IHEARIC PODCAST - Episode 22: May Concert Recap and Diversity in Music (05/06/2018)

This is the first of two IHearIC podcast we missed while I was gone for two weeks.

We're back with another double-length episode! I started the show off with some recordings from the final iHearIC concert of the Spring 2018 season (May 5th @ City Park). Then we had some visitors from Professor Trevor Harvey's Diversity in Music class. We discussed (as the title of the course suggests) issues related to diversity and inclusion in the world of (mostly classical) music, and heard a few in-studio performances!

Full list of guests:
Rebeca Furtado
Kenken Gorder (http://www.kenkengorder.com)
Matthew Halbert
Trevor Harvey
Heqing Huang
Hsin-Hui Liu
Rebecca Pape
Shawn Seguin

You won't want to miss the upcoming Black Stork*/Asher Brown show on May 11th at Trumpet Blossom:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1781343651887209 (*iHearIC organizer Carlos Cotallo Solares)

And the day after that you can also enjoy the Iowa Dance Festival Concert in Coralville, featuring some music by our very own Justin K Comer: https://www.facebook.com/events/185419328927494

And later that night, catch the season premiere of the 2018 Feed Me Weird Things concert series, 9pm at Trumpet Blossom. Featuring your favorite improvisation trio Wombat opening for pianist/composer/improviser Matt Blair:
https://www.facebook.com/feedmeweird/photos/a.2021195104766753.1073741829.1950780475141550/2145504765669119

Tune in to KRUI (89.7FM in the IC area, krui.fm to stream worldwide) at 7pm next Sunday for the next episode of iHearIC Radio! We might have another guest! Watch our social media pages this week for confirmation.

In addition to the guests listed above, this episode features music composed and/or performed by:
Joshua Johnson (https://www.facebook.com/thehighwatermark)
David Beyer (https://www.facebook.com/pg/paleonathmusic / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKIlJw5eWrmC9nQScRuAFEQ / https://twitter.com/paleonath)
Christine Burke (https://www.burkechristine.com / https://soundcloud.com/burkec2)
Justin K Comer (http://justinkcomer.com / https://www.youtube.com/user/JustinKComer / https://justinkcomer.bandcamp.com / https://soundcloud.com/justin-comer-1 / https://www.facebook.com/justinkcomer / https://twitter.com/justinkcomer)
Carlos Cotallo Solares (https://soundcloud.com/carloscotallo)
Tan Dun (http://tandun.com)
Philippe Hersant (http://www.philippehersant.com)
Nolwenn Leroy (http://www.nolwennleroy.com)
Jeremy Maas
Zachery Meier (https://soundcloud.com/zachery-meier)
Martin O'Donnell (http://www.martyodonnellmusic.com)
Pauline Oliveros (http://paulineoliveros.us)
Sonia Ray (http://ufg.academia.edu/SoniaRay)
Alexander Toth
Carlos Toro-Tobón (https://soundcloud.com/carlos-toro-33)
Gabi Vanek (https://foleysound.bandcamp.com)
Will Yager (https://soundcloud.com/will-yager / https://twitter.com/willyager)
Li Yinghai
Barbara York

IOWA MUSIC SHOWCSE PODCAST - Episode 60: Music from The Iowa Composers Forum

On this episode, we feature four pieces from the Iowa Composers Forum, a group of composers based in Iowa. These and other compositions will be featured on their upcoming festival in Iowa City on February 10. They represent the range of styles that our classical composers use.

Brooke and I hope that you will enjoy this exploration into Iowa's classical music. If you do, then check out some of the shows that The Iowa Composers Forum puts on regularly. The latest, Winter Festival of New Music, will be at The University of Iowa School of Music, in Iowa City, on Feb 10th. More information and links are listed below!

