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Composer's Jeffery Scott and Peter Askim discuss the upcoming performances of their new works.  'Anatomy of an Embrace' (World Premiere) by Peter Askim and  'Pesadelos 1' and 'Songs' by Jeffery Scott will be perfomed by Mallarme Music on Friday, February 2, 2024, 7:30 p.m. at the PSI Theatre, Durham Arts Council, Durham NC. If you live nearby, we hope to see you there. 

Mara Keen's talents shine through in her music, particularly when it comes to capturing the essence of time and motion. Her compositions are uniquely attuned to the emotions depicted on screen, seamlessly blending with the language of film. Son of Saul Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qOl7HtZc1c

From algorithms to Youtube, Thomas Little bridges the intuition of a composer with the heart of a teacher. With a deep understanding of music and music history, Little is not only a prolific composer but also an influential educator who shares his knowledge and passion for music with others on his successful Youtube channel Classical Nerd.  

Composer, flutist, choreographer, sound artist, and radio broadcaster Annie Nikunen's music is an embodiment of her humanity. Join Tarik and Anna for an exploration of the physicality of sound with this lovely, creative spirit. 

From the kind-natured city of Buffalo, NY to the vibrant energy of Long Island; from being the Head Chorister in the Choir of Men and Boys at St. Pauls Cathedral to being the 2004 recipient of the Pulitzer Prize in Music, Music has always been at the heart of who Paul Moravec is. In this episode of the Composer's Studio, Moravec speaks so eloquently about the personal intention of his music, its lyricism and the connection he feels to some of his most important pieces. 

With a fascination with language and mythos, Douglas Boyce composes music that draws on Medieval and Renaissance traditions but sits firmly within a modernist aesthetic. Building rich rhythmic structures that shift between order, fragmentation, elegance, and ferocity, many of his works have a direct historical touchstone. Other works draw on sources from antiquity,   literature, and philosophy. Join Tarik and Anna for a deep dive into a fascinating, modernist mind. 

Award winning Composer Christopher Dietz is a stargazer, his compositions moving through the darkness of spacetime in whirling constellations of sound. With instruments standing in for celestial bodies, Dietz engages in a philosophical contemplation of dualities and opposition, changing seasons, beginnings and endings. The individual, in relief against the unfathomable mass  of the Universe, turns from the broader view to the comforting safety of self-made limitations. Dietz’ reworking of The Rifleman’s Creed is a sympathetic, yet unflinching examination of humanity’s rigid, defensive attachment to its personal manifestos, though they lead us astray or into unwinnable conflicts. Join Tarik and Anna for a conversation that takes us from the deepest depths of the Universe to the mysteries of the human soul. 

It's very mysterious how it works, this pre-verbal language that we all recognize and comprehend. It's not simplistic or concrete yet somehow it channels and resonates its way through our minds and into our souls. It is with this vision and deep understanding that Worthington composes.  Often, she may not even know the meaning behind a composition until she has finished writing it. Rain is a self-taught composer.  Magical Realism, Reflection and Musical Angels are some of the beautiful manifestations of  her music. Impulses for new pieces have ranged from the small bits of rain cascading off of windows to the two-note expression of a sigh as well as the tragedy and heartache felt so deeply and by so many after 911.

Shanan Estreicher is a man of many accomplishments, and he has done so, not for himself but for others.  There is a Hebrew phrase "Torah Lishmah." Loosely translated, it means - a raging thirst for knowledge.  But, in Shanan's case the gift he offers is not about the knowledge he's learned but rather the knowledge he shares. With a heart of a teacher, Shanan expresses his musical voice in a passionate and honest way: an uninterrupted communication of musical language that speaks through him so deeply, encouraging every voice around him to rise up and sing.

From legendary educator at the Juilliard School to Professor of Composition and Music Theory at Vanderbilt University, Composer Samuel Zyman is one of the leading Mexican composers on the international scene today.  Known for his use of vigorous rhythmic energy and expressive lyricism, Dr. Zyman infuses the many styles that define his heritage.

From big ideas to tiny details, join us this week on the Composer's Studio as we embark on a thought provoking discussion about music, life and how harmony relates to the corner of a room.  From rock guitar to pencil and manuscript, from the Aaron Copland School of Music to City University of New York, Edward Smaldone does everything with passion and commitment.

On this special episode of Composer’s Studio, join Anna and guest host Shanan Estreicher for a fascinating dive into the music of our own Tarik Ghiradella. A master of what might be called minimalist maximalism, Ghiradella’s music undergoes astounding transformations from just a few tones-- mere molecules of sound into a dark, misty malediction, the hope of eternal life in another world, or even the love of a mother for her child. His music has been featured on the American Heroes Channel T.V. series Gunslingers and has composed for The American String Quartet, The Astoria Symphony, The Greensboro philharmonia and the Round rock symphony.  As a drummer, he has toured  Europe and North America and continues his work as a session drummer recording from his home studio. We are very lucky and proud to call him a collaborator and a friend.