Sound engineering and Audio Mixing Workshops for Youth
On this week’s Sonosphere show on WYXR 91.7 FM, Optic Sink joined me for a live DJ set! You’ll hear lots of dance tunes and a couple tracks from Optic Sink’s latest album, Glass Box out now. Check it out! The band is on tour in Oct. don’t miss them in your town!
And we’ll hear a few tracks he shares, why he chose them and some advice he has for anyone looking to come up in the music industry. Join us!
Joe Rainey is a Pow Wow singer. He is not used to singing solo, because pow wow is inherently communal, but this debut is every bit as powerful. The album is Niineta, released on Justin Vernon and the Dessner brothers’ 37d03d label, showcases his command of the style – faithful to tradition – accompanied by cinematic, bass-heavy production from Andrew Broder.
Join Sonosphere as we dive into the sounds of contemporary pow wow fused with vast experimental and electronic oceans of sound. Joe Rainey lent his voice and experience to this episode and I think him for sharing his story through his learning of, preservation of and lifting up of pow wow and indigenous music. Friday, May 26, 2023, Joe will perform at Crosstown Arts in the Green Room.
“The record is an unusual proposition: A rare fusion of pow wow—an Indigenous culture of music and dance—and experimental electronic production that pairs Rainey’s singing with Broder’s synths and wildly abstract beats. Holding it all together are sampled live recordings of pow wow singing and drumming stretching back decades, many of them made by Rainey himself.” – Pitchfork
Check out his archive on Soundcloud and YouTube.
On this episode of Sonosphere we highlight the life and compositions of composer Margaret Bonds. So many people who made invaluable contributions to classical music have been nearly lost to history or are underappreciated in their time. Bonds is one of those characters.
We learned more about her when we covered one of her mentors, American composer Florence B. Price earlier in 2021 – be sure to check out that episode. Bonds like Price is lesser known in the field of classical music – being both female and African-American – often not covered among classical European-based composers dominating the history of classical music.
Sonosphere has covered women in classical and electronic music, like Pauline Oliveros, and we hope to continue covering lesser known great composers of our time.
Today we are covering the life and composition of pianist and composer Margaret Bonds. Bonds was born in Chicago in 1913 to musical parents. Margaret Bonds was a music prodigy, and by age 13 she had begun to compose. At age 16 she enrolled at Northwestern University, where she won awards in piano and composition. Bonds experienced success as a performer and composer in the world of classical music, but she went beyond the limitations of the genre.
She wrote music for Cab Calloway, the Glenn Miller Orchestra, Louis Armstrong, and Woody Herman as well as radio and television specials. Later in life Bonds moved to Los Angeles where she taught at the Los Angeles Inner City Institute and at the Inner City Cultural Center and worked for the movie studios.
We interviewed Anna Celenza, author and professor of music at Georgetown University. She wrote a whole host of books featuring musicians like Duke Ellington, Vivaldi, Gershwin and Bach. Celenza also put together an archive on Margaret Bonds, the digital version is available online as part of Georgetown University Library.
We speak with her about the archive and more about Bonds.
While in Chicago, she regularly played piano at the Palmer House Hotel and tried her hand at songwriting. Activities such as these increased when she moved to New York in 1939. Many of her songs, like “Peachtree Street,” tapped into trends in popular culture. Others confronted social issues connected with civil rights. The lyrics to “Three Wise Monkeys” references the racist viewpoints of three southern politicians: Theodore Bilbo, Eugene Talmadge and John E. Rankin.
Bonds’ lifelong friendship with poet Langston Hughes yielded numerous settings of his poetry, including some of Hughes’ most iconic poems like I, Too and The Negro Speaks of Rivers. Bonds’ daughter, Djane Richardson, referred to Hughes as “Uncle Langston.”
Bonds died four years before the passage of the Copyright Act of 1976 and she didn’t leave a will. Her only heir, daughter Djane Richardson, died in 2011 without any heirs and also without leaving a will. The copyright status of Bonds’ work is unclear – no one knows, at this point, who controls the copyrights, which remain in effect for many more decades. As a result, performances and recordings of her music are complicated. One of Bonds’ largest and perhaps most important works–Montgomery Variations, written in 1965 during the Selma-to-Montgomery Freedom March and dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.–has never been performed. And it may not enter the public domain until 2042 at the earliest.
We are lucky however that much of her work is available. Her spiritual Troubled Water, has been recorded many times. Her Christmas cantata, The Ballad of the Brown King, which features the poetry of Langston Hughes, was performed recently at Georgetown University where Bonds’ archives are kept.
Welcome to Sonosphere the podcast that explores the sounds all around us in art and music movements through history. Sonosphere is now on WYXR 91.7 FM in Memphis, TN every Monday from 4-5pm. Today’s episode is a harrowing tale of a natural disaster that ravaged much of middle America, especially the South.
The Great Flood of 1927 was one of the most catastrophic floods in our nation’s history. In the summer of 1926 heavy rains started to fall along the Mississippi River, these heavy rains kept up and in March of 1927 levees started to break which led to flooding from Illinois to Mississippi displacing nearly 650,000 people and destroying 16 million acres of land.
In this episode we will discuss the formation of the Mississippi River, the events that led to the flood, the red cross’ response and how they used the media to shape public opinion, as well as Blues songs that helped inform the public about the human turmoil that was a direct result of the flood. Listen in as we hear from Christopher Morris, Scotti Parish and David Evans about this extraordinary event.
Blues musicians presented the most accurate details about the Great Flood of 1927. There was greater Public awareness of the atrocities happening along the Mississippi. Blues songs of the time captured the events and hardships that black people endured during the flood. Though many blues songs were made about the flood we decided to showcase Backwater Blues by Bessie Smith. We spoke with David Evans about the origins of the song, how it became an anthem of the flood, and how the song inspired more musicians to sing about the flood.
