Relevant Tones

Barry Paul Clark's Tontine Ensemble

May 02, 2022 21:48 - 54 minutes - 62.8 MB

Barry Paul Clark is an active composer, bassist and improvising musician and he’s a frequent collaborator with artists of all disciplines nationally and internationally. Host Austin Williams talks with him and features tracks from Tontine Ensemble’s latest release Dogma Protocols. MUSIC Dogma Protocol - Regeneration Dogma Protocol - Call Signal Dogma Protocol - Analysis Paralysis Dogma Protocol - Violence Milwaukee Ballet collaboration - Affixed Dogma Protocol - Splatter

Étude 21

April 26, 2022 18:50 - 39 minutes - 45 MB

Throughout the centuries composers have challenged performers to new heights of manual dexterity by writing études, pieces of music expressly designed to push the boundaries of what is technically possible. Host Stephen Anthony Rawson features a selection of 21st century études. Yannis Kyriakides, Karaoke Etudes has a graphical score element. Check out the video here https://youtu.be/F0T6DVhyedw?t=992

Found Technology

April 19, 2022 02:53 - 24 minutes - 27.9 MB

Composers Kelly Sheehan and Chi Wang are finding great creativity in everyday technological objects like Wii remotes. Host Austin Williams gives us a glimpse into this fascinating musical world.

D-Composed

April 11, 2022 15:35 - 49 minutes - 56.9 MB

D-Composed is a Chicago-based chamber music experience that honors Black creativity and culture through the music of Black composers. Since 2017, they have created intimate, out-of-the-box experiences that celebrate a mix of genres and sounds of Black music throughout history. Seth Boustead talks with founder and Executive Director Kori Coleman and violist and Artistic Director Yelley Taylor.

Terence Blanchard's Fire Shut Up in My Bones

April 04, 2022 21:08 - 38 minutes - 44.6 MB

New York Times columnist Charles M. Blow’s widely acclaimed memoir is the source for this extremely moving story of his traumatic youth in Louisiana. Composer Terence Blanchard, one of the most influential figures in American jazz, teamed up with librettist Kasi Lemmons, director of such remarkable films as Harriet and Eve’s Bayou to create an opera adaptation of this remarkable story. The result is an an opera that is timely, moving and powerful, revealing the Black experience in this co...

Nick Zoulek

March 28, 2022 21:57 - 49 minutes - 56.1 MB

Versatile saxophonist, composer and improviser Nick Zoulek specializes in an innovative technique that allows him to play multiple notes at the same time or use multiple techniques at the same time. Fluent in a wide range of idioms, Zoulek creates highly charged, often beautifully kinetic music that hits hard. Hosted by Austin Williams

Ensemble Dal Niente's OBJECT/ANIMAL

March 22, 2022 00:10 - 55 minutes - 63.2 MB

Dal Niente's latest release on SIDEBAND RECORDS features works by three composers using elements of pop, musique concrète and film music transformed into a contemporary classical music idiom. Austin Williams talks with ensemble members Ben Melsky and Emma Hospelhorn about this remarkable recording.

Ensemble Dal Niente's Confined. Speak

March 22, 2022 00:10 - 55 minutes - 63.2 MB

Dal Niente's new release features works performed during their 2020-2021 season, in the midst of a global pandemic. The pieces on this album reflect their mantra that art must always reflect and interpret the world around us. Austin Williams talks with ensemble members Ben Melsky and Emma Hospelhorn about this remarkable recording.

Caroline Shaw

March 14, 2022 21:51 - 1 hour - 69.1 MB

She's the youngest person to win the Pulitzer Prize for music, she toured with Kanye, and the Met Museum's Limor Tomer called her the "future of music." Caroline Shaw is a wildly successful composer, performer and producer who has created an impressive body of distinctly eclectic work. Matt Dosland talks with her about life, music, oranges and eggs.

