Music Crush with FNMC

Nicole and Elizabeth explore the various levels and types of community which exist in the music world and how to nurture them. They also play a little armchair psychology as they reflect upon different generations’ approaches towards stress and anxiety. https://www.flutenewmusicconsortium.com/nmf2026.html

Lebanese composer Sami Seif fills us in on his 2025 solo competition winner, “Miniatures from Phoenicia”, originally premiered by the amazing Mary Kay Fink, and nerds out with Elizabeth and Nicole about how extra cool flutists are (admittedly, this is Nicole’s paraphrase). Sami also shares some fascinating tidbits about Lebanese music and inspires us with his delightfully positive pedagogical philosophy. Nicole and Sami discuss the pleasure of traveling for work. Finally there’s some sage advice here for collaborating happily with your favorite composers.https://www.samiseif.com/Seif, Miniatures from PhoeneciaElizabeth Younan, Fantasia II for Solo Flute Saad Haddad, Tasalsul I for Solo FluteNadim Taraby, BAYĀTI, HAYĀTI for Violin (2), Viola, Cello, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, and oboe

Elizabeth and Nicole talk high-brow music in humble places, curating thought-provoking recital experiences, and shirking traditional “responsibilities” attached to the repertoire canon. What makes a concert interesting? What are the performer’s responsibilities to the audience? And how does this translate into pedagogy? Deep thoughts to kick off 2026 with Music Crush (and listen to the end for an update on Lake Bacon)!

Flutist-composer Kyrese Washington won FNMC’s 2025 composition competition in the flute and piano category.Today they explain how their winning composition, “Poem” came to life and how their compositional persona really blossomed during the pandemic, despite improvising and composing for fun from an early age. There are some grateful shout-outs to mentors Tim Hagen and Valerie Coleman, and a fascinating review of their commission from Katherine Needleman. Keep listening for some very fun musical suggestions and video ideas!https://colemanpagemusic.com/composer/kyrese-washington/Bjork, PostCharlie XCX, BratChaka Kahn, “Tearing It Up”

Today’s episode features an awe-inspiring conversation with harpist, arts administrator, and new music advocate Elizabeth Huston. As the Executive Director of the L.A.-based composer collective, Synchrony, she has been involved in commissioning, producing, and educating numerous composers over the years. She tells us how she creates an engaging show, describes the process by which composers get paid for their music, and gives performers some practical tips for getting to know your composers and their works for a more meaningful collaboration. Stick around for the contemporary harp music primer at the end! https://elizabethharpist.com/R. Murray Schafer, Crown of Ariadne: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRAV0kXvy5MCaroline Lizotte, Suite Galactique: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgIgOTgMCpkJan Krzywicki, Starscape: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8zdeK_tx_0

This episode features an inspiring conversation we had with award-winning flutist and arts advocate Dr. Iva Ugrčić, the founder and director of LunART Festival, a celebration of women artists in its eighth year.  She takes us through her educational journey, from Serbia to Paris to Madison, Wisconsin, and walks us through the criteria she uses for selecting composers, both for her festival and for her own commissions. Iva has no regrets and appreciates everything she has experienced in work and life.  And she tells us that she’s already living her dream! We love that. https://www.ivaugrcic.com/Chen Yi, Gi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty_ex4KABIcSato Matsui: https://www.satomatsui.com/3rd Coast: https://www.thirdcoastchambercollective.com/projects/chamber-camp

Elizabeth and Nicole are catching up after a long, luxurious summer. Elizabeth crocheted, and Nicole learned how to swim. Nicole might have gotten too detailed about the process of learning how to swim as a 51-year-old…then Elizabeth got all fancy and tied it into metacognition as she learned it in her back-to-school faculty seminar. Discussions on skill vs talent and the general superiority of musicians in the teaching realm abound, and Elizabeth chooses a swear word to post on her office door for the beginning of school. Ever the party pooper, Nicole manages to bring this whimsical conversation back around to the coming crisis in arts funding. 

