Relevant Tones
385 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★★ - 21 ratingsA podcast about the most fascinating time in classical music history: right now.
Relevant Tones features interviews with and music by some of the most creative figures in contemporary classical music, themed shows exploring new trends in classical music and frequent live streamed shows featuring conversations and music performances.
Hosted and produced by Seth Boustead, Austin Williams, Stephen Anthony Rawson and Matt Dotson.
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Episodes
An Homage to Robert Black
July 15, 2024 20:10 - 1 hour - 83.6 MBWe commemorate the anniversary of the passing of Robert Black on Relevant Tones. Robert Black was an absolute force in the Double Bass repertoire and new music. Through interviews with his previous students and cohorts, Christie Echols, Sean Rubin, Caroline Doane, and Evan Runyon, we find out he was so much more than a bass player. Robert was first and foremost a creative, and surrounded himself with other creative individuals. Robert was enthusiastic about artistic projects and woul...
Human Capital: A Telecollaboration Between Scott Miller, Sam Wells, and Adam Vidiksis
July 08, 2024 16:33 - 56 minutes - 64.3 MBAustin Williams speaks with Same Wells and Adam Vidiksis about their recent collaboration with composer Scott Miller. Through speaking with Adam and Sam, Austin learned that the process used to create the album was rather strange. All of the tracks that are heard on the album are a result of ‘Zoom Jam Sessions’ where the performers in the height of the lockdown figured out a meaningful way to host virtual jams with one another. The music was compelling enough for them to create an album o...
Wayne Horvitz
July 01, 2024 17:07 - 1 hour - 74.2 MBWayne Horvitz is the leader and principal composer for a number of groups including The Snowghost Trio, Sweeter Than the Day, the Gravitas Quartet, and The Royal Room Collective Music Ensemble. He’s also written for groups like the Kronos Quartet, the Seattle Symphony, and he composes music for film. He also owns and operates the club The Royal Room in Seattle’s Columbia City. Host Stephen Anthony Rawson spoke with Horvitz last week at his Seattle home about a number of music projects he...
Ian Wilson - Orpheus Down
June 24, 2024 16:30 - 55 minutes - 63.2 MBComposer Ian Wilson's ten-movement piece Orpheus Down is inspired by the story of Orpheus’ journey to the Underworld to bring his lover Eurydice back from the dead. The myth and its themes of deep and dark inspire fascinating music on a new release featuring bass clarinettist Gareth Davis and double-bassist Dario Calderone, for whom the piece was written.
Gene Pritsker
June 17, 2024 17:32 - 57 minutes - 65.5 MBComposer/guitarist/rapper/Di.J./producer Gene Pritsker has written over 900 compositions, including chamber operas, orchestral and chamber works, electro-acoustic music and songs for hip-hop and rock ensembles. He is the founder and leader of Sound Liberation; an eclectic hip hop-chamber-jazz-rock-etc and he is also the co-director of Composers Concordance, a new music presenting organization with a 30-year history of producing concerts in NYC. Gene talks with host Seth Boustead about h...
Saad Haddad
June 10, 2024 19:45 - 1 hour - 78.5 MBSaad Haddad is a composer of orchestral, chamber, vocal, and electroacoustic music who achieves a “remarkable fusion of idioms” (New York Times), most notably in his work exploring the disparate qualities inherent in Western art music and Middle Eastern musical tradition His music delves into that relationship by transferring the performance techniques of traditional Arabic instruments to Western symphonic instruments, while extending their capabilities through the advancement of technology...
Ben Lumsdaine
June 03, 2024 19:36 - 53 minutes - 61.6 MBComposer, performer, producer Ben Lumsdaine does it all! Austin and Ben had a lovely chat about their album Murmurations Without End. While Ben has a strong background in straight ahead jazz playing with some heavy hitters such as John Raymond and Dustin Laurenzi he has invited the cast to develop some compelling minimalistic works. Austin and Ben end up talking shop for a bit about gear but ultimately it all comes back to the music. Watch out for whatever Ben touches, it's going to be go...
