Hello, dear readers. It's been a while, I know. It occurred to me recently that those who don't regularly check my all-too-frequently-updated Twitter might be missing out on some of my recent writing. I'm going to try to periodically update this space, in the manner of the great Steve Smith, with links to recent articles in other publications. Perhaps this will spur me to blog again, though that's pretty unlikely.
By the way, I'm in Year Three of my PhD program, and am about to starting writing my dissertation proposal. It will focus on the rise of new, collaboration-based institutions in contemporary music, mostly geared around New York -- things like Bang on a Can, Bedroom Community, and yMusic. It's going to be fun, I hope.
Without further ado, here's some of what happened this fall:
"Musicians>Audience Members: Polyorchard's first anniversary concert," IndyWeek blog 30 Dec 201
(A review of David Menestres's excellent improv collective Polyorchard)
Previews: Polyorchard and Service of Carols and Lessons
(Micro-previews of upcoming local performances in the Indy)
"Chicago's Quirky Modernism," Bandcamp blog 17 Dec 2013
(Examining the excellent new Chicago-based label Parlour Tapes+, which two sharp releases: the Spektral Quartet's CHAMBERS and the collaborative *AND)
Note: if you know of intriguing new music being issued through Bandcamp, give me a holler.
"In yMusic, indie rock meets classical, with satisfying results," IndyWeek 30 Oct 2013
(A brief preview of yMusic, an ensemble I've written about in the past.)
"Nico Muhly's Team Spirit," The New Yorker, 20 Oct 2013
Eva-Maria Houben: Piano Music, liner notes for R. Andrew Lee and Irritable Hedgehog, Oct 2013
(IH and Andy have been receiving accolades from just about everyone; this album certainly deserves them. Keep an eye out for another Wandelweiser-y release with liner notes from me shortly.)
"Classical Saxophone, an Outlier, Is Anointed," New York Times, 18 Sept 2013.
(You may recall that the ending provoked some amount of controversy; the rest is much more important, though. Classical saxophone deserves a place, as Ryan Muncy's new album can attest.)
"From the Shed to the Stars: Reflections on BUTI," NewMusicBox, 17 October 2013.
(A pleasure to write about my own formative experiences as well as those of others.)
Keep an eye out for this January release on Telarc - cellist Zuill Bailey and the North Carolina Symphony play Britten, and I've written liner notes.
Questions or comments? Contact me at william l robin@gmail.com (that's an L, not a One)
"Nico Muhly's Team Spirit," The New Yorker, 20 Oct 2013
Eva-Maria Houben: Piano Music, liner notes for R. Andrew Lee and Irritable Hedgehog, Oct 2013
(IH and Andy have been receiving accolades from just about everyone; this album certainly deserves them. Keep an eye out for another Wandelweiser-y release with liner notes from me shortly.)
"Classical Saxophone, an Outlier, Is Anointed," New York Times, 18 Sept 2013.
(You may recall that the ending provoked some amount of controversy; the rest is much more important, though. Classical saxophone deserves a place, as Ryan Muncy's new album can attest.)
"From the Shed to the Stars: Reflections on BUTI," NewMusicBox, 17 October 2013.
(A pleasure to write about my own formative experiences as well as those of others.)
Keep an eye out for this January release on Telarc - cellist Zuill Bailey and the North Carolina Symphony play Britten, and I've written liner notes.
Questions or comments? Contact me at william l robin@gmail.com (that's an L, not a One)
