Composer Conversations with Daniel Vezza

Richard is a composer and improviser who has collaborated with many leading performers in both areas, while developing works and ideas which increasingly leave behind the distinctions between them. His long-term collaborations include the electronic duo FURT which he formed with Paul Obermayer in 1986 (and its more recent octet version fORCH), composing for and performing with the ELISION contemporary music group since 1990, and regular appearances with the Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble since 2003. He studied composition principally with Peter Wiegold, and currently teaches at the Institute of Sonology in The Hague. You can listen to more of his music at www.richardbarrettmusic.com.

Richard is a composer and improviser who has collaborated with many leading performers in both areas, while developing works and ideas which increasingly leave behind the distinctions between them. His long-term collaborations include the electronic duo FURT which he formed with Paul Obermayer in 1986 (and its more recent octet version fORCH), composing for and performing with the ELISION contemporary music group since 1990, and regular appearances with the Evan Parker Electro-Acoustic Ensemble since 2003. He studied composition principally with Peter Wiegold, and currently teaches at the Institute of Sonology in The Hague. You can listen to more of his music at www.richardbarrettmusic.com.

These episodes are normally limited to one per composer but Chaya has been to too many interesting places. The first part will focus on her biography with the occasional excursion into her music and the second part will focus mostly on her music.Chaya is a composer from Israel who teaches composition at Harvard University. She has written music for all types of mediums including chamber music, orchestral music, opera, and music theatre. She has received numerous awards for her compositions, including the Kranichstein Music Prize, Asahi Shimbun Fellowship Prize, the Schloss Solitue Fellowship, the IRCAM reading panel, the Encouragement Prize by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation Prize, the Fromm Foundation Award, a nomination of the Berlin Wissenschaftskolleg, and a Guggenheim Fellowship Award. You can listen to more of her music at www.chayaczernowin.com.

These episodes are normally limited to one per composer but Chaya has been to too many interesting places. The first part will focus on her biography with the occasional excursion into her music and the second part will focus mostly on her music.Chaya is a composer from Israel who teaches composition at Harvard University. She has written music for all types of mediums including chamber music, orchestral music, opera, and music theatre. She has received numerous awards for her compositions, including the Kranichstein Music Prize, Asahi Shimbun Fellowship Prize, the Schloss Solitue Fellowship, the IRCAM reading panel, the Encouragement Prize by the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation Prize, the Fromm Foundation Award, a nomination of the Berlin Wissenschaftskolleg, and a Guggenheim Fellowship Award. You can listen to more of her music at www.chayaczernowin.com.

Sebastian Elikowski-Winkler is a German composer who is currently based in Berlin. He studied composition at the University of the Arts in Berlin with Friedrich Goldmann, and at the Music Academy Prague with Marek Kopelent. He also studied architecture, musicology and history of art at the Technische Universität Berlin. In 2006 he received a scholarship of the Cité International des Arts from the Senate of Berlin, and in 2007 he was been awarded a scholarship for the Tschaikowsky Conservatory Moscow by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). You can listen to more of his music at www.elikowskiwinkler.blogspot.de.In out conversation we talk about the Sorbian culture he comes from, why he started composing, and his connection to politics and music.

Germán is a composer from Madrid who currently lives in Geneva. He studied Guitar and Composition (specialization in Electroacoustic Composition) at the Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid. He continued studying composition at the Strasbourg Conservatoire with Mark André and new technologies at IRCAM. He has been selected for Domaine Forget’s “Musique Nouvelle” in Quebec, “Voix Nouvelles” of the Royaumont Foundation in Paris, the “International Composer Pyramid” in Canterbury, among many others. His works have been played by Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Xasax, Asko-Schönberg, Grup Instrumental de València, Sigma Project, Patrick Stadler, Carl-Emmanuel Fisbach, Ums’n Jip, Interensemble, Zahir Ensemble, and Taller Sonoro. He was a finalist at the Gaudeamus Prize 2013. You can listen to more of his music at www.german-alonso.com.In our conversation we talk about his beginning as a rock guitarist, his use of saturation in music, and being a student at an older age.

Tobias is a German composer from Jena. He went to the Musikgymnasium Schloss Belverdere in Weimar. After that he studied composition and guitar at the Hocheschule für Müsik “Franz Liszt” in Weimar. Presently, he works as a composer, sound artist, and guitarist. His pieces are performed by well known ensembles and orchestras at various festivals for contemporary music, such as the Frankfurter Positionen and Klangwerkstatt Berlin. In 2010 Klich won the Bremen Composers Prize. He is the winner of the 2013 Gaudeamus Prize.In our conversation we talk about his first time composing for orchestra, his experience as a composer and classical guitar player, and how he relates visual aspects in the Goya prints Los Caprichos to performing.