Sarah Belle Reid
May 21, 2024 00:01 - 1 hour - 70.4 MBHost Austin Gray Williams and Sarah Belle Reid dig into Sarah’s multidisciplinary practices of being a composer, improviser, educator, and active member of the modular synthesis community. While discussing these topics Austin gains insight into what goes on for Sarah’s preparations on improvising a set. Her affinity for deep listening and how that sculpts her way through with improvising and composing. Sarah is also deeply passionate about education and making electronic music as accessibl...
ess Whiteley
May 13, 2024 23:23 - 59 minutes - 67.6 MBMultidisciplinary artist and composer ess Whiteley sheds some insight on their works and the process they engaged with for the compositions. Ess is particularly interested in topics such as memory and the post-internet world we currently live in, often belnding topics togethe to create compelling works of media. Ess had some lovely comments about process and the variety of ways it can afflict a work. Ess is curently finishing up their PhD at UCSD.
ess whiteley
May 13, 2024 23:23 - 59 minutes - 67.6 MBMultidisciplinary artist and composer ess whiteley sheds some insight on their works and the process they engaged with for the compositions. ess is particularly interested in topics such as memory and the post-internet world we currently live in, often belnding topics togethe to create compelling works of media. ess had some lovely comments about process and the variety of ways it can afflict a work. ess is curently finishing up their PhD at UCSD.
On the Radar 5/6/2024
May 06, 2024 18:17 - 53 minutes - 61.2 MBOn this episode of On the Radar join Austin and Matt as they discuss some music that has been on their listening for the past couple months! Matt shares a compelling work by a collective of Greek composers demonstrating noisy yet formally organized music. Austin speaks largely about the composer Ted Moore his ability to effectively write concert music while also maintaining the ability to improvise in other projects. Have a suggestion or would like to share some music you have been liste...
Joo Won Park
April 29, 2024 20:00 - 1 hour - 71 MBHost Austin Williams speaks with composer and sound artist Joo Won Park on a variety of topics related to performance and composition aesthetics and the intersection between them. Joo Won is an electronic music composer, performer, and programmer. We talk about what makes a laptop orchestra unique and necessary to perform certain types of music. Joo Won is just as passionate about pedagogy and teaching as he is about composing and performing. Please check out more of his works and proje...
Tessa Brinckman
April 22, 2024 20:00 - 59 minutes - 68 MBOriginally from New Zealand, Tessa Brinckman is an interdisciplinary flutist/composer who has been praised for her “chameleon-like gifts” and “virtuoso elegance” (Gramophone). Now based in New York City since 2022, she enjoys creating and performing unique work that honors synesthesia, dialect, innate meter and collaboration, often on geo-political themes in a surrealist spirit. She talks with host Seth Boustead about her latest release Take Wing, Roll Back, now out on New Focus Recordings...
National Haiku Poetry Day
April 15, 2024 17:30 - 1 hour - 72.4 MBNational Haiku Poetry Day is April 17 and we celebrate it early with a selection of music by composers inspired by this transcendent poetic tradition. Hosted and curated by Stephen Anthony Rawson and Seth Boustead. Music by Paul Chihara, Libby Larsen, Ursula Mamlok, Lisa Neher, James Falzone, Stephen Melillo, Dai Fujikura, John Cage, Toru Takemitsu
Graham Reynolds
April 08, 2024 21:30 - 58 minutes - 67.3 MBCalled “the quintessential modern composer” by the London Independent, Austin, Texas based composer-bandleader-improviser Graham Reynolds records and performs music for film, theater, dance, television, rock clubs, and concert halls with collaborators across a multitude of disciplines.Host Seth Boustead talks with Reynolds about, and features music from, two recent releases: Insectum and Music From Prophet.