Today we’ve heard songs by BBQ Bob, Memphis Minnie, Bessie Smith, and many of the blues songs feature artists like pianist James P Johnson who got their start with Black Swan records in early 20s. Sonosphere covered the short tenure of America’s first black-owned record label, Black Swan and the opera singer who shares the labels name – check it out on sonospherepodcast.com to hear the episode on the opera Singer, Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield and stay tuned for the Black Swan record label episode’s release in June.
Today we presented the story of possibly the worst natural disaster in our country’s history. The great flood of 1927 was of epic proportion. The flood displaced 650,000 residents and destroyed 16 million acres of land. The toll wrought along the Mississippi River from Cairo to the Gulf of Mexico forced people to seek refuge in Red Cross concentration camps. These camps were run in a manner that kept up the status-quo. Black men were forced to work on the levees in order to receive provisions. The levees were patrolled by armed national guardsmen. If anyone tried to escape they were severely beaten or killed. The government and Red Cross used technologies such as radio broadcast to disseminate information about the flood. Northerners got on board with the narrative that they were helping the desperate south. The South rejected this notion as they saw very little relief if any at all.
Blues songs of the day projected the struggles and tragedies in the delta. We highlighted Bessie Smith and her song Backwater Blues today. Although it was not written about the flood of 1927 it was released just as the Levees were breaking along the Mississippi. The song gained national notoriety in America. The song became an anthem of the Flood and led the way to many more songs written about the Great Flood of 1927 as well as songs pertaining to other natural disasters. When you listen to any of the songs about the flood you are transported there you gain a perspective about those that were affected by the great flood. These songs are time capsules of a time of havoc and disillusion in Black southern America.
Welcome to the Sonosphere podcast. This episode we feature Steven R. Smith.
Steven is behind projects like Hala Strana, Ulaan Khol, Ulaan Passerine, Ulaan Markhor and releases solo recordings under his label, Worstward Recordings. Active since the mid-90s, Smith releases a solo album this year called Spring and out in September is his project’s Ulaan Passerine’s Sun Spear. We will hear tunes from both plus a playlist curated by Steven himself. Join us!
Welcome to Sonosphere the podcast that explores the sounds all around us, in art and music movements through history.
Today we discuss the first black owned recording company Black Swan Records which sold popular music to black audiences. Its existence was brief, it was only active for two years from 1923 to 1925. During this time however, the label released over 180 records – more than any other black owned record company until the 1950s. Today we’ll talk about the historical context in which the founder, Harry Pace, began and operated the label with mentor W.E.B. DuBois and how his partnership with Memphis blues man W.C. Handy kicked off Pace’s interest in the music industry.
We begin our story of Black Swan Records by setting the context of the times. Performers of recorded songs were becoming pop icons and American celebrities. By the end of WWI recorded music began to take precedence over live performances as proof of musicianship. There is not a lot of information on Black Swan Records, we rely mostly on a website called Black Past, and two dissertations by graduate students Stuart Lucas Tully from LSU, and Jacqueline Brellenthin from Univ of Wisconsin-Milwaukee as well as David Suisman’s Co- workers in the Kingdom of Culture: Black Swan Records and the Political Economy of African American Music.
According to David Suisman writing about the Political Economy of African American music, “Black Swan’s burden was to chart a course between elite culture and popular culture, between the color blindness of music and the racism of the music business, between ideologically based enterprise and the impinging realities of capitalist markets.”
Founder, Harry Pace was viewed as a key figure along with W.E.B. DuBois in personifying black entrepreneurialism in the 20th century and beyond.
Track List:
Today on Sonosphere Amy talks with Christian Fennesz, electronic music composer and musician. Amy caught up with Fennesz at the annual Big Ears Festival in Knoxville. As the first in-person fest in two years, Big Ears was bigger than ever. Acts from all over the nation and the world descended upon the smokey mountain city and brought amazing sounds, visuals, and excellence in musical composition. Always a Sonosphere favorite!
Join Chris and Amy live from WYXR studio in Memphis for some tunes by Fennesz and collaborators like Sparklehorse, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Ulver, and more! Christian Fennesz left for his U.S. tour after Big Ears. For more information on Fennesz please visit his website.
Track List:
Ready to score.
Today we talk with Detective – a collective of musicians, singers, songwriters and friends. In 2019 they released an album showcasing the range of their skills – from Blaxploitation to eerie sci-fi synths, this group really does it all!
We discuss Detective’s influences, favorite movies and technique’s they used to arrange the album. We also talk with Josh Breeden, aka St. Francis Elevator Ride, the “visual maestro” of the group. Josh brings video and digital art and design, driving the whole band’s film noir and horror aesthetic.
Come out to Black Lodge on Friday, March 18th for the entire experience!
Welcome to Sonosphere on WYXR 91.7 FM or wherever you get your podcasts.
Today on the show we feature Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield aka Black Swan in the vocal concert tradition of late 19th century America.
We will hear from Professor Adam Gustafson who has written about Greenfield as America’s first black pop star for The Conversation an academic journal and is a professor of music at Penn State. We talk about the Greenfield’s early life and rise in the operatic and pop scene in the 19th century.
Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield came of age in antebellum America and grew her career at a time when European operatic, concert songs made singers like Jenny Lind and Catherine Hayes rich and famous.
The concert soprano, Greenfield, was different. She was born a slave in Mississippi and raised by an abolitionist in Philadelphia. When she hit the pop scene in the 1850s, in Professor Gustafson words, she “shattered preexisting beliefs about artistry and race.”
In this show we’ll also exclusively hear black opera singers from Leontyn Price and Jessye Norman to Terrance Blanchard’s Fire Shut up in my Bones, which premiered at the New York Metropolitan Opera earlier this year. While there is no known recording of Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, we will hear Revella Hughes, another great soprano from the 1920s, and maybe one of the first African American opera singers ever recorded. We’ll hear a phonograph recording from 1921 from the Black Swan record label, the label named for Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield.
Thanks for joining us.