Esaias is a Swedish composer who currently lives in Gothenburg. His music has been performed by ensembles and soloists such as Richard Craig , Hugo Ticciati, Karin Hellqvist, Pontus Langendorf, Sergej Tchirkov, Anna Petrini, Cora Schmeiser, Ensemble SurPlus, Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, and the Curious Chamber Players. His music has been performed in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Lithuania, Iceland, Ireland, Austria, England, Portugal, Russia, Canada, USA, China and Dubai at festivals and radiobroadcasts. You can listen to more of his music at www.esaiasjarnegard.seIn our conversation we talk about the nature of the new music in Sweden, his time studying with Pierluigi Billone, and Norwegian Black Metal.

Amit is an Israeli composer who now resides in Germany. He has studied in Jerusalem, Ithaca, and New York. His music is influenced by electroacoustic mediums as well as improvisation. His recent pieces tend to be interdisciplinary and conceptual, combining political ideas, theatrical effects and movement plus textual sources ranging from the work of Walter Benjamin to anonymous online personal ads. His work reflects a desire for democratic forms of music making and audience engagement. He is particularly fascinated by the various ways in which music can be used to engage with topical events and to promote social justice. His music has been performed across Europe, the USA, Canada, the Far East, and Israel. You can listen to more of his music at www.amitgilutz.comIn our conversation we talk about his time studying in Israel, his approach to working with instruments and sounds, and how he approaches politics in his music.

Taylor is an American composer who is currently based in New York. His music has been performed in North America and Europe by ensembles and soloists such as the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Quatour Bozzini, JACK quartet, and soloists such as Joshua Modney and Mira Benjamin. Taylor participated in the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne FORUM 2010, composing a new work to accompany the Nathalie Bujold film Les trains où vont les choses; the piece was awarded the Prix Public and second prize from the jury. You can listen to more of his music at www.taylorbrookmusic.com.In our conversation we talk about his time studying in Canada, using theatrical elements in his music, and how a piece is developed when collaborating with different art forms.

Jacob was born and raised in Louisville, KY, and has written music for instruments, electronics, dance, and multimedia. His music is regularly played at festivals around North America and Europe, most recently at the Wellesley Composers Conference (Wellesley, MA), the Acht Brücken Festival (Cologne, Germany), Hear+Now (Louisville, KY) and June in Buffalo (Buffalo, NY). His works have been premiered by a variety of American and European ensembles, including Talujon Percussion Quartet, Ensemble SurPlus, and Ensemble Linea. You can listen to more of his works at www.jacobgotlib.com.In our conversation we talk about his work at Art x FM, living outside of a large city with a new music scene, and the experience of working with different kinds of ensembles.

Emre is a Turkish composer who is currently living in the Netherlands. His music has been performed in a number of prestigious festivals, including the Internationale Darmstädter Ferienkurse für Neue Musik (2010), Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival (2011), Gaudeamus Muziekweek (2012) and Wittener Tage für Neue Kammermusik (2013). He received an honorable mention for his work Il voto dell’innocenza at this year’s Gaudeamus Muziekweek 2013. Currently, Emre is based in The Hague and is also a member of the artistic committee of the Nieuw Ensemble.In our conversation we talk about his time studying in Uzbekistan, his work with the Omnibus Ensemble, and his decision to move to Amsterdam.

Yoshi a Japanese American composer and conductor who is currently a Teaching Fellow at Columbia University. His principal teachers at Columbia have been Fabien Lévy, Fred Lerdahl, and Tristan Murail. His music has been performed worldwide by such ensembles as JACK Quartet, Next Mushroom Promotion, and the Nieuw Ensemble. He was awarded the Gaudeamus Prize 2011. Other recent honors include an artistic residency fellowship from Civitella Ranieri Foundation in Umbertide, Italy, as well as a commission from Ensemble Intercontemporain. You can listen to more of his music at www.yoshionishi.com.In our conversation we talk about how and why he came to the U.S., how he gets his initial impulse when beginning a piece, and his relationship to social media.The first piece played in this podcast is Tramespace, performed by the Asko|Schönberg Ensemble conducted by Clark Rundell and recorded live by Richard de Gruyl for Concertzender/VPRO during Gaudeamus Muziekweek 2013. The second piece is Tr (épilogue) performed by Patrick McGuire.