Relevant Tones Live: Working
April 01, 2024 17:41 - 1 hour - 80.1 MBPublished 50 years ago this year, Studs Terkel’s seminal book Working (The New Press) is, then and now, a compelling look into the world of jobs and the people who do them. Relevant Tones celebrated this landmark with a unique evening of new music commissioned by ACM and inspired by Studs alongside a fascinating conversation about how work has changed since his time and where it might be going next. Speaking guests include Dr. Anna Tavis (Humans at Work, Kogan Page), Erik Loomis (A History...
Erik Fratzke
March 25, 2024 19:44 - 1 hour - 72.2 MBMulti instrumentalist, composer, and improviser Erik Fratzke blurs the line between jazz, avant grade, classical, and a variety of influences to create an absolute plethora of original musical groups and tunes. While he plays with heavy hitters such as Dave King, he also has solid roots in the improvised and experimental music of the Minneapolis scene. Erik is always making new projects with a variety of folks in the local scene and they always seem to be nothing short of stellar. Pleas...
Seattle Modern Orchestra
March 18, 2024 20:35 - 1 hour - 54.8 MBFounded in 2010, Seattle Modern Orchestra (SMO) is the only large ensemble in the Pacific Northwest solely dedicated to the music of the 20th and 21st centuries. Led by co-artistic directors Julia Tai and Jérémy Jolley, SMO commissions and premieres new works from an international lineup of composers, in addition to presenting important pieces from the contemporary repertoire that are rarely if ever heard by Seattle audiences. The ensemble “operates at that exciting cusp between old and n...
Osnat Netzer
March 11, 2024 17:00 - 1 hour - 72.5 MBThis week host Matthew Dosland talks with composer and teacher Osnat Netzer who has just released her first album Dot : Line : Sigh with New Focus Recordings. From the liner notes of the album: “Though the pieces differ in musical language and aesthetics, they all share the tropes of a punctuated sustain (Dot-Line) and many forms of pitch bends, glissandi, and stylized portamenti (Sigh).” Join Matthew and Osnat as they discuss how she went about choosing the music from her catalogue for th...
Frank Horvat
March 04, 2024 17:53 - 1 hour - 89 MBFrank Horvat is "one of the most inventive songwriters to come out of the contemporary scene in Canada." (WholeNote Magazine) This award-winning composer’s music is emotional and intense and explores a wide array of themes from love to the environment, mental health and social justice issues. Hosted by Matthew Dosland.
Noah Jenkins
February 26, 2024 22:00 - 1 hour - 71.6 MBJoin host Austin Williams as he speaks with composer Noah Jenkins about his most recent album release in collaboration with Riley Leitch Without Persistent Environments. Noah speaks about the importance of space and how it shaped his compositional process for the record. He also speaks deeply about the importance of collaboration and how giving music time to marinade with a performer is terribly important when trying to imagine what it is in its entirety.
Nathalie Joachim
February 19, 2024 18:47 - 58 minutes - 66.7 MBGrammy-nominated Haitian-American composer, singer and flutist Nathalie Joachim’s work centers an authentic commitment to storytelling and human connectivity while advocating for social change and cultural awareness. Her latest album Ki moun ou ye, is out now on Nonesuch and New Amsterdam Records. The original songs on this album ponder its title’s question: “Who are you?” Host Seth Boustead talks with Joachim about the new album and her musical journey.
James Falzone
February 12, 2024 19:24 - 1 hour - 79.2 MBClarinetist, composer, and improviser James Falzone is an acclaimed member of the international jazz and creative music scenes, a veteran contemporary music lecturer and clinician, and an award-winning composer. Falzone performs throughout North America and Europe, appears regularly on Downbeat magazine’s Critics’ and Readers’ Polls, and was nominated as the 2011 Clarinetist of the Year by the Jazz Journalist Association. He is also a respected educator and scholar and has been on the fa...
