Artist Propulsion Lab – Details, episodes & analysis

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.
 

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

Golden Ax  by Rio Cortez is published by Penguin Books. Copyright © 2022 by Rio Cortez

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.

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 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.

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. 

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.

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

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.

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

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.