Tracklist:
Norma Act 1: Casta Dive (1980) Vincenzo Bellini, Leontyne Price, Henry Lewis
Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626 / Act 3 Henry Purcell, Jessye Norman, English Chamber Orchestra, Raymond Leopard
Porgy and Bess / Act 2 George Gershwin, Willard White, Leona Mitchell, Cleveland Orchestra
Dream with Me – Peter Pan Leonard Bernstein, Harolyn Blackwell
Tosca Act 2: Vissi d’arte, Vissi d’amore Giacomo Puccini, Leontyne Price (1963)
Green Finch and Linnet Bird (Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street) Stephen Sondheim, Harolyn Blackwell
Vier letze Lieder, 2 September Richard Strauss, Jessye Norman
Peculiar Grace (Fire Shut Up in my Bones) Terrance Blanchard, Will Liverman
At Dawning Charles Wakefield Cadman, Revella Hughes
Welcome to the last Sonic Tonic mixtape in 2021. We don’t know what’s in store for 2022 but we will dance somehow. Today we’re bringing some dancing tunes, some yacht rock, nervous new wave, and so much more in this Sonic Tonic 2021 Finale mix. Share with your party guests and enjoy (cautiously) the ride into 2022.
Tracks Heard in this Mix:
This Sonic Tonic show aired live on WYXR 91.7 FM in Memphis on December 20th.
It’s been 5 years since Darius Jones last released a record under his own name, and Raw Demoon Alchemy (A Lone Operation), a solo saxophone record, breaks new ground for the genre and for Darius as a recording artist.
Sonosphere had the pleasure to sit down with Darius and discuss his approach to Raw Demoon Alchemy, his childhood in Virginia, improvisation and black futurism.
We also spoke about the inspiration behind the album’s art, a beautiful world built by Darius for an unknown future.
“Born out of a live performance in fall 2019, during the last stop of his tour in Portland, OR, saxophonist Darius Jones renders a solo effort that evokes sadness, rage, and confusion, all the while still holding for glimmers of hope for the future.”
Don’t miss this one folks. Tune in weekly on WYXR 91.7 fm and monthly to wherever you get your podcasts.
Join Sonosphere as we talk with Ben Seretan – his approach to composition, songwriting and his latest album – Cicada Waves.
Follow us on Spotify, Soundcloud and iTunes. Also tune in every Monday at 4pm Central Time US on wyxr.org – WYXR 91.7 FM
On this episode of Sonosphere you’ll hear from pianist Angelica Olstad on her third EP, Transmute she released back in February. The NYC-based artist creates immersive experiences combining “deconstructed” classical music with electronic elements, field recordings, and film. On Transmute, Olstad re-arranges Ravel, Griffes, and Fauré to paint a snapshot of NYC during the first months of the pandemic.
We’ll also get to hear some songs Angelica shared that kept her moving through the pandemic at the end of the episode.
In 2009 hundreds of Florence B. Price compositions were recovered from an abandoned house in southern Illinois. Throughout the past decade these pieces began to be transcribed and distributed throughout the world. Florence B. Price’s works pull from negro-spirituals and music of the times.
The southern influence is apparent with jubilee dances and bouncy rhythms drawing you to Arkansas and the natural beauty that exists there. She was also influenced by Russian composer Antonin Dvorak. When she moved to Chicago, her compositions still reflected her southern roots and as you will learn she kept an ear to the ground on the happenings of the music scene during her time in chicago. She was much more than a composer, she also taught many students including Margaret Bonds, who was a black pianist and composer.
On this episode, part 7 of our Birth of Modern Music series, we dive into the life and work of Florence B. Price. We talk with Karen Walwyn, A. Kori Hill, Douglas Shadle and Maeve Brophy about who she was, and how her music told her story.
Thanks to A. Kori Hill, Maeve Brophy, Karen Walwyn, and Douglas Shadle for talking with us, and sharing their experience and knowledge on Florence B. Price’s life and music.
Stream Sonic Tonic 4 on all the platforms and tune in to wyxr.org Mondays 4-5pm CT for Sonosphere program streaming live.
Stream Sonic Tonic 3 on all the platforms and tune in to wyxr.org Mondays 4-5pm CT for Sonosphere program streaming live.
Tracklist: Nakweda Dream – Zru VogueInterzone – Joy Division Model Worker – Magazine Floss – Gomme Private Idaho – B-52sHalf-Life – Martin Lloyd Maquinas – Cuidad Lineal Palais D’amour – Bal Pare Running After Ganymede – Jack Name Pretender – Black Marble Mickey, Please. – Bene Geserit Lidda – Mammane Sani Et Son Orgue Fire By The River – Harumi Change In Autumn’s Feral Depths – Nonconnah Feat. Owen Pallett & Jenn Taiga
Join us for a second round of our Sonic Tonic Happy Hour.
Today we feature:
OMD
Hama
Severed Heads
Delia Derbyshire
Arthur Brown
Saâda Bonaire
Them Are Us Too
X-ray Pop
Hailu Mergia
Turquoise Days
Meca Rythm
The Books
Oppenheimer Analysis
Holger Czukay
The Plugz
This week on Sonosphere we celebrate 100 years of the Theremin as our last episode of 2020. It’s been a challenging year, and ending on this challenging, yet, fascinating instrument was fitting.
We had the pleasure of speaking with Dorit Chrysler on her 100 years of Theremin compilation and with thereminist and composer Carolina Eyeck. We’ll start with a brief history of the theremin and with Theremin virtuoso Clara Rockmore.
The Theremin is an instrument with two antennas that are used to control pitch and volume, using radio waves, by reacting to the position of the player’s hand. The invention of the Theremin by Leon (Lev) Theremin took place in Russia during Lenin’s revolution.
We combine our conversations with thereminists and composers Caroline Eyck and Dorit Chrysler to give you the ultimate Theremin filled episode.
Tune into WYXR 91.7 FM every Monday at 4 PM central time!