I was recently invited to conduct interviews at Gaudeamus Muziekweek 2013, so for the next two and a half months the interviews will focus on the Gaudeamus Prize Nominees. The interviews took place in Museum Speelklok, which is a museum of street organs. So if every now and then you hear Thriller, Old Macdonald, or Gangnam Style being played on street organ in the background, you’re welcome.Daniel is a Brazilian composer and conductor who currently lives in Hamburg. He studied composition and music theory in Brazil (Universidade Federal do Grande do Sul), United States (University of Texas at Austin) and Germany (Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg). He has been awarded with prizes and scholarships such as the (Deutscher Musikwettbewerb 2012, DAAD Preis 2011, Schleswig-Holstein Stipendienpreis, and the ISCM Aufführungspreis. His compositions have been heard in such important venues and festivals as the Academy of arts in Berlin, Philharmonie Essen, ISCM World New Music Days, Darmstädter Ferienkurse für neue Musik, Wet Ink Concert Series, and the Donaueschinger Musiktage Off-Programm. You can listen to more of his music at www.daniel-moreira.com. The piece played in this interview is titled The King from Papatua.

David is an Icelandic composer currently residing in New York. His works have been performed by ensembles such as the Arditti Quartet, Ensemble Adapter, Ensemble Surplus, Avanti!, Eighth Blackbird, and Yarn/Wire. He is a founding member of the Icelandic Composer’s Collective s.l.a.t.u.r. and co-runs the record label Carrier Records with Sam Pluta and Jeff Snyder.In our conversation we talk about the Icelandic music scene, his approach to analyzing and working with material, and the differences between intentionality and perception. The music played on this podcast is Longitudinal Study #1 performed by Loadbang, and a clip from The Negotiation of Context C performed by Yarn/Wire.

Fred is a New York based composer whose music has been commissioned and performed by major chamber ensembles and orchestras. His seminal book A Generative Theory of Tonal Music, co-authored with linguist Ray Jackendoff, is a founding document for the growing field of the cognitive science of music. He studied at Lawrence University, Princeton, and Tanglewood. He has taught at UC/Berkeley, Harvard, and Michigan, and since 1991 has been Fritz Reiner Professor of Musical Composition at Columbia University, where he directs the composition program. Three of his works composed since 2000 - Time after Time for chamber ensemble, the Third String Quartet, and Arches for cello and chamber orchestra – have been finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in music. You can listen to more of his music at www.fredlerdahl.com.In out conversation we talk about his time studying at Tanglewood and with Milton Babbitt at Princeton, the differences in his approach to composing and music theory, and the changing academic landscape in the field of composition.

Conrad is a New York based composer who writes opera, symphonic music, chamber music, and music for his ensemble of amplified instruments and voices. His works have been performed at Carnegie Hall, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, and numerous clubs and alternative performance spaces. Groups performing his music include Brandywine Baroque, Avian Orchestra, the Brooklyn Philharmonic, the Louisville, New Jersey, and Indianapolis Symphonies, and the San Francisco Opera Center. You can listen to more of his music at www.conradcummings.com.In our conversation we talk about how he ended up studying at Yale, his experience being in an academic environment at Columbia, and how he works within the opera world.

Carl is a New York-based composer and conductor who was born in Hamburg, Germany. He studied composition with Hans-Jurgen von Bose and Wolfgang Rihm in Munich and Karlsruhe before moving to New York, where he received his doctorate from Columbia University under Tristan Murail. His works have been played at major new-music festivals and venues in Europe, North America, Asia, and Australia. He has received numerous awards, among them a fellowship from the DAAD, a six-month residency at the Cite des Arts in Paris, and a Fromm Foundation commission.In our chat we talk about his time studying in Munich, the festival and academic scene in Europe and America, and how he tempered the “squareness” of his music. The piece played this interview is titled Il y a l’Océan and was performed by the Mivos Quartet.

Juliana is a British composer living in Berlin. Her work ranges from chamber music and intimate semi-staged object pieces to large-scale electro-acoustic orchestral works, and often involves visual or theatrical elements. She has also created installations, and electronic performances embracing field recordings, samples, voice, text and foley. This set of interests has led her to develop collaborative practices spanning ad-hoc freelance and established institutional frameworks. Repeated collaborations with groups such as the Danish group Scenatet , the Australian arts collective Aphids, and Kammerensemble Neue Musik from Berlin, have enabled her to evolve a working practice based on the rehearsal processes of chamber music, yet with a flow of inter-disciplinary experimentation linking creative development, composition and performance.In our conversation we talk about her time studying at Cambridge, the time she spent living in Denmark, and her ambitions when composing Operas.

Wei-Chieh Lin is a New York based composer who was born in Taichung, Taiwan, his music has been performed at venues in the U.S. and abroad, including the Gaudeamus Muziekweek, Centre Pompidou, Lincoln Center, Weill Recital Hall and the National Concert Halls in Taiwan. Among the ensembles that have performed or commissioned his works are Ensemble InterContemporain, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, National Taiwan Symphony Orchestra, Le Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, Makrokomos Ensemble, as well as members of eighth blackbird and Klangforum Wien. You can listen to more of his music at www.soundcloud.com/wei-chieh-lin.In our conversation we talk about how he ended living in New York, his time studying with Milton Babbitt, and his approach to structural thinking.