Sarah Cahill - The Future is Female

February 28, 2022 17:46 - 48 minutes - 55.8 MB

Sarah Cahill’s The Future is Female is a three volume series, which celebrates and highlights women composers from the 17th century to the present day. These recordings feature more than 70 compositions by women around the globe and includes many première recordings. Austin Williams chats with Sarah ahead of the release of this extraordinary three-volume album on March 4th.

Tunes for Twosday

February 22, 2022 18:19 - 40 minutes - 46.3 MB

We celebrate Twosday (2/22/22) with antiphonal pieces selected by host Austin Williams.

Sounds From Ukraine

February 15, 2022 00:14 - 52 minutes - 59.7 MB

In 2015 we corresponded with several composers from Ukraine, at that time openly at war, about the challenges they faced. With Ukraine in the news again and the future again uncertain, we feature another small sample of the incredibly vibrant music being created by Ukranian composers today. Music by Valentin Silvestrov, Bohdana Frolyak, Ludmila Yurina and Virko Baley.

Elizabeth A. Baker

February 08, 2022 03:07 - 51 minutes - 47.7 MB

Eschewing the collection of traditional titles that describe single elements of her body of work, The Honourable Elizabeth A. Baker refers to herself as a “New Renaissance Artist” that embraces a constant stream of change and rebirth in practice, which expands into a variety of media, chiefly an exploration of how sonic and spatial worlds can be manipulated to personify a variety of philosophies and principles both tangible as well as intangible. Austin Williams talks to her about her lates...

Jimmy López Bellido

February 01, 2022 00:18 - 59 minutes - 67.8 MB

Award-winning composer Jimmy López Bellido has been performed by leading orchestras and his music has been heard in some of the world’s most prestigious venues. His opera based on the bestselling novel “Bel Canto” was premiered by Chicago Lyric Opera to great acclaim and he served as the Houston Symphony’s Composer-in-Residence from 2017 until 2020. Seth Boustead talks with him about his new album Aurora & Ad Astra featuring Andrés Orozco-Estrada, Leticia Moreno, and the Houston Symphony.

Angel Island Oratorio

January 24, 2022 23:27 - 45 minutes - 52.1 MB

Angel Island – Oratorio for Voices and Strings by Huang Ruo is inspired by the poems carved into the walls at the detention center at Angel Island Immigration Station during the Chinese Exclusion Act years. This new work, commissioned by the Del Sol Quartet, takes an unflinching look at discrimination and immigration issues in our nation, past and present. Host Seth Boustead talks with Huang Ruo and founding violist of the Del Sol Quartet Charlton Lee.

Undying Love

January 18, 2022 01:41 - 23 minutes - 27 MB

Based on the rap song of the same title by Nas, Undying Love is a tragic love story set in 1960’s Queens, New York. Stephen Anthony Rawson talks with composer/librettist Steve Wallace and Artistic Director of Hearing in Color LaRob K. Payton about this collaborative project.

Best Albums of 2021

December 30, 2021 23:16 - 58 minutes - 66.5 MB

2021 is a wrap! Matt, Austin, Seth and Stephen choose some of our favorite album releases of the year including music by Pamela Z, Danielle Eva Schwob, Third Coast Percussion, Sergio and Clarice Assad and more!

Douglas Cuomo's Seven Limbs

December 14, 2021 02:17 - 56 minutes - 64.2 MB

Composer Douglas J. Cuomo’s Seven Limbs, written for and featuring Nels Cline and the Aizuri Quartet on Sunnyside Records is a ritual in seven movements, based on the Seven Limbs – a fundamental Tibetan Buddhist practice of purification. Doug talks about the music and his collaborative experience with host Austin Williams.

Carla Kihlstedt's Necessary Monsters Live

December 06, 2021 20:26 - 1 hour - 70.1 MB

Taped live as part of the third night of the 2021 Relevant Tones Festival, this is the album release party for Carla Kihlstedt and Rafael Oses' stunning collaborative project Necessary Monsters. Necessary Monsters is a collaboration between composer/musician Carla Kihlstedt and poet Rafael Osés. It is a contemporary song cycle based on Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges’ Book of Imaginary Beings — a collection of fantastical creatures culled from literary and mythological traditions ar...