Welcome to Sonosphere. Here we feature our second show live on WYXR. We couldn’t be more excited for today’s show. Last week, we featured an interview with abstract turntablist Maria Chavez and vocalist Christina Carter. Today, we will continue our journey exploring the record player. You will hear some music from Cut Chemist, Handel, Lee Scratch Perry, Cab Callaway, Grandmaster Flash and others during the next hour. We will highlight the rise of the radio disc jockey and sampling.
Thanks to WYXR! Check out the newest station in Memphis.
Welcome to Sonosphere. On this special episode we catch up with a couple artists we’ve featured on our podcast to see how they’ve been faring in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. First, we hear from producer and electronic composer Tara Rodgers, aka Analog Tara. Tara performed here in Memphis for our Sound Observation series a couple years ago in partnership with Crossotown Arts. Then we’ll hear from theremin master, musician and composer Carolina Eyck. Carolina Eyck is working on a project in Berlin and Tara catches up on some of her live stream shows, new music coming soon and what she’s been reading in this time of social distancing. I hope you have been safe and well. And if you’d like to share some stories or music with us email us at sonospherepodcast@gmail.com
sonosphere · Shelter in Place with Analog Tara and Carolina Eyck
The music you hear from Tara Rodgers is her Fundamentals album that can be found here and Carolina Eyck’s music is from her album Elegies for Theremin and Voice and can be found here.
Our past episode featuring playlist by analogtara is here and the interview with Carolina can be found here.
Thanks for listening.
Welcome to Sonosphere Radio – thanks for tuning in. Today’s feature is a curation of songs by Citizen of Tomorrow. Check it out!
Artists featured on this show:
In this episode of Sonosphere we highlight master theremin player and curator of the Theremin 100 compilation celebrating 100 years of theremin, Dorit Chrysler.
Chrysler says the
“tracks were chosen to highlight versatility in style, musicality, technique and innovation.” The album was released on Feb. 8th and part of the 100th birthday celebration of the Theremin and the release of Theremin 100, Dorit Chrysler and The New York Theremin Society curate a series of events that will take place in various countries throughout 2020.
We’ll hear more about these events and about how Chrysler found the magic of the theremin, her influences in music, and how she is working to integrate the theremin and other lesser known analog and electronic instruments and techniques into music education today.
Join us!
This month on Sonosphere we hear from Ken Zuckerman, co-founder of the Ali Akbar College in Basel, Switzerland and sarod aficionado. Peter Lavezzoli, author, percussionist and vocalist also joins us as we discuss how Indian Classical Music has influenced modern rock, pop and ambient music today.
A significant figure in North Indian Classical Music is musician, composer and teacher Ali Akbar Khan.
With the opening of his Ali Akbar College in San Rafael California in 1967 Khan opened up an extraordinary interest from Western students and more mainstream musicians like George Harrison of the Beatles, Mickey Hart from the Grateful Dead, and cellist and avant-garde dance music composer, Arthur Russell. Kahn has taught over 10,000 students.
While we only scratch the surface of Indian Classical Music, you’ll find how one man in particular took America and popular music by storm through his teachings that span across the world and across musical genres.
Enjoy this month’s episode on Indian Classical Music.
Welcome to Sonosphere Radio. This month’s host is Andrew Earles.
Andrew Earles has been a music/cultural critic, journalist & biographer since 1999 and has authored three books as well as writing and editing work in 14 other multi-author titles. He has contributed writing in both a staff and freelance capacity to over 55 online and print outlets since 1999, including Spin, Pitchfork, Vice/Noisey, The Onion, Decibel, The Washington City Paper, Numero Group, Magnet Magazine and many others.
Andrew was also one half of Earles and Jensen Present… comedy duo, whose Matador Records releases can be sampled on Spotify. He is currently working on making a few things happen.
Enjoy Andrew Earles mix below.
Tracks:
Welcome to this episode of Sonosphere where we underscore Ami Dang, South Asian-American vocalist, sitarist, composer and producer from Baltimore Maryland.I sat down with Ami in a cafe in Baltimore. We discussed how her cultural heritage rooted in the Sikh religion informs and influences her work today, and how she approaches the sitar while utilizing modern noise, ambient, and electronic sounds in her music. 
We also discuss the making of her latest album Parted Plains, which came out earlier this year on Leaving Records. She spoke of how ancient folklore from the east is filtered through the west, and what it’s like to be an American in India and Indian in America. Identity and culture are highlighted in her latest effort. Check out Parted Plains here and take a listen to our conversation below. Enjoy.
How has information shaped our lives? Are we really privy to all the knowledge available? David T. Little’s new album, AGENCY, seeks to investigate these questions.
On this episode we highlight composer David T. Little. The composer has a background that is as eclectic as his new album, AGENCY. By combining all of these influences David is ushering in a new age of opera. Sonosphere enjoyed a phone call with David as we talked about AGENCY as well as his path to this point in his illustrious career.
David T. Little + ACME with Third Coast Percussion
AGENCY
New Amsterdam Records
11 October 2019
David T. Little’s AGENCY features the world premiere recording of the work for string quartet and electronics, which The New York Times calls “forthright, visceral, bloody, with the intimacy and polish of a classical chamber ensemble but bulging with the loud, reverberant sweatiness of rock.” Performed by “contemporary music dynamos” (NPR) American Contemporary Music Ensemble—with special guests, the Grammy-winning Third Coast Percussion, Andrew McKenna Lee (The Knells), and Julian Day—AGENCY is a journey into the nature of truth, rooted in the tension between ancient faith-based cultures and modern information-based societies. Using the language and tactics of espionage, AGENCY is riddled with secret messages, ciphers, and redactions. Illuminating our need to find truth, but suggesting that the truth might be.
The Roots of Disquiet – Notes on the Music from David T. Little:
Are we free agents in this world, controlling and deciding our own paths, or are we unknowingly influenced and manipulated by powerful external forces? Is the truth about this ever really knowable?
AGENCY poses these questions and examines their meaning through contrasts. It investigates the ideological rift between the Aboriginal holy site Uluru in central Australia, and Pine Gap, a massive American spy center of top-secret function, which sits just five hours to the north; the tension between ancient faith-based indigenous cultures and modern information-based societies made manifest.