On the Radar February 2024
February 05, 2024 20:00 - 51 minutes - 59.3 MBThe latest in our recurring feature On the Radar features new music currently top of mind for hosts Austin Williams, Neve Jahn, Stephen Rawson and Matthew Dosland.3
Carrie Frey
January 29, 2024 18:00 - 55 minutes - 64.1 MBCarrie Frey is a New York City-based violist, improviser, and composer who “conjures an inviting warmth that leaves her virtuosity on the margins, placing the focus on her humanity (Bandcamp Daily).” Frey is the violist of the Rhythm Method and a founding member of string trio Chartreuse and string quartet Desdemona. She has performed with many of New York City’s notable contemporary ensembles, including Wet Ink Large Ensemble, AMOC*, Talea Ensemble, and Cantata Profana. Host Stephen Anth...
Paris Chapters
January 23, 2024 00:09 - 57 minutes - 65.3 MBThe 'Paris Chapters' project is centered around new commissions based on works by Irish writers who lived in Paris (James Joyce, Samuel Beckett, Oscar Wilde, W.B Yeats etc.) for voice, saxophone and piano. Host Seth Boustead talks with saxophonist Robert Finegan and soprano Clara Barbier Serrano about this fascinating project which also features pianist Tia Ling. Music by Rhona Clarke, Lise Borel, Denise Ondishko and Kenneth Edge.
Notable Albums of 2023
December 18, 2023 22:58 - 59 minutes - 68.1 MBWe feature a small selection of the many incredible albums released this year. Hosted by Seth Boustead, Matthew Dosland, Stephen Anthony Rawson and Austin Williams.
California Festival
December 11, 2023 17:25 - 58 minutes - 67.2 MBThe California Festival was a two-week statewide festival celebrating the most innovative and compelling music composed around the world in the last five years. The festival was spearheaded by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the San Diego Symphony and the San Francisco Symphony but also included 100 organizations, 140 composers and 180 new works. Host Lisa Dell talks with Meghan Umber, AJ Benson and Phillippa Cole from each of the lead organizations about this incredibly ambitious festival.
Doug Bielmeier
December 04, 2023 17:13 - 1 hour - 71 MBDoug Bielmeier's recent release Music For Billionaires is full of irony and brings accessibility to the front of the question for new classical music. Host Austin Williams speaks with Doug about the relationship between privilege and accessibility to be able to create art and what that means as an artist. Along the way Doug and Austin also find interesting conversation on the use of contemporary compositional techniques and how they have made their way into a lot of new classical music that ...
Sophia Jani
November 27, 2023 18:45 - 1 hour - 72.7 MBSophia Jani is currently the Composer in Residence for the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for the 23/24 and 24/25 seasons, the 2023 Musical Artist in Residence at the Arvo Pärt Center, and last year released her first album, Music as a Mirror. Matthew and Sophia sit down to talk about her upcoming work in Dallas, how a venue is chosen for a new music series, and what it was like to spend four weeks with access to Arvo Pärt's library.
Text-Based Scores
November 20, 2023 17:54 - 47 minutes - 54.7 MBOver the past century, verbal notation has been embraced as a means of composition with abundant possibilities. Varying from the most precise performance instructions to structured social meditation, composers have found unique and highly accessible ways to share their music with words. Join co-hosts Austin Williams and Stephen Anthony Rawson as they survey a variety of music featuring verbal notation.
Jackson Greenberg
November 13, 2023 18:04 - 56 minutes - 64.4 MBJackson Greenberg is an accomplished film composer in LA who has recently released two substantial works of his own artistic volition this past October. Austin and Jackson speak about the process of these works and a little bit of the history behind them and what they mean to him and his past.
Robin Meiksins and her Beers and Flutes Series
November 06, 2023 19:15 - 58 minutes - 66.7 MBVirtuosic flutist Robin Meiksins has a unique series called Beers and Flutes that she has curated over the past couple years. Austin and Robin chat about the series and how it came about. Both individuals are involved in the craft beer community in Chicago and love to showcase the craft and care that a lot of these brewers place in their products. Robin showcases this appreciation by offering her talents and a flute performer and improviser creating brief but memorable improvisations about ...