Before I go, I just thought I'd let you know that you can listen to and/or get the score for many classical pieces by Iowa composers on their website! Just hit where it says "Catalog"! Here's the link - http://www.iowacomposers.org/?page_id=112

IMSC Ep 06 - Song 1: "Charlottesville" written and performed by Brooke Joyce

Charlottesville — On August 11 & 12, groups of mostly white men gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia, to march with torches and shout declarations of white supremacy. In the ensuing counter-protest, many were injured, and one young woman and two Virginia state troopers were killed. I have lived in Charlottesville, my wife grew up there, and our family has visited many times. This tragedy shook us to the core. For some reason, Oscar Peterson's great Civil Rights Era anthem, "Hymn to Freedom," repeatedly played in my mind as I read about the events of the weekend and saw photos. I decided to compose a piano solo based on Peterson's music; it is a tribute to those who stand up to hatred and fearmongering
- from an email sent by Brooke Joyce to this website

"Brooke Joyce’s music has been described as 'vividly pictorial' (San Francisco Chronicle) and 'exceptionally gripping' (Los Angeles Times) and has been performed by soloists and ensembles around the world, including the Indianapolis Symphony, the Cincinnati Symphony, the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic, the Brentano Quartet, the Nouvel Ensemble Moderne, the Nash Ensemble, and tenor James Gilchrist. He is the recipient of the Joseph Bearns Prize, the Wayne Peterson Prize, the Darius Milhaud Award, and many citations from the National Federation of Music Clubs and ASCAP. Brooke is the Composer-in-Residence at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, chair of the Iowa Composers Forum, and a founding faculty member of the International Music Festival of the Adriatic.
- from an email sent by Brooke Joyce to this website

Lineup:
Brooke Joyce - piano

IMSC Ep 60 - Song 2: "In the Dragon’s Mouth" written and performed by Eric McIntyre

""In the Dragon’s Mouth" (2014) is another of those compositions where I have the pleasure of doing a bunch of things that used to get me kicked out of junior high band class. Audio materials were recorded in Yellowstone National Park’s Mud Volcano thermal area where a massive, seething hot spring, called the Dragon’s Mouth, bellows unceasingly. When I arrived at midnight to record the springs, the whole area was buried in a thick fog, and I found myself wading into an other-worldly realm with the groans of the dragon’s mouth accompanied by coyotes crying in the distance."
- from an email sent to the website

"Eric L. McIntyre is a Professor of Music at Grinnell College; Music Director, Central Iowa Symphony; composer, conductor, hornist; part-time farmer, butcher, visual artist, performance artist
- from an email sent to the website

"Eric McIntyre maintains careers as a conductor, composer, instrumental performer, and educator. At Grinnell College he teaches music composition courses and directs the Grinnell Symphony Orchestra. He also contributes to Grinnell's Liberal Arts in Prison Program, for which he has presented lectures, taught credit-bearing courses, and conducted several performances of the Grinnell Symphony at Newton Correctional Facility. His current research interest involves the teaching of music listening skills among incarcerated populations.

"McIntyre is Music Director of the Central Iowa Symphony in Ames and has served as the leader of the brass program for the Swakopmund Musikwoche festival in Swakopmund, Namibia. His past music director positions include the Fort Dodge Area Symphony, Ottumwa Symphony, and the new music ensemble AURA.

"McIntyre's original compositions have been performed around the world by a wide array of performers and received support and awards from ASCAP, the Iowa Arts Council, the American Music Center, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Equally adept as a hornist, McIntyre was a member of the Houston Ballet and Houston Grand Opera Orchestras and has performed with the Houston Symphony, Des Moines Symphony and Orchestra Iowa.

"McIntyre received B.M. and M.M. degrees in music performance at Indiana University where he was also awarded the prestigious Performer’s Certificate. He then attended the European Mozart Foundation academy in Kraków, Poland, and later earned a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in music composition from the University of Houston Moores School of Music."
- from his page on the Grinnell College website

IMSC Ep 60 - Song 4: "Aus tiefer Not" written by Jeremy Maas and performed by Gregory Peterson

"Originally written for a concert commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, “Aus tiefer Not” draws upon the tune and text of a hymn written by Martin Luther. The first line of the German hymn, 'Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir,' translates roughly to 'From deep affliction I cry out to you.' While I intend the music to create a space for contemplation or prayer, I also seek to express the voice of the text: a desperate call to a distant God." - from an email sent to our website