Martín Quiroga

November 29, 2021 20:01 - 52 minutes - 59.6 MB

A cowboy from Texas, Martín Quiroga's music makes use of traditional compositional techniques and a unique harmonic language in order to honor the musical forms of the past while capturing the harmonic language of the present. Stephen Anthony Rawson talks with him about his music and the Space City New Music Festival which he directs.

Hearing In Color

November 22, 2021 23:28 - 53 minutes - 61.6 MB

Hearing In Color is a Chicago-based organization dedicated to sharing music, stories, and composers, that have been historically excluded from musical spaces, with its community. Stephen Anthony Rawson talks with Artistic Director LaRob K. Payton and composer Steve Wallace.

Jonathan Hannau - Pieces I wrote on a Cold Winter Night

November 15, 2021 23:19 - 1 hour - 71.8 MB

Jonathan Hannau is a Chicago-based composer and pianist devoted to the surreal, minimal, abstract, and colorful possibilities of music. Austin Williams talks with him about his new album Pieces I Wrote on a Cold Winter Night.

Brooklyn Rider

November 10, 2021 00:27 - 53 minutes - 61.3 MB

Hailed as the "future of chamber music," string quartet Brooklyn Rider is a powerful force for musical creativity. Matt Dosland talks with cellist Michael Nicolas about several recent projects.

Elijah Daniel Smith

November 01, 2021 23:10 - 54 minutes - 62 MB

Described by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as a “rising star”, composer Elijah Daniel Smith is quickly establishing himself as one of today’s leading young composers. Longtime friend and fellow composer Austin Williams chats with him about a big new commission from the CSO and his approach to music-making.

'Songs About Buildings and Moods' Live

October 25, 2021 22:12 - 59 minutes - 68 MB

For the second night of the Relevant Tones Tenth Anniversary Festival we were honored to welcome architect Daniel Libeskind and Open House New York's Dorothy Dunn to the stage. We screened a special preview of several videos from Access Contemporary Music's upcoming Songs About Buildings and Moods video series exploring the intersection between music and architecture and had a fabulous discussion.

'Useless Machines' Live

October 18, 2021 20:21 - 53 minutes - 61 MB

The opening night of the Relevant Tones Tenth Anniversary Festival featured an exciting multi-media concert of music inspired by Rube Goldberg machines. We were joined by Rube’s granddaughter Jennifer George who is also the director of the Rube Goldberg Institute, and an all-star roster of musicians for an unforgettable evening.

Reena Esmail

October 11, 2021 23:29 - 56 minutes - 65.2 MB

Indian-American composer Reena Esmail works between the worlds of Indian and Western classical music, and brings communities together through the creation of equitable musical spaces.

Annie Gosfield

October 06, 2021 23:04 - 56 minutes - 64.2 MB

Annie Gosfield, whom the BBC called "A one woman Hadron collider" lives in New York City and works on the boundaries between notated and improvised music, electronic and acoustic sounds, refined timbres and noise. Her music is often inspired by the inherent beauty of found sounds, such as machines, destroyed pianos, warped 78 rpm records and jammed radio signals. Stephen Rawson talks with her about her life in music and features excerpts of several key works including her opera War o...

Daphne Oram's Still Point

September 14, 2021 00:05 - 51 minutes - 58.6 MB

In 1949 a 23-year old composer named Daphne Oram wrote a pioneering new work for two orchestras, live electronics and turntables that was subsequently lost for decades. Only vague references survived until composer and archivist James Bulley rediscovered the complete score in 2015. He enlisted composer and turntable artist Shiva Feshareki to help him realize the electronics using the technology that would have been available to Oram. In 2018 the work was finally premiered at the BBC Proms...