Composer Daniel Kessner came up in the SoCal composition world in the 60s and 70s, and he has Seen Some Things. Today he discusses the wild experimentation of the 20th century and the importance of learning your Bach inventions. Stick around for some great advice for up-and-coming composers and a fun preview of his bass flute and electronics piece, Imaginary Temples.⁠https://www.universaledition.com/en/Contacts/Daniel-Kessner/⁠Schumann piano quartet in E-flat, Andante: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4EDwHCR-PIBach, 3-Part Invention #3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq7W41doqk0Salonen Violin Concerto: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n0kZc3Utpc

Nicole asks Elizabeth if she has any age-related non-negotiables, in performance and in life. Like, how do you know you’re too old to learn a new technique? When do you give yourself permission to prefer happiness over work? And furthermore, for whom are you accepting the work? Nicole spills the beans about getting fired from her first teaching gig and Elizabeth wonders how gender affects likeability at work. They both agree that reading the room might be the most important professional skill. Brandon Shaw, Startup Musician

Inga Chinilina, winner of FNMC’s 2024 Composition Competition in the solo flute category, joins us today to discuss her winning piece, “Learning to Love America” and how she weaves immigrant experiences into her works. She also explains her PhD research, which wrestles with the inherent solitude in personal listening and the limits of human perception. She is a composer who seeks first and foremost to translate her experiences into sounds, and urges potential collaborating performers to ask for everything they want in a commissioned piece! https://chinilina.com/Chinilina, Salt Soaked: https://chinilina.com/saltAlejandro Escuer: https://alejandroescuer.com/Tristan Barton: https://www.tristanbartonmusic.com/Rose Hegele: https://www.rosehegele.com/Khovanshchina: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khovanshchina

Christian Glascock won FNMC’s composition competition in 2024 with his flute-piano work, but it’s not her. Today he fills us in on his book "Plugged In: Practice and Performance Method for Flutists," which he co-wrote with his former flute professor, Abigail Walsh. He also discusses the therapeutic role composition plays during turbulent times and the joy of meeting his composition heroes in real life. Stay tuned for more, cuz this guy’s got a bright future ahead of himself! Christian Glascock: https://www.christianglascock.com/In the Blink of an Eye: https://open.spotify.com/album/6i0ipfMU70Ah8uL1J3l7pdAmy Beth Kirsetn, Pirouette on a Moon Sliver: https://youtu.be/jj57RIRl66E?si=c9jWrO-7m9BpzSkjRobert Dick, everyone@universe.existence: https://youtu.be/c01bXIpVF_s?si=bk1SLFQNwwpeBW35Steve Reich, Mallet Quartet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrJkrCs5hUkBill Ryan, Towards Daybreak: https://billryanmusic.com/compositions/Towards%20Daybreak/Jacob TV, Lipstick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8QCsoF5W9IAndre Jolivet, Chant de Linos: https://youtu.be/SZzTzcs5Y_8?si=CsR4pGXWyEBUdMAPEarspasm: https://www.youtube.com/@earspasm

Kari Cruver Medina was born a composer and storyteller! She prefers to live a life which dwells in possibilities (thank you, Emily Dickinson), and chooses to “tend and befriend” whenever she can. Today she chats with Nicole and Elizabeth about not doing it all in favor of a life led with intentionality and exploration. We also learn more about her wildly varied duet for flutes, Cabinet of Curiosities, an FNMC competition winner in 2024, and get schooled in some poetry for beginners. https://www.karicruvermedina.com/Emily Dickinson: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/emily-dickinsonMary Oliver: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/mary-oliverBilly Collins: https://youtu.be/DOvbl3ZPPV4?si=eZrO6PgS9Liw4vvb

Are you regularly cooking up new, complicated projects in need of funding? This episode’s for you. Elizabeth reveals her super-secret project, South Dakota Chamber Winds, which came to fruition this past summer. What follows is a pretty specific discussion about how to strategize for grant writing, how to survive running The Thing, and for dessert, a delightful lil’ name drop of some perhaps new-to-you composers you should know. Nicole and Elizabeth also go down the rabbit hole of analyzing the unique vibe of non-academic venues with non-academic audience members. And finally, there is an ode to the ever-patient, ever-suffering regional personnel manager.  South Dakota Chamber Winds: http://www.southdakotachamberwinds.com/ Marie A. Douglas: https://www.marieadouglas.com/ Alyssa Morris: https://www.alyssamorrismusic.com/ Jonathan Newman: https://jonathannewman.com/