"Jeremy Maas (b. 1994) is a composer living in Iowa City. He is currently pursuing his Master’s degree in Music Composition at the University of Iowa while working as a graduate assistant in Music Theory. He previously completed a Bachelor’s degree in Music from Luther College. His music has been performed by the JACK Quartet, Sybarite5, as a part of the Midwest Composers’ Symposium, the Exchange of Midwest Collegiate Composers, the Iowa Composers’ Forum, IMFA (Italy), and on MPR. Jeremy has studied composition with Josh Levine, Stefano Sacher, Steve Smith, and Brooke Joyce."
- from an email sent to our website

"Gregory Peterson has been hailed as an organist with "imagination and verve." His playing is described as "competent and stylish" (The American Organist) and "excellent and masterful" (Barometern — Sweden). A frequent soloist, he has given recitals in important venues including Independent Presbyterian Church, Birmingham, Alabama, Trinity Church, Boston, the Memorial Music Hall, Methuen, Massachusetts, the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Mission Church), Boston and New York City’s famed Riverside Church and Central Synagogue. European venues include the Berlin Cathedral; Helsinki’s Rock Church; St. Anne’s Church, Warsaw; St. Nicholas Church, Prague; St. Thomas Church, Leipzig, Uppsala Cathedral in Sweden and St. Augustine’s Church, Penarth, Cardiff. He has also performed at national and regional conferences of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians and throughout the United States. He is featured on the critically acclaimed compact disc "Heroic Sounds," released by Denouement Records, recommended for "nice music superbly played" (Journal of the Association of Anglican Church Musicians) and "Dieterich Buxtehude: A 300th Anniversary Celebration" released in 2007 by Luther College. He is represented by Concert Artist Cooperative of Sebastopol, California.

" Dr. Peterson is Associate Professor of Music at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa where he teaches applied organ and church music. He also conducts the Luther Ringers and serves as College Organist and Cantor to the student congregation, playing for daily and Sunday chapel in the College’s Center for Faith and Life on the 42-stop mechanical action organ by Robert Sipe. A dedicated and expert professional church musician for more than twenty years, he served the historic Old South Church on Boston’s Copley Square as Organist and Minister of Music from 1997-2005. At Old South he directed the Old South Choir and Old South Ringers and performed regularly with the Old South Brass, Organ and Timpani Ensemble including the ever-popular annual First Night Concerts on New Year’s Eve. Prior to his appointment in Boston he was Christ Chapel Organist and Visiting Assistant Professor of Music at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota."
- from Gregory Peterson's page on the Concert Artist Cooperative website

Lineup:
Gregory Peterson - organ

Ep 48 - Song 4: "Siren (Waterhouse)" written by Randy Wells and performed by Mariya Akhadjanova

"Randy Wells (b. 1992) began composing art music in 2012 after teaching himself keyboard and music theory during a winter of self-imposed exile after leaving a university science program. By 2013, he had finished his first compositions that were worth being cataloged, Coney Island Suite and a few guitar pieces.

"Randy’s music represents a continuation of the aesthetic philosophy of the Romantic era, and is characterized by emotional sensitivity and intensity, grandiose tendencies, and heavy influence of extra-musical ideas. Among his influences, Randy counts Mahler, Scriabin, Berg, and Shostakovich...

"andy enjoys playing guitar, piano, and organ, and is also an enthusiastic member of the UNI Varsity Men's Glee Club. Randy studies music composition at the University of Northern Iowa under Dr. Jonathan Schwabe. When not in front of a musical instrument, he can generally be found at the library, enjoying classic literature or reading up on the sciences (another source of musical inspiration)." - from Randy Wells' home page

"I believe that music must always invoke strong emotion, and I treat every job with great urgency and craftsmanship..."
- from Randy Wells' Upwork page

"Randy Wells specializes in Ultra-Romantic music of a programmatic or autobiographical nature. The music is characterized by hyper-emotionalism, grandiose tendencies, and heavy influence of extra-musical ideas. He considers himself an heir to the legacies of Scriabin, Borodin, Korngold, Berg, and Mahler, among others. For further listening, Randy invites you to visit www.randywellsmusic.com"
- from an email to Iowa Music Showcase

Lineup:
Mariya Akhadjanova - piano

Home page:
http://www.randywellsmusic.com/

SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/musicofrandys

Mariya Akhadjanova has no website that I could find!