Michael Hall
October 30, 2023 20:49 - 1 hour - 75.6 MBViolist Michael Hall, described by the New Music Connoisseur as “utterly masterful,” and Chamber Music Today as having “superb technique" is a major champion for new music who has commissioned hundreds of composers over the years. In addition to global concertizing, he's also the Co-Artistic Director and the Director of Educational Programs with the Bandung Philharmonic. Simply put, Michael Hall is the best friend a composer could have. Austin Williams talks with him about his life in mus...
Relevant Tones Live: Commercialism in Art
October 23, 2023 18:00 - 1 hour - 82 MBWhat is art worth and who determines its value? Join host Seth Boustead and special guests composer Douglas J. Cuomo (operatic adaptation of Doubt; Sex and the City theme), art curator Tod Lippy (Esopus magazine) and filmmaker Juliet Ellis (The Virtues) for a lively discussion of this pertinent topic. The music performed includes Cuomo's piece A Far Playground for cello and piano, Commercial Etudes by Will Rowe and Nivea Hair Care Styling Mousse by Jacob TV.
Relevant Tones Celebrates 400 Episodes
October 16, 2023 16:41 - 1 hour - 69 MBWe celebrate our 400th episode by revisiting some of our favorite interviews to include new material that didn't make it into the original show. Music and conversation from Annie Gosfield, Felipe Perez Santiago, Mario Lavista, David Harrington and Nick Zoulek. Viva Relevant Tones!
Aleksandra Vrebalov
October 09, 2023 21:10 - 1 hour - 70.8 MBComposer Aleksandra Vrebalov left her native Serbia for San Francisco in 1995 where she was soon commissioned by the Kronos Quartet with whom she has formed a long and fruitful collaboration. Her music ranges from concert music to opera and modern dance and music for film. She has been commissioned and performed by some of the most innovative musicians working today and her music is energetic, highly personal, multi-faceted and always irresistible. Host Seth Boustead talks with her and fea...
Aleksandra Vrebelov
October 09, 2023 21:10 - 1 hour - 70.8 MBComposer Aleksandra Vrebalov left her native Serbia for San Francisco in 1995 where she was soon commissioned by the Kronos Quartet with whom she has formed a long and fruitful collaboration. Her music ranges from concert music to opera and modern dance and music for film. She has been commissioned and performed by some of the most innovative musicians working today and her music is energetic, highly personal, multi-faceted and always irresistible. Host Seth Boustead talks with her and fea...
Rain Worthington
October 02, 2023 17:24 - 1 hour - 69.6 MBHolding to the belief that creativity is an elemental part of human nature, composer Rain Worthington has followed her own instinctive path. Self-taught and cross-disciplinary, her creative impulses include concert music and sculptural concepts in search of new spaces for attentive reflection. Host Matthew Dosland talks with her about her fascinating musical journey.
One Page Scores
September 25, 2023 21:00 - 1 hour - 73.5 MBA one page score is where a composer imparts all of the musical information the performers need on a single page. One-page pieces often incorporate graphic elements, written instructions and improvisation from the players. Enjoy this program of one-page pieces curated by Sam Alvarez.
Michael Hersch
September 18, 2023 21:00 - 50 minutes - 57.7 MBCalled a composer of “uncompromising brilliance” by the Washington Post, Michael Hersch is considered among the most gifted composers of his generation whose work has been described by The New York Times as “viscerally gripping and emotionally transformative music ... claustrophobic and exhilarating at once, with moments of sublime beauty nestled inside thickets of dark virtuosity.” Host Matthew Dosland talks with him about his music and current projects
Kronos Quartet at 50
September 11, 2023 21:07 - 1 hour - 70.4 MBThe iconic, groundbreaking Kronos Quartet celebrates an incredible 50-year run this year. Host Matthew Dosland talks with founding violinist and Artistic Director David Harrington about the quartet's history and their most recent project 50 For the Future, an unprecedented initiative to commission 50 new works and distribute materials—including scores, recordings, and coaching materials—online for free.