Both Uluru and Pine Gap are cloaked in mystery. AGENCY is likewise riddled with secrets: ciphers and redactions in the musical score encrypt texts, map coordinates, and philosophical quotations. The result illuminates our need to find truth, but suggests that the truth might be unknowable. We may find only conjecture or faith.
AGENCY takes a more detached approach than its explicitly violent companion, Haunt of Last Nightfall (NWAM054). The violence of Haunt is chaotic and direct: it mines the history of the 1981 massacre at El Mozote, El Salvador for evidence of American complicity. The violence of AGENCY is a nefarious secret.
The questions asked by this pair of pieces once seemed speculative. However, as immigration from Central America takes center stage in the national debate, a work like Haunt suggests a U.S.-American cause to its dramatic 40-year rise. Similarly, a work about the impossibility of knowing the truth may have seemed odd in 2013, when AGENCY was written. But in the wake of “fake news,” the rise of deep fakes, and Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 US election, it acquires political salience.
Together, AGENCY and Haunt of Last Nightfall present a portrait of the disquiet pervading contemporary American culture, exposing damaged roots. It is my hope these works may begin conversations within the arts world that branch beyond it.
ABOUT DAVID T. LITTLE
David T. Little is “one of the most imaginative young composers” on the scene (The New Yorker), with “a knack for overturning musical conventions” (The New York Times). His operas Dog Days, JFK, and Vinkensport (librettos by Royce Vavrek), and Soldier Songs have been widely acclaimed and performed around the globe, “prov[ing] beyond any doubt that opera has both a relevant present and a bright future” (The New York Times).
Little has been commissioned by the world’s most prestigious institutions and performers, including recent projects for The Metropolitan Opera / Lincoln Center Theater new works program, The Kennedy Center, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, London Sinfonietta, International Contemporary Ensemble, The Crossing, Eighth Blackbird, Kronos Quartet, and Beth Morrison Projects. His music has been presented by Carnegie Hall, Park Avenue Armory, Holland Festival, BAM Next Wave, LA Opera, Opéra de Montréal, and the LA Philharmonic.
From 2014–2017, Little was Composer-in-Residence with Opera Philadelphia and Music-Theatre Group. He has previously served as Executive Director of the MATA Festival, and currently chairs the composition department at Mannes—The New School. The founding artistic director of the ensemble Newspeak, his music can be heard on New Amsterdam, Innova, Sono Luminus, and National Sawdust Tracks labels. He is published by Boosey & Hawkes.
ABOUT ACME
In a little more than a decade, led by cellist and artistic director Clarice Jensen, the American Contemporary Music Ensemble (ACME) has risen to the highest ranks of American new music through a mix of meticulous musicianship, artistic vision, engaging collaborations, and unwavering standards in every regard. The membership of the amorphous collective includes some of the brightest young stars in the field. NPR calls them “contemporary music dynamos,” and Strings reports, “ACME’s absorbing playing pulsed with warm energy. . . Shared glances and inhales triggered transitions in a flow so seamless it seemed learned in a Jedi temple.” ACME was honored by ASCAP during its 10th anniversary season in 2015 for the “virtuosity, passion, and commitment with which it performs and champions American composers.”
The ensemble has performed at leading international venues including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, BAM, The Kennedy Center, Washington Performing Arts, UCLA’s Royce Hall, Stanford Live, Chicago’s Millennium Park, Duke Performances, The Satellite in Los Angeles, Triple Door in Seattle, Melbourne Recital Hall and Sydney Opera House in Australia, and at festivals including the Sacrum Profanum Festival in Poland, All Tomorrow’s Parties in England, Auckland Arts Festival in New Zealand, Summer Nostos Festival in Greece, Boston Calling, and Big Ears in Knoxville, TN.
World premieres given by ACME include Ingram Marshall’s Psalmbook, Jóhann Jóhannsson’s Drone Mass (commissioned by ACME in 2015; recorded for Deutsche Grammophon in 2019), Caroline Shaw’s Ritornello, Phil Kline’s Out Cold, William Brittelle’s Loving the Chambered Nautilus, Timo Andres’ Senior and Thrive on Routine, Caleb Burhans’ Jahrzeit, and many more. In 2016 at The Kitchen, ACME premiered Clarice Jensen’s transcription of Julius Eastman’s The Holy Presence of Joan d’Arc for ten cellos, the score of which had been lost since the premiere in 1981. Jensen transcribed a recording of the work to recreate the score.
ACME’s recordings appear on the Deutsche Grammophon, Sono Luminus, New World, Butterscotch, and New Amsterdam labels. www.acmemusic.org
ABOUT THIRD COAST PERCUSSION
Third Coast Percussion is a Grammy Award-winning Chicago-based percussion quartet. For fifteen years, the ensemble has created exciting and unexpected performances that constantly redefine the classical music experience. The ensemble has been praised for “commandingly elegant” (New York Times) performances, the “rare power” (Washington Post) of their recordings, and “an inspirational sense of fun and curiosity” (Minnesota Star-Tribune). Third Coast Percussion maintains a busy tour schedule, with past performances in 33 of the 50 states plus international tour dates on 4 continents. Third Coast Percussion has commissioned and premiered over 60 new works by composers including Philip Glass, Augusta Read Thomas, David T. Little and Devonté Hynes.
On this episode we talk with Carolina Eyck, one of the world’s foremost thereminist, about growing up with classical music and how she knew the Theremin would be her thing.
Eyck releases her third LP for Butterscotch Records, Elegies for Theremin & Voice, on September 27, 2019. Elegies is released in the centennial year of the invention of the theremin – an instrument played without physical contact – and was created over the course of two years at producer Allen Farmelo’s studio in upstate New York.
Ten pieces form a haunting work reflecting sadness and loss, anger and depression. Eyck shares with Sonosphere the process of composing the record. She reminds us it’s okay to feel it all, necessary even, to properly remember and love those we miss.
