Artist Propulsion Lab

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Latest Episodes:

The Elves and the Cello Maker: A Christmas Audio Drama Dec 21, 2023

For the final episode from the Artist Propulsion Lab class of 2023, cellist Zlatomir Fung wrote a new Christmas audio drama, The Elves and the Cello Maker, based on the Brothers' Grimm fairytale, "The Elves and the Shoemaker," for which he also composed the music. He updated the original fairytale to focus on a young cellist in New York, her cello maker father, and two of Santa's elves, as she prepares for a solo in her school concert.

Cast (in order of appearance):

Q - Thorgy Thor
Spy Boss - Brooke Gladstone
June - Briana Hunter
Henry - Jeff Spurgeon
Dorothy - Lulu Miller
Fi - Nicholas Canellakis
Sev - Miyan Levenson
North Pole Network Announcer #1 - Kerry Nolan
North Pole Network Announcer #2 - Arun Venugopal
Cello Teacher - Clayelle Dalferes
Music Boss - Elizabeth Nonemaker
North Pole Network Announcer #3 - Paul Cavalconte
Carter Brey appears as himself
Uber Driver - Zlatomir Fung
NYPD Officer - LaFontaine Oliver
Nimet Habachy appears as herself

Music composed by Zlatomir Fung, and performed by cellists Zlatomir Fung and Nicholas Canellakis. Additional cello performances by Carter Brey and Robbie Craigmyle. Accordion performed by Max Fine.

Inside "At Ease" with Briana Hunter, Jasmine Barnes, and Rio Cortez Dec 07, 2023

For her time with the Artist Propulsion Lab, mezzo Briana Hunter wanted to focus on highlighting Black women. As part of that, she commissioned a new song cycle At Ease, by composer Jasmine Barnes. At Ease sets three poems by poet Rio Cortez from her collection Golden Ax, "Black Annie Hall," "Black Mary Wilkie," and "Black Lead in a Nancy Meyers Film," focusing on Black women at leisure. In this podcast, Briana, Jasmine, and Rio take us inside At Ease, and then we will hear the complete song cycle.

Program:

At Ease by Jasmine Barnes, poems by Rio Cortez
-Briana Hunter, mezzo; Eric Sedgwick, piano

Meditations on Samuel Barber and John Cage by Alexi Kenney Nov 16, 2023

In this audio essay, violinist Alexi Kenney reflects on the music of two composers who had vastly different musical careers, but were also almost exact contemporaries and both lived in New York City: Samuel Barber and John Cage.

Special thanks to the New York Public Radio archives for audio of interviews with Samuel Barber and John Cage, and to the Bellingham Festival Orchestra.

Music:

John Cage: Six Melodies for Violin and Keyboard
-Alexi Kenney, violin; Janice Carissa, piano

Samuel Barber: Violin Concerto
-Alexi Kenney, violin; Bellingham Festival Orchestra, cond. Tito Muñoz

Samuel Barber: Canzone for Violin and Piano
-Alexi Kenney, violin; Janice Carissa, piano

John Cage: Eight Whiskus
-Alexi Kenney, violin

Shelley Washington's Eternal Present Nov 02, 2023

For her Artist Propulsion Lab residency, composer Shelley Washington wanted to pull back the curtain on composers’ lives and work. As part of that, she composed a new work for the ~Nois saxophone quartet and recorded voice memos documenting her process. The piece, Eternal Present, is about Shelley’s experiences of time-blindness, and premiered on New Sounds in September. In this podcast, Shelley takes us inside her process of composing Eternal Present.

A Conversation Across Generations Oct 19, 2023

While mezzo Briana Hunter has had many meaningful conversations behind closed doors about important issues in opera today, like power dynamics and the use of Blackface, she has also been frustrated with how these conversations frequently play out online. Often these differences are generational. As part of her residency with the Artist Propulsion Lab, she convenes singers from four different generations to bring these conversations out into the open. She is joined by soprano Martina Arroyo, mezzo Denyce Graves, and soprano Hannah Jones.

A Life Cycle of Grief Oct 05, 2023

The Artist Propulsion Lab podcast is back with the class of 2023. Violinist and composer Curtis Stewart begins with an audio essay reflecting on the life cycle of grief. In June 2023, Curtis released his latest album Of Love, which he dedicated to the memory of his mother, violinist, composer, and teacher Elektra Kurtis, who passed away in 2021. In this episode, he reflects on his experiences of grief and of creating Of Love.