Thirsty Ears Live 2021

August 30, 2021 22:30 - 38 minutes - 43.5 MB

ACM's Thirsty Ears Festival is Chicago's only classical music street festival combining stellar performances with great craft beer from Empirical Brewing. We did an intimate live broadcast the night before from the ACM School of Music featuring performances by Michael Hall, the Wurtz-Berger Duo and the Quijote Duo.

inti figgis-vizueta

August 23, 2021 22:52 - 58 minutes - 66.9 MB

Composer inti figgis-vizueta writes "magically real musics through the lens of personal identities, braiding a childhood of overlapping immigrant communities and Black-founded Freedom schools—in Chocolate City (DC)—with direct Andean & Irish heritage and a deep connection to the land." Stephen Rawson talks with them about music, poetry, magical realism and more.

Feminist Retellings of Myth

August 10, 2021 23:24 - 44 minutes - 51.3 MB

We feature three works that recast age-old myths from a woman's perspective. Milica Paranosic's Penelope and the Geese reimagines the Odyssey from Penelope's point of view. We talk with her about the opera and feature three key scenes. And Marisa Michelson's Naama's Ark tells the flood myth from the perspective of Noah's wife and Salvatore Sciarrino's La Nuova Euridice lets Orpheus' famous bride tells her own story. Photo by charis isis

Palimpsests

August 02, 2021 18:43 - 42 minutes - 48.4 MB

A palimpsest is a manuscript whose original text has been scraped or washed away and overwritten with a new one, often many times over. The original text is still present but visible only in fragments. This concept has inspired composers to overlay music in similar ways to fascinating effect. We feature a small sample of musical palimpsests. Music by Kevin Ernste, George Benjamin, Paul Novak and Gabriel Kahane.

Texu Kim

July 20, 2021 16:52 - 58 minutes - 67.2 MB

Texu Kim writes music that's fun, often humorous yet sophisticated, detailed and connected to his South Korean heritage in fascinating ways. He's also the only composer we know to offer "major-league cuteness” (Broadway World) while also demonstrating “surprising scope.” (San Diego Story)

Sonic Walkabout 2021

July 12, 2021 22:20 - 52 minutes - 60 MB

Access Contemporary Music's Sonic Walkabout is a fun way to explore a neighborhood and see and hear it as never before. ACM commissioned composers to write music inspired by historic and cultural sites in Chicago's Wicker Park and Lakeview neighborhoods and combined their musical creations with narrative storytelling. Music by Amy Wurtz, Amos Gillespie, Seth Boustead, Kyle Gregory Price, Trevor Patricia Watkin and Jonathan Hannau.

Tribute to Louis Andriessen

July 06, 2021 00:00 - 58 minutes - 80.1 MB

Trailblazing composer Louis Andriessen was one of the most influential composers of his generation. Sadly, Andriessen passed away on July 1st of this year. We talked to him in 2014 about his life in music and featured some of his best-known pieces.

UFO's Are Hot

June 28, 2021 23:10 - 36 minutes - 41.9 MB

They're on 60 Minutes, they're in the New York Times, they're the subject of an eagerly awaited report to Congress. UFOs haven't been this hot since the '90's. We feature music inspired by these celestial mysteries. Music by Michael Daugherty, Katherine Young and Philip Glass.

Songs for Children

June 21, 2021 19:25 - 54 minutes - 61.9 MB

In honor of Children's Day in the US we feature music written for and by kids of all ages. Concept and research by Stephen Anthony Rawson, hosted by Seth Boustead. Music by Karen Tanaka, Meredith Monk, inti figgis-vizueta and Osvaldo Golijov.