In connection with the new album, Eyck will tour the U.S. from September 29 through November 9, 2019 and perform with the Albany Symphony and the Boston Modern Orchestra Project. U.S. tour dates below.
Elegies for Theremin & Voice – Release concerts
Sept 29 – Concord, NH – Capitol Center for the Arts
Oct 16 – Chicago, IL – Constellation
Oct 20 – Los Angeles, CA – Civic Center Studios presented by Equal Sound
Oct 25 – Brooklyn, NY – National Sawdust
Nov 1 – Brattleboro, VT – Epsilon Spires Sanctuary
Nov 6 – Syracuse, NY – Syracuse University
Orchestral Performances – Dalit Warshaw’s Theremin Concerto Sirens
Oct 4 – Boston, MA with Boston Modern Orchestra Project
Nov 9 – Albany, NY with Albany Symphony
Workshops and Lessons
Oct 19 – Los Angeles, CA – Workshop
Oct 27 – New York, NY – Workshop
Find opportunities for lessons alongside Carolina’s tour cities here.
This episode of Sonosphere features the North Indian instrument, the sarod. One of the most popular instruments in Hindustani music, the sarod’s 20th century master was Indian composer, teacher and musician, Ali Akbar Khan.
Ali Akbar Khan
We speak with contemporary sarod virtuoso, Ken Zuckerman about mastering the demanding instrument and how he and Khan brought various innovations and inventions to the sound.
Zuckerman has been called “…one of the world’s most eclectic masters of improvisation.” He completed thirty-seven years of training under the rigorous discipline of India’s legendary sarod master Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, up to the maestro’s passing in June 2009. He also performed with Maestro Khan in numerous concerts in Europe, India, and the United States.
We will hear more from Zuckerman in upcoming episodes on Indian Classical Music. Stay tuned!
Weston’s music has also been featured on “The Affair” (Showtime), the Ken Burns-produced documentary “The Emperor of All Maladies” (PBS), and various projects for NBC, Netflix and others. His film scores have premiered at festivals around the world including Sundance, and Slamdance.
He’s had concert works commissioned by the Lyrica Chamber Music Ensemble, the Utah Wind Symphony, MADArt Creative, Ballet in the City, and more, including a recent performance at the John F. Kennedy Center of the Performing Arts.
This month he released his score for the Lulu Wang film The Farewell. On this episode we talk with him about his process for The Farewell and his approach to music in film versus his approach to commissioned works for live dance and others. Enjoy this month’s Underscore.
Welcome to Sonosphere radio, today we welcome Robert Traxler, founder of the Memphis Concrete experimental music festival happening this month in Memphis – June 29th and 30th. In its third year, the Memphis Concrete music festival is featuring headliners Matmos, Moor Mother, Rapoon, Mykel Boyd, Tavishi and featuring a live score of the original Tron – all right here in Memphis at Crosstown Arts.
Robert is also an electronic music composer working with analog synths and he performs about town.
We’re happy to feature Robert’s mix on today’s Sonosphere Radio.
Track List:
Louis and Bebe Barron – “Main Title” [Forbidden Planet]
Pierre Schaeffer – “Étude Pathétique (Study in Pathos)””
Halim El-Dabh – “Alcibaldis’ Monologue to Socrates”
Matmos – “Thermoplastic Riot Shield”
Zoviet France – “First Vigil”
Bülent Arel – “Postlude from ‘Music for a Sacred Service'”
Éliane Radigue – “Backward 76”
Linda Heck – “Right”
Ihcilon – “Frau im Mond Fragment Three”
Belly Full of Stars – “My God, It’s Full of Ice”
Daphne Oram – “Osram & Rank – Pulse Persephone Experiment”
Jacques Lejeune – “Apparition of the Disguised Queen”
Tavishi – “Lobhe Paap, Paape Mrityu”
Noiserpuss – “Minimum Maximum”
Vladimir Ussachevsky – “Sketch 2” [Two Sketches for a Computer Piece]
Else Marie Pade – “Prolog i Himlen” [Faust Suite]
Max Eilbacher – “For Club III”
Alice Shields – “Study for Voice and Tape”
Welcome to Sonosphere! The first artist we present in our 2019 Sound Observation series is Nadah El Shazly, Egyptian composer, musician and producer. She will be performing at Crosstown Arts’ Green Room on May 31st as a part of her first tour in the U.S. We are so excited to have her in Memphis. Artist talk at 7 pm, performance at 8 pm.
Sonosphere spoke briefly with Nadah prior to her show. She talks about collaborating in the Cairo music scene, her debut album and her experiences on her first U.S. tour.
Thanks for listening.
In this month’s episode of Sonosphere, we focus on the use of drone sounds in music. There is a lot to cover with Drone music, often known as a part of the genre of Minimalism and modern ambient.
Sonosphere caught up with Joanna Demers, author of Listening Through the Noise: The Aesthetics of Experimental Electronic Music, Drone and Apocalypse, and others.
We will focus on the drone itself, what is drone music, and the common drone instruments as a continuation of the Birth of Modern Music series on avant-garde, classical music and minimalism.
This episode begins with the evolution of the drone sound as a musical style and aesthetic used in many parts of the world. Join us!
Thanks for listening!
Nicole Mitchell talks with James ‘IMMAKEMADBEATS’ Dukes.
We are ending 2018 on a very inspiring note. We hosted our final Sound Observation series by inviting Chicago-based composer Nicole Mitchell to Memphis.
In this episode, we present Afrofuturism: Building Communities, a panel that explored beyond the concept of Afrofuturism. Memphis based Publisher and Author Sheree Renee Thomas led the discussion featuring Nicole Mitchell, and a few Memphians, including Producer/Performer and CEO of James Dukes aka “IMAKEMADBEATS,” Author/ Publisher Troy Wiggins, and Emcee, Teacher, and Author Danian Jerry.
They went beyond explaining afrofuturism and talked about how afrofuturism exists as much in the present as in the past and future. They also discussed how it can be used as a tool to help the community and build worlds that fit a black narrative.