An eclectic and versatile performer, NYC-based clarinetist Chris Grymes has made a name for himself in the new music scene, as a performer, show producer, and the founder of Open G Records, which he started in 2012. Today he talks about his decades-long friendship with Joan Tower, the surprisingly inherent music of Jiu-Jitsu, and the guiding principle that drives his choice of projects: making nice stuff with his friends. He considers himself the funny uncle of the new music world and hopes, first and foremost, to leave behind “something that’s not dumb”.  National Sawdust: https://www.nationalsawdust.org/ Boulez,Dialogue de l'ombre double: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJKhUZEhtX8 Open G Records: https://www.youtube.com/@OpenGRecords Radiohead, OK Computer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDRauh2lETo&list=PLD3LS5Z2bqoFChIzb5H0CY-XwmUB02buA Brahms, op. 118: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b76pK6FRGJc&list=PLabI4D17uS1IEfjbHmdKQk_aP-RcpsByO Stravinsky, Firebird (full): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFEUfvMnCmM&list=PLt_iN-ytBvZxkr4sS-It8d8rvDDhuu1VI

Season 3 of Music Crush is coming soon!

In this season finale episode, Nicole is puzzling over how to keep a healthy balance between ambition and personal boundaries. Elizabeth is starting to see her past experiences through a more nuanced lens. No one is everyone’s cup of tea, and this conversation is all about being kind to yourself and acknowledging the things you can’t control…this is middle age, folks!

 Up-and-coming composer, Dianna Link, won FNMC’s Composition Competition in 2023 with her flute-piano piece, “Old As Time”. It’s a feminist reimagining of the tale of Beauty and the Beast, and she spoke with us about her interest in exploring themes of resilience and self-determination in her reworking of this classic fairy tale. She also discusses the existential crisis of having to fit neatly into one box in school, her inspiring time spent studying through OAcademy and Boulanger Initiative, her history of taking liberties with the score, and music-crushes on her main mentors, Annika Socolofsky and Alex Gardner.  https://www.diannalink.com/ Boulanger Initiative: https://www.boulangerinitiative.org/ OAcademy: https://oacademy.live/ Tophouse, “The Mountain Song”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaDC_e4SjBQ Twisted Pine, “Come Along Jody”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6-OLP2FTI8 How to Train Your Dragon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQxr-HeSp68

Composer Reena Esmail sat down with us today to fill in some background for the beautiful new solo flute piece that FNMC recently commissioned, Pathways of Desire. She also shared some surprising insights on the differences (musical and pedagogical) between Western and Hindustani classical musics, discussed the value of carving your own path, and revealed the secret to pleasing her with your performance! A teacher at heart, she’s curious about ways the old conservatory model of teaching could be updated, and recognizes a big truth she learned years ago as a student: it’s easier to learn when the teacher believes in you. If you're looking for some positive inspiration in the middle of a hard week, this episode is for you.  https://www.reenaesmail.com/ The Observable Universe: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/723150/the-observable-universe-by-heather-mccalden/ Reena’s Sonata for Trombone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ze0de_DFbFQ Thomas Adès, Inferno: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r2vc_oulPg Schumann piano Quartet, mvt. 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MKZAG8Oqu8 Mendelssohn B minor piano trio, mvt. 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LDPTbFtprE

Flutist Christine Erlander Beard enjoys an active international career as a soloist, chamber artist and teacher. You may know her from her current commissioning project, #theflutistactivist initiative. Today she joins Elizabeth and Nicole to discuss her social advocacy work, both on and off stage, her lifelong love affair with the piccolo, and the importance of teaching the whole person, with your whole self.  https://www.christiebeard.net/ Linthicum-Blackhorse, C10H15n: https://youtu.be/PWq8kY1htHA?si=psJO3DwNK75Zc2ci Jan Novak, Marsyas: https://youtu.be/xsx4vMZXfds?si=3uOAkM2wzOQNTJlr EJ Louwerse, 50 Fish: https://youtu.be/qyCgAvrjAVQ?si=WRYYBxCmjjt3TyT3 Erwin Schulhoff, Sonata: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9A9F5YlbVo

Expat flutist Chelsea Czuchra is puzzling over the divide between “classical” and popular music in Western culture and how to build an authentic bridge to art music in our communities that doesn’t involve academia. We don’t exactly figure out the answer in this delightful chat, but we’re confident you will be as charmed and fascinated by her Switzerland-based work as we were!  Making Music in Looking Glass Land: https://archive.org/details/makingmusicinloo0000high Be Spoken: https://www.letsbespoken.org/ Angela Beeching: https://angelabeeching.com/ Kaija Saariaho: Flute Concerto : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7sjyGRUoRI Meshell Ndegéocello - No More Water: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDhajrZgo0TK7cAyIl8dE7fikx_pvdt4M&si=ur0hnpHyHnCRnUEC Jessica Myers, My Heart is the Churning Sea: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vFJKjahuwM