I CARE IF YOU LISTEN

ListN Up Playlist: Molly Joyce (Sept. 3, 2026)

Molly Joyce is a composer and performer whose work explores disability as a creative source. Described by The Washington Post as “one of the most versatile, prolific, and intriguing composers working under the vast new-music dome,” her music has also been praised by The New York Times for its “serene power.” Hi everyone! My name … Continued

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5 Questions to Christian Li (pianist, composer)

Christian Li is a pianist, composer, and arranger based in New York City whose work spans a wide range of aesthetics and styles. As a sought-after collaborator, he has worked with Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Sungazer, Childish Japes, and Kevin Sun, among others. For his debut album Broken Neon Sign out on Sept. 4 (Endectomorph Music), … Continued

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Review: PRISM Quartet “Generate Music”

On their new album Generate Music (XAS Records), PRISM radically reimagines the saxophone quartet as a platform for facilitating cross-cultural artistry and community connections. The ambitious project transforms a visceral museum encounter with anti-Black and antisemitic Nazi iconography into an ecosystem of collaborations between Black and Jewish artists. From this, Generate Music has created a … Continued

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Review: AfriClassical Futures Presents “The Holy Presence of Joan d’Arc”

What happens when an iconoclast becomes an institution? That question continues to unfold with Julius Eastman. Composing in the heady New York scene of the 1970s and ’80s, Eastman wrote music years ahead of its time, all while placing his identity as a Black, openly gay man front and center. He died in obscurity in … Continued

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Review: Liz Draper at Edna’s Park

The sky can’t decide if it’s going to rain. Baby blue dots the gaps between hulking grey clouds over the Minneapolis skyline. The moody tone resonates with bassist and composer Liz Draper’s self-styled “classicaldoomfolkjazz.” But the scene also shares a looming sense of possibility with her Aug. 21 sound installation at Edna’s Park — a … Continued

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Sarah Davachi is a Sonic Architect

The organ at the Church of St. Luke & St. Matthew looms over Sarah Davachi as she takes a seat to perform at the May 2026 Long Play Festival in Brooklyn. The Canadian-born, Los-Angeles-based composer strikes a low, grumbling chord that harnesses the strength of the mahogany-toned wood and large metal pipes that line the … Continued

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Review: International Contemporary Ensemble at TIME:SPANS Festival

In the last minutes of Márton Illés’ Forajzok (2021), every member of the International Contemporary Ensemble was holding coins in their right hand, shaking them above their heads the same as conductor Rebekah Heller. The coins made a rustling and transitory sound, small but still loud enough to hear in the hall, before Heller began … Continued

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ListN Up Playlist: Sharon Chohi Kim (Aug. 20, 2026)

Sharon Chohi Kim is a Los Angeles-based performance-maker, vocalist, and composer whose work brings together experimental opera, performance art, movement, sound, and installation to explore collective voice and human/nonhuman ecologies. Her work has been presented at REDCAT, MOCA, and The Ford, and she is a recipient of the 2026 Creative Capital Award. My musical influences … Continued

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Review: Mary Kouyoumdjian “Paper Pianos”

The work of Mary Kouyoumdjian is equally rooted in composition and documentary through projects about the Armenian genocide, the Syrian refugee crisis, and the Lebanese civil war. So it comes as no surprise that Paper Pianos, the work that made her a Pulitzer Prize finalist, explicitly foregrounds the words of refugees and refugee resettlement workers. … Continued

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Review: Imani Winds “Rise”

Imani Winds is an ensemble that has continually fulfilled its mission to inspire generations of musicians through adventurous and innovative programming. Founded in 1997 by Valerie Coleman (flute), Toyin Spellman-Diaz (oboe), Mariam Adam (clarinet), Jeff Scott (French horn), and Monica Ellis (bassoon), the quintet has maintained an unshakable commitment to highlighting and strengthening the rich … Continued

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Review: Jennifer Koh “The American Concerto, Volume One”

On The American Concerto, Volume One (Aug. 14, Cedille Records), the Grammy Award-winning violinist Jennifer Koh connects the concerto form to contemporary society. The album is the first volume of Koh’s commissioning project of the same name, which blossomed amid the recent resurgence of art that depicts and interrogates American identity — particularly as we … Continued

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5 Questions to Christopher Thompson (composer, percussionist)

Composer and percussionist Christopher Thompson deftly demonstrates how overlooking the constraints of genre can yield artistic freedom. Blending the sounds of classical, jazz, gospel, rap, and more, Thompson’s unique style recently won over the members of the San Francisco Symphony’s jury, making him the sixth recipient of the Emerging Black Composers Project’s Michael Morgan Prize. … Continued