Stay tuned to the next episode featuring Nicole Mitchell’s performance at Crosstown Arts.
Thank you for a wonderful year. Sit back and enjoy this fulfilling conversation.
This episode Sonosphere visits Dirty Socks Studios, which is the base camp for Unapologetic. The studio is a sanctuary for those who dare to commit to their craft. The theme is dedication to yourself and your mission. 
Unapologetic is a collective that looks to push Memphis forward. The collective is a cast of characters that are as odd as their aliases. Lead by IMAKEMADBEATS, Unapologetic has put the city on notice. Memphis has the reputation that you have to leave to make it in most industries especially music. Non-Memphians tend to capitalize on the “Memphis Sound,”
Unapologetic is changing that notion. This starts in Dirty Socks Studios where we will pick up our conversation.
Korean cellist, composer, and improviser, Okkyung Lee talks with Sonosphere about her time at this year’s Big Ears festival in Knoxville, TN, working with Evan Parker, learning to love the cello, and what’s in store for her this year.
Join us!
Okkyung Lee performing at Big Ears Knoxville 2018
This episode Sonosphere dives into Remix Memphis with Alex Greene and Luis Seixas, two Memphis musicians that make the duo The E.G.G.G.
Remix Memphis grew out of a partnership with the Urban Arts Commission and the city of Memphis’ 3.0 comprehensive planning initiative that worked to solicit participation from community leaders, residents and planners to inform future land use and neighborhood plans for the city.
Alex Greene demonstrating the sounds of Memphis at the Carpenter Art Garden.
Art was an important piece. As a musician Alex was interested in the sounds of the city. He talks with us about the process and how The E.G.G.G. and other local musicians are using the field recordings from Remix Memphis.
Enjoy the episode and if your interested in learning more about the recordings email: remix.memphis@gmail.com
The E.G.G.G. performing at the Cove in May 2018
In this month’s episode we highlight Sonosphere’s Sound Observations series. Sound Observations is a quarterly performance and lecture series featuring experimental artists from around the nation.
We were honored to host turntablist and DJ Maria Chavez, and vocalist and musician Christina Carter of The Charalambides on May 11, 2018.
Maria and Christina’s site specific works took place in the atrium of the Crosstown Concourse building, an old Sears Roebuck building retrofitted for art galleries, residential and commercial spaces. The result is echoing vocals and scratchy, vinyl sounds that swirl up a red staircase to the entrance of the stage.
Enjoy this Sound Observations performance in this month’s episode below.
To hear about Maria’s performance in Marfa, TX a few years ago, tune into an earlier episode on the Marfa Myths festival!
“….the synthesis of music, art and technology.”
Moogfest continued… brings you a brief interview with Kai Riedl, Operations Director at Moogfest. He says this festival seeks to bring new forms of creativity, form communities around art and technology, and create spaces for artists of all inclinations, genres, subcultures and movements.
Although it seems timely to showcase female and non-binary artists this year, according to Kai, Moogfest has had a history of being an inclusive festival.
Check out the interview below!
Tracks in the episode:
Smerz – Worth It
Caterina Barbieri – Information Needed to Create
Mouse on Mars – Dimensional People I
Jon Hopkins – Singularity
Michael Stipe – Everything’s Coming Undone
And don’t miss the past episodes we posted on this year’s Moogfest participants Tess Roby and Delta Sound Labs.
Sonosphere ventured out to North Carolina for MoogFest this year and we caught up with Memphis-based Delta Sound Labs.
Their audiovisual installation called Vorticity was a collaboration between Delta Sound Labs + Nokia Bell Labs at American Underground in Durham, NC. This interactive, data-art set brought science and art together. Of the free programming, this fun, collaborative piece showcased what Delta Sound Labs can create with innovative, high-speed Schlieren imaging equipment and two sonified datasets. Colorful bubbles sliding around the screen were generated and distorted with every new person walking through the scene.
“The sets are converted to analog control voltage using Delta Sound Labs’ Control module and then mapped to determine the timbral structure of two voltage controlled oscillators through a form of distortion synthesis called wavefolding. Each data set forms two short sections, which are repeated continuously,” as explained by the guys themselves. Check out their Moogfest experience on their blog.
video from deltasoundlabs.com
For more on our trip to MoogFest – check out our podcast interview with Tess Roby!
Hi guys, this month we highlight our conversation with Tess Roby from our Moog Fest visit back in May this year. She recently released her debut album Beacon on Italians Do It Better.
Hailing from Montreal, Tess Roby brings dreamy synths and strong vocals on melodic tracks like “Given Signs” and “Catalyst.” She talks to us about her inspiration for Beacon, how her photography inspires songwriting and how growing up in a musical family lead her to collaborating with her brother on her debut.
Enjoy!
This week’s Press Play features On Trianges – Sound in Geometry Series Volume 1 the playlist affiliated with this year’s Memphis Concrète experimental electronic music festival. It will be held at Crosstown Arts and will feature new musicians from the Memphis region and across the country.
This recording of electronic music presents the works of local and regional artists that will be featured at the festival.
Enjoy!
Get your tickets to the festival, June 22-24 in Memphis, TN: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/memphis-concrete-2018-tickets-45151261639?aff=efbeventtix
Sonosphere spoke with Rachel Grimes about her score for the film The Doctor from India. Rachel talks about the composition and the ways this film has inspired her to pay closer attention to the way she lives her own life. The interview took place via telephone on April 4th, 2018 and Rachel talks about the importance of this date. Enjoy!
An ethereal and meditative soundtrack album from pianist and composer Rachel Grimes (Rachel’s, King’s Daughters & Sons), The Doctor from India features piano, Scott Moore on violin, Jacob Duncan on saxophone, interspersed with harp, strings, and ambient sound design. Created for a new documentary film by Jeremy Frindel, this score provides a thematically unified soundscape to support the inspiring story of Dr. Vasant Lad, a holistic health pioneer whose approach centers around the ancient practice of Ayurveda. The immersive, contemplative track “Moving Into Night” is streaming now on Bandcamp, and you can also pre-order the album.
