Concert Reviews

Isabelle O’Connell’s Wide-Ranging Exploration of Contemporary Piano at the Irish Arts Center

Pianist Isabelle O’Connell performed 13 different pieces at the Irish Arts Center on November 7. Each encapsulated a vastly different soundscape, but stories of O’Connell’s life and travels between Dublin and New York City connected them. The first piece on the program was George Gershwin’s Prelude No. 1, chosen in honor of her last concert in Dublin before moving to New York for school, where … Continue reading Isabelle O’Connell’s Wide-Ranging Exploration of Contemporary Piano at the Irish Arts Center

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Premieres

Track Premiere: Yaz Lancaster, “Meditations on Auxin”

meditations on auxin, a new brooding work for electric guitar and voice, amalgamates the seemingly disparate musical categories of ancient Greek lyre songs, Bach’s solo partitas and sonatas, and punk rock. Composed by performer-composer and poet Yaz Lancaster and performed by composer, guitarist, and arranger Andrew Noseworthy, meditations on auxin uses form as a framework to give the performer freedom of interpretation. Released today on DIY-inspired, … Continue reading Track Premiere: Yaz Lancaster, “Meditations on Auxin”

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Concert Reviews

Afterimage: Kinds of Kings, ~Nois, and Wide-Ranging Musical Styles at Roulette

Kinds of Kings, a six-member composer collective dedicated to producing inclusive work and advocating for underheard voices, celebrated the opening of their 2019-20 season at Roulette on October 24 with a concert titled Afterimage. Teaming up with ~Nois, a Chicago-based, new music focused saxophone quartet, the evening featured one work for saxophone ensemble by each composer in the collective, each exploring a different musical style.  … Continue reading Afterimage: Kinds of Kings, ~Nois, and Wide-Ranging Musical Styles at Roulette

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Premieres

Video Premiere: Goldfeather, “Alone Again”

“Alone Again” is violinist and composer Sarah Goldfeather’s immersive ode to rejection. It’s a dramatic, indie-pop response to the open wounds of lost love. A heartbreaking relatability seeps through every synth-laden lyric, following influence from artists like Sufjan Stevens and Mitski. Its accompanying video amplifies the sonic intensity, using visual layering to mimic the echoing loneliness of the music itself. Continue reading Video Premiere: Goldfeather, “Alone Again”

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News

New Track: Andrew Rodriguez, “Oil Islands”

“Oil Islands” is intoxicating. Voice, saxophone, and electronics mesh art song with synth pop, blurring the lines of genre or perhaps shrugging off those confines entirely. Andrew Rodriguez isn’t interested in defining his music by one style – his influences range from DIY to hip hop to classical and jazz. And “Oil Islands” is his sonic playground. Continue reading New Track: Andrew Rodriguez, “Oil Islands”

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