he was alive, including with Kronos Quartet. Another great musician.

Where can we find you online?

On Instagram and TikTok I am @fret_buzz. Also, my website at buzzgravelle.com

*In November 2022 at Pomona College, Buzz and Aaron Larget-Caplan performed John Cage’s Bacchanale arranged for two fretted guitars. The arrangement is by Aaron Larget-Caplan and available through Edition Peters.

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

I always saw myself as a composer, even as a toddler, before knowing what that was I was “composing” music I sung or whistled or performed with pots and pans or anything available.

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

languages, psychology

Two ways you stay motivated:

Know what inspires you and do more of it. Love what you do, think of the paycheck and your bills.

Latest Project:

Miguel del Aguila Orchestral Works album – Augusta Symphony, Albany Records

What inspired it:

The CD project was started by the conductor Dirk Meyer and my desire to record some unrecorded orchestral works.

Who’s on it:

Miguel del Aguila music, Augusta Symphony, Dirk Meyer conductor Guillermo Figueroa violin

How do you discover new music?

IMSLP.com Youtube searches, sight reading thousands of obscure pieces and composers

One living and one dead musician that deserves more attention:

Almost all Hispanic composers living and dead deserve more attention.

Where can we find you online?

https://migueldelaguila.com/

Upcoming Event you’d like to share? (optional)

hundreds of events listed here: https://migueldelaguila.com/events/

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

Freshman year of high school, I auditioned for a solo in jazz choir, the song was “Steam Heat” from “The Pajama Game”. I had been kind of shy before this, but I stood up and belted my face off and it felt amazing. The whole choir cheered for me, and I knew this was something pretty special that I wanted to keep doing.

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

Punctuality, a good work ethic, being pleasant to work with, never stop learning, learn something from every single person you encounter or work with. But mostly – punctuality.

 Two ways you stay motivated:

Always be working toward the next thing, no matter how big or small.

Find a hobby that has nothing to do with music to give yourself breaks and prevent burnout. For me, it’s running, Red Sox, and baking.

Latest Project:

The New American Art Song series. Every year, Oren Fader, guitarist, and I present a concert of new works written for mezzo and guitar. We present the concert three times in New York City over the course of the season. It is our mission to promote new American art songs through commissions, concerts, and recordings. As of this year, we have presented the world premiers of 52 works written for us in the past seven years. We’ve released two albums featuring some of this music.

What inspired it:

Initially, the composer Paul Salerni. He wrote us four song cycles in a very short time span (about two months) several years ago and we thought – hey, this could be our thing, new American art songs for mezzo and guitar.

Who’s on it:

The players are Oren Fader and me. Each year, we feature 6-8 composers on the concert. This year, we are proud to play music by David Glaser, Joel Suben, Tim Mukherjee, Gene Pritsker, Jeff Young, and Victoria Bond.

How do you discover new music?

Recommendations from friends, social media, going to live concerts.

One living and one dead musician that deserves more attention:

Living – Paul Salerni. Obviously, I’m a little biased, but the man writes amazing music that everyone should be programming and playing. He writes songs, operas, ballets, chamber music, and orchestral works.

Dead – Dame Clara Butt. She was a contralto in the early 1900’s and her voice was a force of nature. Unfortunately, the recordings of her are not great because recording technology was not great. I would love someone to master some of her recordings.

Where can we find you online?

www.bowersfaderduo.com
Instagram
Spotify

Upcoming Event you’d like to share? 

Our third performance of this year’s concert will be on Saturday, May 6, 2023 at 7:00pm at Loft 393, which is at 393 Broadway, New York, NY

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

I began studying piano at age 7, as a hobby, focused on pop music. At the age of 12, however, with aspirations of becoming a scientist, our family moved to a different city, where the pop music teacher had a full class and the Director of the school suggested that I could “temporarily” study with the school’s classical teacher. After just two lessons, introduced to Bach and Chopin, I knew that the musician’s life lay before me.

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

I never intended to have a “career” in music but knew that I would live my life in it.

Two ways you stay motivated:

As pianist, I sought, discovered and promoted lesser-performed music, by lesser-known composers. As composer, I have vowed never to repeat myself, be it the rhetoric of my successful works as well as my failures, seeking always to find a new creative pathway.

Latest Project:

I’m currently composing a microtonal guitar sextet, “Arcturus”, for the Danish ensemble CRAS, to be presented at the Mozarteum’s “Microtone: Small is Beautiful” Symposium in Salzburg this summer.

 What inspired it:

My collaborations with guitarists over the past 7-8 years, particularly with the Ukrainian members of the Kharkiv Guitar Quartet and New York guitarists Marc Wolf and Dan Lippel.

Who’s on it:

CRAS members: Peter Oldrup, Henrik Bay Hansen, Mikkel Egelund Nielsen, Jacob Nørrelund, Søren Eriksen, and Uffe Carl Hansen.

How do you discover new music?

I no longer search for music, but by associating with other composers and with new-music-focused performers, I have made many wonderful discoveries. [Actually, I prefer to think of my own composing process as “discovering” rather than “creating”.]

One living and one dead musician that deserves more attention:

Living musician: Ghanaian pianist William Chapman Nyaho.

Deceased: composer Franz Kamin.

Where can we find you online?

On the American Composers Alliance website 

VIDEOS:
Mirage d’esprit – guitar quartet
MeMarie – micro-opera for soprano alone
Kyrie(Mantra)IV – flute and guitar

Upcoming Event you’d like to share? (optional)

Two performances of my 2019 cello quartet “Telesthesia” –
1 – June 10 in Antwerp at the Love2Arts Gallery 

2 – June 12 in Brussels at the Wiertz Museum Citizens’ Garden (on a concert series sponsored by the European Parliament).

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

There wasn’t one, I never asked myself the question. What started as a hobby became serious in high school, and I just wanted to follow in the footsteps of my piano teacher at the time because I thought she was very cool!

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

Time management. Most of my problems on a daily basis could be avoided if I had better time management!

Two ways you stay motivated:

Listen to / watch good performances whether live or recorded, and keep learning new things.

Latest Project:

I’ve commissioned 7 amazing Brazilian / jazz pianists to write music for me to perform and record. I’ll be premiering the works in May and recording in June – stay tuned for more info!

What inspired it:

My feelings of artistic in-betweenness. I don’t consider myself a classical pianist, or a jazz pianist, or this or that. I wanted music that reflected my musical path so far and incorporated all the things I love about music without being one thing or another.

Who’s on it:

I’m the solo performer, and the music was written by Kerry Politzer, Jasnam Daya Singh, Jovino Santos Neto, Bianca Gismonti, Carmen Sandim, Cassio Vianna, and André Mehmari.

How do you discover new music?  

It usually comes from recommendations made by others, these days.

One living and one dead musician that deserves more attention:

There’s too many to name, but all 7 pianists on my upcoming project all definitely deserve a lot more attention, so check ’em out!

Where can we find you online?

www.aadpiano.com as well as on IG and Twitter. It’s mostly dog photos though!

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

Age 12, encountering the music of Edgard Varese for the first time.  It sealed the deal.

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

Learning to listen better.

Two ways you stay motivated:

Waking up, and listening.

Latest Project :

Finishing up a recording of all of Beethoven’s piano trios.

What inspired it:

The scores and performers.

Who’s on it:

Yael Weiss, piano, Mark Kaplan violin, Peter Stumpf, cello

How do you discover new music?

Listening to less old music.

One living and one dead musician that deserves more attention:

Living:  William Bland; Deceased:  Sandor Jemnitz; both composers.

Where can we find you online?

I don’t have a web page, but am on FB.

BONUS:

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