In November 2019 director Silvia Costa joined our team for the opera Like Flesh. In February 2020, with a first draft of the libretto in hand, I started working on the music at IRCAM, but a few weeks later the pandemic hit, and we were all confined to zoom meetings. This week, we were all finally able to reunite in person, and the big work has officially begun!
A few months ago, Juliet Fraser released the album “Spilled Out from Tangles,” which included a new solo version of Heave, written especially for her. Tomorrow, at 7:30pm, Juliet was supposed to give Heave its US premiere at Time:Spans Festival in NY. But due to the travel restriction, Time:Spans commissioned a video instead. So on we went, Juliet and I, on this wild ride, searching for a creative team. And thanks to the magic of artistic director Noémie Dahan, this very special video was born.
In this one-hour tête-à-tête hosted by David Christoffel, composer Franck Bedrossian and I discuss music, anechoic chambers, fountain pens, and ASMR, with guest appearances by soprano Juliet Fraser and the New Gates Trio. It is available here for your enjoyment.
For this 20’ podcast, Saskia de Ville questioned me about my musical background (spoiler: you will hear a recording of me singing at age 2!), my inspirations, my work process and much more. It’s beautifully edited, with audio excerpts woven through. I invite you to listen here. And then to listen to some of the other podcasts in this series produced by ENOA.
Today is the official release date of Spilled Our from Tangles, soprano Juliet Fraser’s new CD of solo works for voice and electronics. I should have been in London for the release party and concert, but receiving it at home in Paris during this period of confinement was almost as joyful. I invite you to listen and order here. The CD includes a new solo version of Heave written especially for Juliet, alongside works by Lisa Ilean, Nomi Epestein, and Lawrence Dunn. And here’s a video of Juliet introducing the CD in her pajamas.
Two new interviews are out. One in Le Magazine of Orchestre de Chambre de Paris, and the other in Tchât of Théâtre du Châtelet. And if you’re into podcasts, listen to this whimsical episode by Chloé Kobuta: Un compositeur, c'est forcément mort ?
This composition with Amyra has been in the works for quite a long while, and sharing it with a full house at Opéra Berlioz was an incredible experience. Next performance is in March at Théâtre du Châtelet. Until then, here are some audio excerpts from the premiere.
This past summer I was contacted by filmmaker Léopold Gautier and musicologist Andrea Selina Contherr about a new series of video interviews with women creators. The screening happened in Paris earlier this month, while I was sitting on another panel about women composers in the orchestral world. Something’s in the air in France that’s for sure. You can watch the video here.
From September-November I’ve been leading my first series of workshops as composer-in-residence at Opéra Montpellier. The final concert, featuring new works for violin, percussion and electronics by eight young composers, will take place next week. Meanwhile, I was also invited to give a composition lecture at IRCAM to students in the Cursus program, as part of the seminar poésie-text. I discussed in depth my recent IRCAM projects You’ll drown, dear and Heave, as well as some upcoming projects. You can watch the full video here.
Starting this September I will begin a new position as composer-in-residence with the Opéra National Montpellier, led by artistic director Valérie Chevalier. Throughout the residency period, I will be working with the orchestra, the choir, and their respective soloists on several new commissions, leading up to the production of my opera Like flesh in 2022. I will also be leading several composition workshops. If you’re not familiar yet with the work of this opera house, I invite you to discover it with me.
For this public reading with the Gulbenkian Orchestra, Amyra had composed her own text and vocals, which she wove in and out of my orchestral textures. Her presence on the stage was very powerful. It’s been almost a year and a half since we first met at Apollo Theatre in Harlem, and it’s been quite a journey. Portugal news discussed the project with Luis Tinoco here. Stay tuned for the premiere in November.
Opéra de Lille, together with IRCAM and Ensemble Le Balcon, is commissioning Like Flesh for its 2021-22 season. Librettist Cordelia Lynn and I have been developing ideas for this opera for over a year. Cordelia will begin working on the libretto in September, and I will begin working on the music at IRCAM in January. For more information about the core themes we’ve been exploring, check out this video from our second developmental residency at Snape Matings last Fall.
Earlier this year, I was commissioned by the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris and the Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier to write a new work for voice and orchestra. I brought poet, activist, and R&B singer Amyra Leòn on board, and together we fleshed out our first ideas for the piece. I then went off to write the first draft for the orchestra, which was read last week by the Gulbenkian Orchestra. In July, Amyra will join me in Lisbon for the next reading, leading up to the premiere in November. Until then, here’s a little video press release about the upcoming premiere.
Being back in California is always a treat. The occasion: A week of guest lectures at my alma mater UC Berkeley, featured in the Townsend Center Magazine here. The other highlight: A concert by the Eco Ensemble. SF Classical Voice did a nice writeup of the concert, highlighting soprano Ann Moss’ “luxurious, almost rapturous singing” in You’ll drown, dear, and drawing an interesting parallel with Bluebeard’s Castle “where the crux of the story isn’t figuring out the man: It’s all about the woman’s inner life.” The full review is here.
Solicitations received its French premiere by Diotima Quartet a couple of days ago. The reviews in l’Humanité and Anaclase managed to capture some of the magic in Diotima’s performance. Maurice Ulrich described the work as “meditative, captivating, where one holds one’s breath in anticipation” while Michèle Tosi observed “a secret dramaturgy… one woven by infra-saturation, phantom sounds, and unexpected colors.” You can read the full reviews are here and here.
[Switch~] ensemble will be performing Tarr in NY next month. While this chamber piece was originally written for Divertimento ensemble in 2014, [Switch~] has made it their own, touring with it in CA, and now in NY. In preparation for the NY concert, clarinetist Madison Greenstone interviewed me about the work, which led to this very special article. Do read it if you have a chance.
Thanks to Ilan Volkov, the director of Tectonics Festival in Tel Aviv, I got to work with two unique performers over the past few weeks: soprano Keren Motseri (who gave the Israeli premiere of You’ll drown, dear) and dancer Yuli Kovbasnian (with whom I explored my new persona as an improviser in a new show that we developed together). Tel Aviv seems to be bursting with creative energy these days, and I’m already looking forward to coming back in the Spring.
Cordelia and I just got back from the second residency for Like flesh - our opera-in-development. This time around we were very fortunate to have cellist Severine Ballon, dancer Vinicius Salles, and bass Jimmy Holliday join our team, which included movement director Joseph Alford, soprano Juliet Fraser, and actress Carolina Valdés. Footage from the open session performance at the Britten Pears Studio coming soon!