On the Radar August 2023
August 28, 2023 15:52 - 56 minutes - 65 MBIt’s another On the Radar Episode! Austin and Matt take the listeners through some of their recent finds with tunes they have been interested in lately. We have a variety of works ranging from purely electronic to chamber music with some Toy Piano even sprinkled in there. Please enjoy this musical dialogue we have created!
Cassie Wieland/Vines
August 21, 2023 16:05 - 1 hour - 69 MBHost Austin Williams talks with Cassie Wieland about the intersection of her classically informed compositional techniques and her newest endeavor into singer songwriter material. Her latest album ‘Birthday Party’under the moniker Vines is a collaboration with the saxophone quartet ~nois. We discuss this collaboration and how there are a lot of similarities between standard classical composition in the collaboration but the format changed drastically once the recording session began.
Berio Inspires two new albums
August 14, 2023 21:48 - 59 minutes - 67.6 MBWe met violist Nathan Sherman at the New Music Dublin festival in April and were excited to learn that he had not one but two albums featuring commissioned music written as companion pieces to works by Luciano Berio. Host Seth Boustead talks with Sherman and features music from the albums Folk Songs featuring Michelle O'Rourke and Ficino Ensemble and Totemic featuring the Sherman Petcu Duo.
Dana Jessen and Taylor Brook
August 08, 2023 00:07 - 1 hour - 74.4 MBBassoonist Dana Jessen and composer Taylor Brook team up for a collaborative album length electro-acoustic work, Set, that combines through composed (Songs) and improvised sections. Much attention in the the composed sections is devoted to an exploration of a range of extended techniques on the bassoon that Jessen has cultivated. The improvised sections are framed by guidelines and rules that Brook provided and computer improvisation that accompanies the instrumental soloist. In these way...
Texas New Music Festival Part 2
July 31, 2023 18:50 - 1 hour - 70 MBIn its 9th year, Texas New Music Ensemble goes big with its inaugural week-long summer music festival (July 10-16). Held at the Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston: MATCH, the Texas New Music Festival 2023 featured 6 concerts, a film screening, 10 lectures, and included 20 composer participants. Relevant Tones co-host Stephen Anthony Rawson attended the festival, and had the opportunity to speak with many of the contributing artists. In this two-part episode, we feature their music and ...
SPLICE Festival
July 24, 2023 22:56 - 1 hour - 74.5 MBHost Austin Williams had the opportunity to travel to Kalamazoo Michigan to be a participant at the Splice festival at the end of June. The program offered a plethora of seminars on a variety of topics dealing with electronic and electroacoustic music. While attending Austin interviewed other participants that had their works premiered at the festival. This is merely a snapshot of the depth and creative/artistic level that was offered at the festival. Please check out more at Splicemusic...
Texas New Music Festival Part I
July 17, 2023 21:46 - 1 hour - 129 MB9th year, Texas New Music Ensemble goes big with its inaugural week-long summer music festival, held at the Midtown Arts and Theater Center Houston: MATCH. Relevant Tones co-host Stephen Anthony Rawson attended the festival, and had the opportunity to speak with many of the contributing artists. Part 1 of this episode highlights Chad Robinson, composer and artistic director of Texas New Music Festival and guest performer artist Meg Griffith.
Overlooked: Tui St. George Tucker
July 10, 2023 20:36 - 1 hour - 70.2 MBExpanding on our recent live show Overlooked No More, we are featuring the music of Tui St. George Tucker, a composer who absolutely deserves to be better known. Host Seth Boustead talks with Roger Tréfousse and Robert Jurgrau, both of whom knew Tucker in person, about her life and music.