MEMETERIA by Thomas May

Music & the Arts

April 22, 2019 • 10:05 am Comments Off on Finding a Way Back to the Garden: Caroline Shaw’s Music for String Quartet

Finding a Way Back to the Garden: Caroline Shaw’s Music for String Quartet

ST288-1_1024x1024@2x

Caroline Shaw image (c)Kait Moreno

The May-June issue of STRINGS magazine has just come out, with my cover story on Caroline Shaw and her music for string quartet.

to the issue

Filed under: Caroline Shaw, profile, string quartet, Strings

February 11, 2019 • 8:21 am Comments Off on New Concertos by Caroline Shaw and Kinan Azmeh at Seattle Symphony

New Concertos by Caroline Shaw and Kinan Azmeh at Seattle Symphony

Caroline Shaw

Caroline Shaw, Jonathan Biss, and Ludovic Morlot with Seattle Symphony; photo (c) Brandon Patoc

My coverage of recent world premieres by Caroline Shaw and Kinan Azmeh has now been posted at Musical America.

SEATTLE—As Ludovic Morlot’s final season at the helm of the Seattle Symphony gets closer to the final stretch, his legacy of nurturing new music is coming into sharper relief. The SSO’s last two programs in particular—otherwise so strikingly different in character and mood—each unveiled commissions that took the form of brand-new concertos of genuine distinction: Watermark, Caroline Shaw’s score for pianist Jonathan Biss; and a moving work composed by and for the brilliant clarinetist Kinan Azmeh.

Silk Road Ensemble

Kinan Azmeh with Seattle Symphony and Ludovic Morlot premiering his new Clarinet Concerto; photo (c) Brandon Patoc

continue

Filed under: Caroline Shaw, Kinan Azmeh, Ludovic Morlot, new music, Seattle Symphony, Silk Road Project

January 31, 2019 • 12:51 pm Comments Off on Caroline Shaw’s New Piano Concerto Premieres in Seattle

Caroline Shaw’s New Piano Concerto Premieres in Seattle

Very excited–especially after getting a foretaste in rehearsal–to hear the world premiere tonight of super-talented Caroline Shaw’s Watermark, her piano concerto for Jonathan Biss.

Check out the video above for the composer in a master class on her own music. And here’s an interview from yesterday with KING-FM’s Dave Beck on Watermark.

Filed under: Caroline Shaw, commissions, pianists, Seattle Symphony

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

RSS Arts & Culture Stories from NPR

  • Bob the Drag Queen
    Bob the Drag Queen discusses his wig-filled basement drag closet and his HBO docuseries We're Here. Then, Bob takes on a quiz tailored specifically to his interests, from Kesha to Whoopi Goldberg.
  • Funky Stuff, Part 2
    Cristin Milioti and Camila Mendes join house musician Jonathan Coulton for a game where funky songs are rewritten to be about things that smell funky.
  • Hallmark Holidays
    Cristin Milioti and Camila Mendes (Palm Springs) compete to see who can identify holidays based on the text of Hallmark cards.
  • In A Hurry
    Comedians Erin Jackson and Laurie Kilmartin work together to answer questions about some of the world's fastest things.
  • Foley Moley
    Comedians Laurie Kilmartin (writer for CONAN) and Erin Jackson (Last Comic Standing) face off in a game about the strange noises that go into creating movie sound effects.
  • Actor André Holland Explores: 'Where I Fit, How I Fit, If I Fit'
    Best known for his roles in Moonlight and Castle Rock, Holland has a starring role in a new radio version of Shakespeare's Richard II. Originally broadcast in 2018.
  • You May Be In Sweatpants, But COVID-19 Hasn't Stopped Haute Couture
    In a fashion first, this season's collections were presented digitally, rather than in-person, in-Paris. The virtual venue was an opportunity for designers to experiment in the online space.
  • World War II Naval Drama 'Greyhound' Charts A Trim, Efficient Course
    Tom Hanks stars in, and wrote the screenplay for, this familiar but effective tale of a Navy captain leading a convoy of merchants ships through U-boat-infested seas.
  • Dawn Wacek: How Can Libraries Be A Path Toward Inclusivity And Forgiveness?
    Are overdue library book fines necessary? Librarian Dawn Wacek wants all libraries to do away with overdue fines to make library services more inclusive and welcoming to all readers.
  • No Reading, No Peace: The Power Of Black Stories Out Loud
    The difference between owning a book by a Black author and experiencing its power lies in reading it aloud — particularly for kids' books, which can help kids speak up about their own experiences.

Follow me on Twitter @memeteria