The film had its world premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 2, 2018. Zeitgeist Films, in association with Kino Lorber, will be screening theatrically throughout the spring alongside a VOD release. The film tells fascinating story of one man’s mission to bring the ancient healthcare system of wellness called Ayurveda from India to the West in the late 1970s. In this meditative, immersive portrait, with interviewees including Ayurvedic practitioner Deepak Chopra, Frindel documents the life and work of Dr. Vasant Lad who, fulfilling his destiny as foretold by his family guru became a holistic health pioneer, helping to bring Ayurveda, which was almost unknown when he first arrived in the west, to become one of the most prominent alternative health systems in the world today. Check out the film site and watch the trailer.
Heralded as “one of American independent music’s few truly inspired technicians” by WIRE magazine, Rachel Grimes is a pianist, composer, and arranger based in Kentucky. Widely known for her role in the groundbreaking chamber ensemble Rachel’s, (six albums on Quarterstick/Touch and Go), she has since toured worldwide as a solo pianist, and as a collaborator with various artists.
Her work has been performed by ensembles such as the Louisville Orchestra, Kansas City Symphony, A Far Cry, Longleash, Portland Cello Project, Amsterdam Sinfonietta Trio, Dublin Guitar Quartet, Borusan Quartet and Önder sisters. Releases include Through the Sparkle (with astrïd on Gizeh Records 2017), The Clearing (Temporary Residence Ltd. 2015), Book of Leaves, Marion County 1938, and Compound Leaves. Collaborators include Matthew Nolan, Erik Friedlander, Loscil, SITI Company, Joan Shelley, Nathan Salsburg, Jacob Duncan, Scott Moore, astrid, Chris Wells, and Julia Kent with the artist Peter Liversidge. She is also a member of Louisville band King’s Daughters & Sons (Chemikal Underground). She scores for film and multimedia installations (Donna Lawrence Productions) and has licensed music to numerous film and TV works internationally.
Tracks (The Doctor from India):
The Doctor Arrives
The Flowering of Arurveda
Sacred Knowledge
The Art of Listening
Quackery
I Do What I Love
Moogfest is almost here! Moogfest is an annual multi-day festival that is located at the intersection of music, technology, art and human interaction in “The Research Triangle.” Started in 2004 in NYC the festival is now in its 12th year. Moving from NYC, to Asheville, then Durham Moogfest curates and hosts those at the forefront of music, art, and the science of sound. Moogfest is May 17-20 spread through venues in downtown Durham, North Carolina.
“By day, Moogfest is a platform for conversation and experimentation, attracting creative and tech enthusiasts for four days of participatory programming in Durham, North Carolina. By night, Moogfest presents cutting-edge performances by early pioneers in electronic music, contemporary pop innovators, and avant-garde experimentalists in venues throughout the city.
Moogfest is a tribute to analog synthesizer pioneer Dr. Robert Moog and the profound influence his inventions have had on how we hear the world over the last 60 years. The exchange between engineer and musician that he fostered is celebrated with a unique festival format where the creative process is understood as collaboration among many people, across time and space, in commerce and culture.”
Here are 5 things not to miss:
National security expert Chelsea Manning’s keynote will explore how tools and enhancements in technology will be influencing our future and are/will tamper with our private life, our society and explore what we think are acceptable or unreasonable evolutions.
With Jennifer’s work with IBM Watson, her Keynote will come from both a philosophical and practical standpoint. While Chelsea’s Keynote is focused on disruption within technology, and how that is a tool for destruction and creativity.
Moritz Simon Geist aka Sonic Robots is a performer, musicologist, and robotics engineer. His robotic instruments and performances have been shown in numerous European festivals and exhibitions throughout the last year. His whole concept revolves around Robotic Electronic Music (R.E.M). He uses futuristic DIY mechanic instruments and small robots to create robotic techno and will be performing on stage with Mouse on Mars in the A3 Spatial Sound environment within The Armory. Later this year he’s debuting his first album, the first techno record recorded entirely with robots produced by Mouse On Mars. He teaches on the progression of technology and society at the NYU Berlin and will be presenting various workshops at Moogfest.
Check out a sampler here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVSP4XCOu18
Moogfest has partnered with Girls Who Code for an Engineer Scholarship giving 4 young female students the opportunity to build their own Subharmonicon synthesizer at this year’s festival. Read about it on FACT Mag. This program is a continuation of Moogfest’s dedication to STEAM, an educational approach to learning that uses Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics as access points for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking.
Beyond the personal consciousness, there is the familial consciousness, above the familial there is the cultural, above the cultural, the historical, and so on ascending into the vast cosmical or spiritual consciousness. The conception of Divine Weight derives from Zhang’s “failed” attempts of saxophone compositions and recordings accumulated over the last 3 years, from there it became the actual stem tracks that were heavily digitally disfigured until it no longer resembled the sound of saxophones. Like dreams, visions often come to us without us having the capability to measure or understand fully what they mean. Similar to Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Psychomagic, dreams and visions take on the roles of witnesses inside the uncharted labyrinth of the personal subconscious. To witness, is to believe. To believe, is to project a certain reality onto the external world. The projection then, has nothing to do with reality. Perhaps it’s where dreams go, after it dies.
This jazz enthusiast and avant-garde artist who’s part of the association of Advancement of Creative Musicians will be performing a 4 hour durational on her flute immersed with a plethora of moog synths. This is a completely different genre for her, and promises to be extraordinary.
Check out the 2018 SCHEDULE
Buy your tickets HERE.
See you there!
Today we feature a live performance by Model Zero from the WYXR studio in Memphis, TN. Sonosphere interviewed the band after their latest single release, “Little Crystal.” The band performed this song and the b-side “Leather Trap” on our show along with a few other songs from their self-title LP from 2019. We also talked with the guys about the difference between the last album and this new single. Join us!
Sonosphere 