As part of his exploration of grief, Curtis also composed The Grief Monologues, based on listener-submitted voice memos, which you can hear on the episode webpage at wqxr.org.

Inside "Begin Again" with Steven Banks and Matthew Hepburn Nov 10, 2022

At the start of his time with the Artist Propulsion Lab, composer and saxophonist Steven Banks set out to compose a piece of music that explores meditation and mindfulness, and in which the music and meditation were supportive partners. The result is Begin Again, created in collaboration with Ten Percent Happier meditation teacher Matthew Hepburn. Begin Again uses guided meditative exploration and musical composition to lend insight into the ways that we relate to struggles within ourselves and in the world. On the final episode of this year's Artist Propulsion Lab, Steven and Matthew take us inside Begin Again, followed by a performance of the entire piece.

Program:

Steven Banks and Matthew Hepburn: Begin Again

Steven Banks, saxophone; Matthew Hepburn, meditation; Andrew Yee, cello; Xak Bjerken, piano

Halfie: A Memoir, by Andrew Yee Oct 27, 2022

Cellist and composer Andrew Yee (she/they) presents an audio memoir of identity and belonging through music. For several years, they have been exploring their identity through a recital series called Halfie. This memoir draws on their Halfie recital in the Greene Space, as well as conversations with Andrew, their dad Harry Yee, and their friend, composer and cellist Paul Wiancko.

All works performed by Andrew Yee, except where otherwise noted:

Leilehua Lanzilotti: kʻou inoa

Caroline Shaw: In Manus Tuas

Andrew Yee: The Light After

Andrew Norman: For Ashley, by arrangement with Concord Music

Andrew Yee: The Sea As It Is

Paul Wiancko: American Haiku (with Ayane Kozasa, viola)

Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II: "Oh What a Beautiful Mornin'" from Oklahoma! by arrangement with Concord Music

Scott Joplin Didn't Die of Opera Failure Sep 29, 2022

This episode contains discussions of syphilis. If you are concerned you have syphilis or another sexually transmitted infection, you can find information about sexual health clinics in New York City here.

This Composer is Sick wraps up with an exploration of how syphilis affected the life, works, and death of American composer Scott Joplin. Host Emi Ferguson and her guests, Joplin biographer and ragtime scholar Edward Berlin, and syphilis researcher Sheila Lukehart, look at Joplin's life as he battled syphilis, particularly his last years in New York, as he worked to stage a production of his opera, Treemonisha.

Recordings:

“Frolic of the Bears” by Scott Joplin, performed by The Paragon Ragtime Orchestra and Singers. From the sound recording Scott Joplin: Treemonisha. New World Records #80720-2 (p) & © 2011 Anthology of Recorded Music, Inc. Used by permission. Available here.

"The Entertainer" by Scott Joplin, performed by Benjamin Loeb, courtesy of Naxos of America

"Maple Leaf Rag" performed by the United States Marine Band

"Maple Leaf Rag" performed by Jade Simmons; "A Real Slow Drag" from Treemonisha performed by Laquita Mitchell and Joshua Rifkin, from WQXR Presents: Joplin at 150 in the Greene Space, November 2019

"Magnetic Rag" performed by Lara Downes from Scott Joplin's New York in the Greene Space, March 2022

Additional recording of "A Real Slow Drag" from Treemonisha by Emi Ferguson

Additional thanks to the NYC Municipal Archives, the National Archives, and the New York Public Radio Archives for archival audio.

Bedřich Smetana and the High E of Doom Sep 15, 2022

There's something strange in the last movement of Bedřich Smetana's String Quartet No. 1, "From My Own Life." In the middle of a lively finale, the quartet breaks off, followed by a mysterious high note. What does it all mean? How is it connected to his syphilis? All that and more on this episode of This Composer is Sick.

Our Favorite Smetana videos:

Featured recordings of Smetana's works:

“The Moldau" from Má vlast by Bedřich Smetana, performed by the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, cond. Antoni Wit, courtesy of Naxos of America, Inc.

String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor, "From My Own Life," 4. Vivace - performed by the Travnicek Quartet, courtesy of EMG Classical

Schubert's Heavy Metal Therapy Sep 01, 2022

What's the relationship between syphilis, mercury, and the composer of "Die Forelle?" Flute-player Emi Ferguson continues her exploration of how syphilis impacted classical composers. This episode looks at the case of Franz Schubert, who died in 1828 at the age of 31. She is joined by Schubert scholar and James H. Ottaway Professor of music history, Christopher H. Gibbs, as well as Dr. Sheila Lukehart. Together, Emi and her guests explore the impact of syphilis and its treatments on Schubert, as well as his late life and works.