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Review: Rebekah Heller “Righteous Rage”

Rebekah Heller is on a mission to smash every tired stereotype or bad orchestra joke about the bassoon. On her new album Righteous Rage (Cantaloupe Music, July 31), arrangements of Julius Eastman and Steve Reich meet newly commissioned works by Jessie Cox, Fay Victor, and Brittany J. Green in a project that left me wondering … Continued

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Review: Du Yun “The Ocean Etched in the Forest” (刻在森林的海)

A last-minute venue change brought Chinese Arts Week’s presentation of Du Yun’s The Ocean Etched in the Forest (刻在森林的海) to the compact David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center. Every seat was filled before the July 24 performance began, with ushers steadily guiding late arrivals toward standing-room sections. Within the audience were a noticeably large number … Continued

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5 Questions to Ravish Momin (drummer, producer)

Electronic drummer, producer, educator, and clinician Ravish Momin is known for his groundbreaking recontextualisation of Western electronic music and drum machines through the lens of South Indian percussion instruments. His influences range from the underground dance music scenes of Brazil to artists such as Indian classical composer Ravi Shankhar, South African singer-songwriter Spoek Mathambo, and … Continued

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ListN Up Playlist: Amadeus Julian Regucera (Jul. 23, 2026)

The work of Amadeus Julian Regucera (b.1984, He/They) engages with the embodied and acoustical energy of sound and the erotics of its production through concert music, installation, performance art, and video. Since 2022 he is the music curator at the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in … Continued

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5 Questions to Sarah Hennies (composer)

Over the past 20 years, Sarah Hennies has developed an iterative musical practice that finds sonic and conceptual niches in contemporary art ecosystems. Her near-singular approach to long-form repetition evokes subtle timbres and textures that trace ineffable, overwhelming, or often overlooked experiences. Compositions emerging from close collaboration with performers plunge audiences into queer intimate connections … Continued

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Review: “A Fine Chance for Permanence”

What do you get when you feature five of the most accomplished contemporary performer-improvisers on a single album of original music? With A Fine Chance for Permanence, Drew Wesely (bowed/prepared guitar), Laura Cocks (flute), Camilo Ángeles (flute), Lester St. Louis (cello), and Carlo Costa (percussion) have created a synthesis of visionary voices and an emblem … Continued

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5 Questions to Andrew Yee (cellist, composer)

Andrew Yee, a multi-hyphenate new music powerhouse, continues to build an oeuvre that spans composition, performance, videography, visual art, beverage programming, and more. With collaborative roles including founding cellist of the acclaimed Attacca Quartet and duo partner to Caroline Shaw, she brings an arresting conviction to her endeavors, which carry a reverence for the body … Continued

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ListN Up Playlist: Dylan Fujioka (Jul. 9, 2026)

Dylan Fujioka is a Japanese-American composer, performer, actor, and model most known for his work on the drum kit. He has recorded and toured with Chelsea Wolfe, Best Coast, Mangchi, Veggiehammerr, Meatbodies, and Upsilon Acrux. He also releases solo records and composes for TV and film. His work has appeared on HBO, FX, Hulu, Disney, … Continued

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5 Questions to Charmaine Lee (vocalist, composer, and co-founder of Kou Records)

For experimental musician and artist Charmaine Lee, meaningful ideas are best expressed in a language all their own. Her practice is rooted in improvisation, where speaking a different language does not necessarily mean we won’t understand one another. Celebrating uniqueness and individuality is a critical starting point. The arresting spontaneity of her work creates a … Continued

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Review: Royal College of Music “Fantasy and Fairytales”

It’s end-of-term showtime at the London conservatoires, and recently I’ve seen some exciting new short operas by young composers. In June, I went to the Guildhall’s Opera Makers showcase, where the standout work was Elara Catching Sky by Yotham Ben Yami and Ariella Stoian, an immensely touching piece about an astronomer’s young daughter making friends … Continued

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Review: Ash Fure and Laurel Halo at Pioneer Works

Everything seemed perfectly engineered for presence on Jun. 25 at Pioneer Works. The sun twinkled golden in the yard as people milled about, drinks in hand, and sat on benches to read or chat with their friends under twilight. Music hummed on loop, lingering in the air around us. We were there to see Ash … Continued

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Review: Kronos Quartet “ZonelyHearts”

Kronos Quartet is an ensemble that needs little introduction — the San Francisco-based group recently celebrated their 50th anniversary, and in this half century, they have been at the forefront of contemporary music. The group was founded after violinist David Harrington heard a performance of George Crumb’s Black Angels, and they have since cultivated a … Continued

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