To download the podcast, right click on the link below and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/Episode48IowaClassicalMusic/Episode%2048_%20Iowa%20Classical%20Music.mp3

Labels: 2010s, 2017, classical, Ep 048, Mariya Akhadjanova, modern classical, modern classical music, piano,Randy Wells, Siren (Waterhouse) (song), Ultra-Romantic classical music, Waterloo/Cedar Falls area

Ep 48 - Song 5: "Snapshots" Song Cycle: "Crocodiles"/"Rain"/"Sneaky Squirrels"/"A Simple Request"/"Turtle Fence"/"Tuesday and Thursday"/"Spoiler Alert!" written by Lisa Neher and performed by Olivia Betzen and Nate Salazar

"Mezzo-soprano and composer Lisa Neher thrives in the crossroads of the concert hall and the theatre stage... Lisa’s compositions are shaped by her keen sense of dramatic timing and feature aching, lyrical phrases, energetic rhythmic motives, and intensely dissonant pitch clusters...

"She is an active advocate for new music, frequently premiering new works as well as established masterworks of the last fifty years. Lisa is the creator of the One Voice Project, a call for scores, poetry, and prose which will be incorporated into a one-woman musical-theatrical performance in the fall of 2016. Through the call for scores, the project promotes the creation and performance of new works for unaccompanied voice...

Her compositions include solo and chamber music for instruments and vocal works in the operatic, song, and choral genres. Lisa is particularly passionate about writing works that set text and story to music, such as her chamber opera White Horizon, about a nineteenth-century Arctic expedition gone wrong, and her song cycle Snapshots...
- from Lisa Neher's home page

"A composer of unabashedly heartfelt, lyrical music, Lisa’s works include solo and chamber music for instrumentalists as well as vocal works in the operatic, song, and choral genres, which represent her deepest passion."
- from her Facebook page

Lineup:
Olivia Betzen - vocals
Nate Salazar - piano

Photograph by Alisabeth Von Presley
http://www.vonpresleystudios.com/alisabeth

Home page:
http://www.lisanehermusic.com/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/LisaNeherMusic/

SoundCloud:
https://soundcloud.com/lisa-neher

Olivia Betzen's home page:
http://www.oliviabetzen.com/

Nate Salazar's home page:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nate-salazar-94209718/

To download the podcast, right click on the link below and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/Episode48IowaClassicalMusic/Episode%2048_%20Iowa%20Classical%20Music.mp3

Labels: 2010s, 2016, Cedar Rapids, Cedar Rapids area, classical, Ep 048, Iowa City area, Lisa Neher, Lisa Neher (composer), modern classical, modern classical music, Nate Salazar, Olivia Betzen, Snapshots (song cycle)

Ep 48 - Song 6: "Polymetric Phrygian Plainchant" written and performed by Paul Hertz

Many people, who know of Paul Hertz, usually know him from his horn playing in various Ames bands, best known probably being Mumford's. Or they may know him from hosting the local music program, "Ready, Ames, Fire" and his classical music program, "Morning Masterpieces" on Ames community station, KHOI.

But what some may not know, is that Paul Hertz, is a composer and performer of classical music. He has done some performances in Ames playing his material and having a choir perform it.

"Among Hertz’s many projects are playing bass trombone for the Ames folk rock dance band Mumford’s, playing keyboards for Jordan Mayland and the Thermal Detonators, and being involved in the Ames Choral Society. (He will be singing in an upcoming cabaret show called 'Down the Hobbit Hole'). He is also a composer and serves as the organist at Northminster Presbyterian Church in Ames."
- from an article on the Snap Twig website

"Paul Hertz is a composer, improviser, organist, trombonist, and pianist who lives in Ames, Iowa."
- from an email Paul Hertz sent to Iowa Music Showcase

Lineup:
Paul Hertz - all instruments and programming

Painting by Kara Hedge
https://www.flickr.com/people/poseidonsimage/

MySpace page;

https://myspace.com/paulhertz

To download the podcast, right click on the link below and hit "Save as...":
https://archive.org/download/Episode48IowaClassicalMusic/Episode%2048_%20Iowa%20Classical%20Music.mp3

Labels: 2000s, 2009, Ames, Ames area, classical, classical music, electronic, electronic music, Ep 048,modern classical, modern classical music, Paul Hertz, Polymetric Phrygian Plainchant (song)