Contemporary Music Archives

From Improvising in Caves to Spoken in Waves

Spoken in Waves is a new piece for cello and string quartet by Chris Beroes-Haigis, commissioned by cellist Cicely Parnas. The video performance was premiered in December of 2023. In this blog post, Cicely and Chris tell us a bit about the backstory of the piece, the journey to recording the piece, what it's like to perform the piece and more. The video performance can be found below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ML40XGq2qI4 In 2019, I was on tour with my cello rock band and found myself in El Paso, TX, the city where my good friend Chris Beroes-Haigis lived. We had met two years earlier as fellows at the Sitka International Cello Seminar in Alaska, and I remember I was struck both by Chris’s beautiful music-making on the cello, and that [...]

By Cicely Parnas|2024-02-05T14:49:26-05:00January 22nd, 2024|Categories: Artistic Vision, Beyond the Traditional, Chamber Music, Interpersonal Relationships, Performance, Repertoire, Self Discovery|Tags: Cicely Parnas, Spoken in Waves, repertoire, Solo Cello, Solo Cello Repertoire, New Cello Repertoire, New Music, Contemporary Music, Cello Repertoire, Chris Beroes-Haigis|

Conversation with Siegfried Palm (May, 1998)

Interview by Tim Janof Siegfried Palm has had a distinguished and varied performing career. He was Principal Cellist of orchestras in Lubeck, Hamburg, and Cologne, cellist in the Hamann Quartet, and a member of a trio with Max Rostal and Heinz Schroter. He has given masterclasses worldwide and has served as a jury member at numerous international competitions. He has recorded for several companies and has had works dedicated to him by composers such as Krzystof Penderecki, Yannis Xenakis, Boris Blacher, and Gyorgy Ligeti. He was Director of the State Conservatoire in Cologne, Director of the Deutsche Oper in Berlin, President of the German Composers' Society, and President of ESTA. In 1969 and 1976 he was awarded the German Gramophone prize, and in 1972 he was awarded the Grand Prix [...]

By Tim Janof|2021-05-24T15:56:33-04:00May 17th, 2021|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Artistic Vision, Interviews, Performance, Repertoire|Tags: Siegfried Palm, Interpretation, Contemporary Music, 20th Century Music, Enrico Mainardi|

Tyshawn Sorey’s “Cycles of My Being”

Inhale, Exhale. Hope. Whirlwind. Hate. Hope. Each Day I Rise, I Know. These words represent not only a powerful and provocative landscape, but also uniquely form the six movements of Cycles of My Being; a work by the creative genius and living composer/musician Tyshawn Sorey. I had the immense honor and privilege of being invited to perform the 2018 world premiere of Sorey’s work— scored for violin, cello, piano, tenor, and clarinet—on three separate occasions. The piece was a result of a co-commission from Opera Philadelphia, Carnegie Hall, and Lyric Opera of Chicago; while the music was presented by Sorey, the libretto was provided by poet Terrance Hayes (also a MacArthur Genius Grant Winner like Sorey), with the renowned and arresting tenor Lawrence Brownlee at the forefront. What was perhaps [...]

By Khari Joyner|2021-03-22T15:58:22-04:00March 10th, 2021|Categories: Artistic Vision, Chamber Music, Performance, Repertoire|Tags: chamber music, New Music, Contemporary Music, Tyshawn Sorey, Khari Joyner|

Conversation with Bonnie Hampton (September, 1996)

Interview by Tim Janof Bonnie Hampton leads an active life as a chamber musician, soloist, and teacher. Ms. Hampton has been involved in performances of new music since the beginning of her career and has been active in contemporary music groups. She has also been the cellist of the Francesco Trio for 32 years. A student of Pablo Casals, she participated for many years in the Casals and Marlboro Festivals. Ms. Hampton teaches at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and, during the summer, at the Banff Centre and the Tanglewood Music Center. She has served as president of Chamber Music America. TJ: You studied with the great cello pedagogue, Margaret Rowell. What was she like as a teacher? BH: I started my study with her when I was 8 [...]

By Tim Janof|2023-01-30T12:51:24-05:00February 8th, 2021|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Artistic Vision, Chamber Music, Interviews, Pablo Casals, Performance, Repertoire, Teaching|Tags: Technique, Colin Hampton, chamber music, Pablo Casals, Zara Nelsova, Interpretation, Contemporary Music, Margaret Rowell|

Empowering Community & Creativity – Part II of a conversation with Elizabeth Rowe

Reprinted with permission from Audition Cafe. The completion of a two-part interview with principal flutist of the Boston Symphony Elizabeth Rowe, well known as a performer, mentor, and advocate for equal pay in the orchestral world. I greatly enjoyed connecting with Elizabeth earlier this fall and sharing her inspiring thoughts regarding her approach to the pandemic, as a performer and a human being, and for advice to others on healthily managing their own reactions to it. If you missed it, be sure to check out Part I of her interview! In this second part of a condensed version of our conversation, Elizabeth discusses how her desire to support musicians early in their careers and creative people of all fields and stages of life has driven her to explore some new outlets. [...]

By Andrea Beyer|2021-11-22T14:18:35-05:00December 4th, 2020|Categories: Artistic Vision, Interviews, In the Practice Room, Orchestra, Performance, Self Discovery|Tags: self-observation, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Contemporary Music, Elizabeth Rowe, Self Care, Career Development, Community|

A conversation with Elizabeth Rowe – principal flutist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra

Reprinted with permission from Audition Cafe. A two-part interview with Elizabeth Rowe discussing various aspects of her creative life during the pandemic. Aside from her acclaim as a performer, teacher, and mentor to creatives of all ages, you may recognize her from international headlines in 2018 when she shed light on pay practices in the classical music industry by filing an equal pay lawsuit against the BSO. I had the pleasure of speaking with Elizabeth earlier in October, and I am thrilled to share a condensed version of our conversation, which left me optimistic and inspired. In this first part of the interview, we discuss the ways that the pandemic has impacted her attitude towards playing the flute and reaffirmed her belief in the importance of living a balanced life. [...]

By Andrea Beyer|2022-07-27T20:58:06-04:00November 27th, 2020|Categories: Artistic Vision, Interviews, In the Practice Room, Orchestra, Performance, Self Discovery|Tags: Contemporary Music, Elizabeth Rowe, Self Care, practicing, Boston Symphony Orchestra|

Conversation with Matt Haimovitz (July, 2003)

Cellist Matt Haimovitz has established himself as one of classical music's most adventurous artists, equally at ease playing the masterworks for his instrument in solo, chamber, and concerto performances in leading concert halls as he is bringing classical music to new listeners in surprising new venues. A teacher, a record label entrepreneur, and a celebrated performer, Haimovitz manifests his love of music not only in the seriousness with which he approaches his work but also with his warm demeanor and the natural expressiveness of his playing. Haimovitz has made headlines with his path-breaking performances of Bach's 6 Suites for Cello Solo. He struck a nerve in the music world with his unprecedented Bach "Listening-Room" Tour, taking Bach's beloved cello suites out of the concert hall and performing them in intimate [...]

By Tim Janof|2023-10-30T13:35:42-04:00October 29th, 2020|Categories: Internet Cello Society Archive, Artistic Vision, Beyond the Traditional, Interviews, Pablo Casals, Performance, Self Discovery|Tags: Pablo Casals, career, Irene Sharp, Gabor Rejto, Ron Leonard, Leonard Rose, Contemporary Music, improvisation, Itzhak Perlman|