Laura Schwendinger

June 07, 2021 16:09 - 58 minutes - 80.2 MB

Laura Elise Schwendinger is a composer whose strongly personal style of music is filled with kinetic energy and slow-burning intensity. Feature music includes High Wire Act, Chiaroscuro Azzurro, Waking Dream and Esprimere for Cello and Orchestra. Originally aired December 27, 2014. Produced by Jesse McQuarters

Seth Parker Woods

May 19, 2021 16:19 - 56 minutes - 64.9 MB

Hailed by The Guardian as “a cellist of power and grace” who possesses “mature artistry and willingness to go to the brink,” cellist Seth Parker Woods has established a reputation as a versatile artist straddling several genres. We talk with him and feature several of his collaborative projects.

Homage to Emily Dickinson

May 10, 2021 21:42 - 56 minutes - 64.2 MB

We commemorate the 135th anniversary of the death of great poet Emily Dickinson by featuring some of our favorite musical settings of her poems as well as music inspired by her. Music by Emily Lau, John Adams, Judith Weir and Lee Hoiby.

Sound of Silent Film Festival 2021

May 04, 2021 22:58 - 1 hour - 72.3 MB

Access Contemporary Music presents the 16th annual Sound of Silent Film Festival featuring newly commissioned scores performed live to modern silent films in every genre. We chat with a few of the filmmakers and composers and play some great music.

M Lamar

April 27, 2021 04:37 - 59 minutes - 68.2 MB

M Lamar is a composer, artist, operatic countertenor and consummate performer who blends elements of horror, opera, African-American spirituals and B-movie camp to create spectacular, compellingly original music. We talk to him and feature music from two albums: Funeral Doom Spiritual and Surveillance Punishment and the Black Psyche.

Shelter Music

April 20, 2021 02:40 - 58 minutes - 66.5 MB

The American Composer's Alliance has been a force in new music for nearly a hundred years. During Covid they found a new way to serve their inspiring mission through a program called Shelter Music which facilitated dozens of creative collaborations.

New Focus Recordings Part II

April 06, 2021 02:13 - 1 hour - 69.1 MB

Since 2004 New Focus Recordings has put out dozens of wildly creative albums by some of the most interesting figures in contemporary classical music every year. Part 2 features conversation with label founder Daniel Lippel and music by Taylor Brooks, Colin Hinton, Robert Honstein, Dmitri Tymoczyko and Ryan Streber.

New Focus Recordings Part I

March 30, 2021 02:37 - 1 hour - 71.2 MB

Since 2004 New Focus Recordings has put out dozens of wildly creative albums by some of the most interesting figures in contemporary classical music every year. We talk with founder Daniel Lippel and feature a small sample of their incredible catalog in the first of a two-part series.

Alex Shapiro

March 22, 2021 20:35 - 59 minutes - 67.8 MB

Alex Shapiro is an accomplished composer who has created an impressive body of works in a wide arrange of styles while always staying true to her own personal vision. She is also a mentor to other composers and a tireless champion of new music. We talk with her and feature a small sample of her wonderful music.

Adam Marks

March 16, 2021 01:49 - 1 hour - 71.6 MB

Adam Marks is a gifted, sensitive pianist with far-ranging interests and an insatiable appetite for new music. We talk with him about several recent projects including One Page Pieces, a new album of piano music by Alex Shapiro and a virtual program for the Omaha Under the Radar festival. Music by Jamie Evans, Conrad Tao, Johanne Heraty, Anselm McDonnell, Alex Shapiro, Eleanor Alberga and Philip Glass.

Heavy Metal String Quartets

March 08, 2021 22:05 - 59 minutes - 68 MB

We feature composers writing string quartets inspired by Heavy Metal in all its incarnations from Death Metal, Black Metal, Grindcore, Mathcore to Industrial Metal and more. Music by Earl Maneein, Gene Pritsker, Maria W. Horn, Nick Vasallo, Aeryn Santallan and Annie Gosfield

Still Life

March 02, 2021 01:00 - 57 minutes - 65.7 MB

Still life paintings encourage us to see everyday objects in a new context but, as applied to music, the still life concept has taken on a life of its own. We feature several musical interpretations of the still life.

Episodes