Featured Recordings of Schubert's Works:

"Der Erlkönig," "Die Forelle," by Karim Sulayman and Yi-heng Yang, from the album Where Only Stars Can Hear Us

"Die Taubenpost," from Schwanengesang, performed by Matthew Rose and Malcom Martineau, courtesy of Stone Records

"Variations for Flute and Piano on Trockne Blümen," performed by Emi Ferguson and Peter Dugan,

Piano Sonata No. 21 in B-Flat, D. 960 (1. Molto moderato, 2. Andante sostenuto), performed by Sviatoslav Richter, courtesy of Parnassus Records

"Shepherd on the Rock," performed by musicians from Marlboro, live in the Greene Space

""Der Erlkönig," performed by Hope Lies Within, courtesy of Hope Lies Within

This Composer is Sick: Let's Talk About Syphilis Aug 18, 2022

This episode contains discussions of syphilis, its symptoms, and its transmission. If you are concerned you have syphilis or another sexually transmitted infection, you can find information about sexual health clinics in New York City here.

While an undergraduate at Juilliard, flute-player Emi Ferguson almost quit music to pursue epidemiology full-time instead. Even though she stuck with music, she is still fascinated by how disease can impact society, and especially how it can impact artists. Starting today, and for the next three episodes, join Emi as she dives into the health histories of several composers and their experiences with syphilis. She is joined by Dr. Sheila Lukehart, an emeritus professor at the University of Washington, who has worked on syphilis for over forty years. In this episode, Emi connects the dots between an Italian shepherd who upset Apollo, an angry Arnold Schoenberg in a Los Angeles grocery store (spoiler alert: he didn't have syphilis), and 1940s public health campaigns.

“We Are Not Ashamed,” featuring Sister Rosetta Tharpe, from the Alan Lomax Collection at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. Used courtesy of the Association for Cultural Equity.

Excerpts from "An emigré life" oral history by Marta Feuchtwanger provided by the Center for Oral History Research, Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA (Tape XX, Side Two, August 15, 1975)

Additional thanks to the NYC Municipal Archives, the National Archives, and the New York Public Radio Archives for archival audio.

Bonus: Flutist Brandon Patrick George in Conversation with Darren Walker Aug 04, 2022

This conversation was originally recorded and released in November, 2021.

This week, we are re-releasing a conversation between flutist Brandon Patrick George, a member of last year's inaugural Artist Propulsion Lab class, and Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation. They discuss how arts organizations can be more diverse, equitable, and inclusive, and also why leadership and representation matter.

Justin Austin in Conversation with Josh Berg Jul 21, 2022

This week on the Artist Propulsion Lab, baritone Justin Austin is joined by audio engineer and producer Josh Berg. Justin and Josh met when they collaborated in the recording studio with Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, on the album Donda. Justin and Josh discuss their work with Ye, musical genres and cross-pollination, authenticity, and more.

Layale Chaker in Conversation with Fabian Almazan and David Lentz Jul 07, 2022

WQXR's Artist Propulsion Lab is the station's program to support emerging and mid-career artists by providing them with opportunities to perform and commission work, and to take advantage of the station's platforms, like this podcast. Starting today, and continuing every other Thursday, join this year's class of artists as they explore a topic important to them.

In this episode, violinist and composer Layale Chaker is joined by composer and pianist Fabian Alamazan, and paleobotanist David Lentz, of the University of Cincinnati, for a conversation about music and environmental stewardship, moderated by New Sounds' John Schaefer.

Featured Recordings:

"The Songs of the Forgotten" composed and performed by Fabian Almazan. Available at Bandcamp

"Le Courlis cendré," from Catalogue d’oiseaux by Olivier Messaien, performed by Pierre-Laurent Aimard. Available at Pentatone

"Tingo Maria," from Milagros by Gabriela Lena Frank, performed by the Willamette Valley Chamber Music Festival. Available from Bright Shiny Things

Trailer Jun 14, 2022

The Artists Propulsion Lab is WQXR's program to support early- and mid-career artists - and now, they are starting a podcast. Episodes are released every other week, starting July 7.

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