Music Crush with FNMC – Details, episodes & analysis

Christian Glascock won FNMC’s composition competition in 2024 with his flute-piano work, but it’s not her. Today he fills us in on his book "Plugged In: Practice and Performance Method for Flutists," which he co-wrote with his former flute professor, Abigail Walsh. He also discusses the therapeutic role composition plays during turbulent times and the joy of meeting his composition heroes in real life. Stay tuned for more, cuz this guy’s got a bright future ahead of himself! 

Christian Glascock: https://www.christianglascock.com/

In the Blink of an Eye: https://open.spotify.com/album/6i0ipfMU70Ah8uL1J3l7pd

Amy Beth Kirsetn, Pirouette on a Moon Sliver: https://youtu.be/jj57RIRl66E?si=c9jWrO-7m9BpzSkj

Robert Dick, everyone@universe.existence: https://youtu.be/c01bXIpVF_s?si=bk1SLFQNwwpeBW35

Steve Reich, Mallet Quartet: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrJkrCs5hUk

Bill Ryan, Towards Daybreak: https://billryanmusic.com/compositions/Towards%20Daybreak/

Jacob TV, Lipstick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8QCsoF5W9I

Andre Jolivet, Chant de Linos: https://youtu.be/SZzTzcs5Y_8?si=CsR4pGXWyEBUdMAP

Earspasm: https://www.youtube.com/@earspasm

Kari Cruver Medina was born a composer and storyteller! She prefers to live a life which dwells in possibilities (thank you, Emily Dickinson), and chooses to “tend and befriend” whenever she can. Today she chats with Nicole and Elizabeth about not doing it all in favor of a life led with intentionality and exploration. We also learn more about her wildly varied duet for flutes, Cabinet of Curiosities, an FNMC competition winner in 2024, and get schooled in some poetry for beginners. 

https://www.karicruvermedina.com/

Emily Dickinson: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/emily-dickinson

Mary Oliver: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/mary-oliver

Billy Collins: https://youtu.be/DOvbl3ZPPV4?si=eZrO6PgS9Liw4vvb

Polish flutist Alicia Molitorys speaks with us today about how she got interested in new music despite the lack of early support, the amazing and unique perspective of growing up in Poland and then studying in the West as a young adult, and fills us in a little bit on one of her latest projects, “Dark Sky” with composer Allison Ogden. We got interested in Alicja’s work after she applied to perform at FNMC’s New Music Festival, a long, long trip for her which will be generously supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute through their "Polish culture worldwide" fund (thank you Mr. Mickiewicz!).

Alicja: https://contemporaryartmusicproject.org/alicja-molitorys/

Wissam Boustany: https://www.wissamboustany.com/

Brian Ferneyhough, Cassandra’s Dream Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IKVMdH60-A

Agata Zubel "Not I":

https://open.spotify.com/track/1mPQCAuI9ZnOuLrikm6UD9?si=607f4fac6a674eb5

Sławomir Kupczak "Halny"  for electronics and improvising flutist (2017): https://soundcloud.com/user-395603716/s-awomir-kupczak-halny-for?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing 

Nikolet Burzyńska "Green Mazurka" for flute, cello and piano: 

https://youtu.be/XBKLEh0_XnA?si=bkVlYgg78pUFn07I 

KIOLOIK with the score and recording:

Kioloik (hendrich.pl)

In the lead-up to FNMC’s New Music Festival, we caught up with composer Brandon Nelson, whose music for Triage Woodwinds will be featured in a concert there. He discusses the wealth of opportunities that can result from growing up in a small town, the adventure of learning how to play recorder as an adult, and the very modern experience of meeting collaborators on Twitter. Living in an isolated place (the beautiful UP of Michigan) means learning how to work remotely, and Brandon has some sage advice to give in that regard. Plus, Nicole and Elizabeth learn that Recorder Karate is a thing! Come for the deep thoughts about sharing creative space, stay for the piccolo quartet about moose cheese. 

https://bnelsonmusic.wordpress.com/

http://www.triagewoodwinds.com/

Elizabeth and Nicole are getting ready for FNMC’s New Music Festival! Today they talk about how proposals were selected for this festival, and perhaps it’ll provide a new perspective for people who propose in the future, and to other conferences/festivals as well. So if you’ve ever been rejected from a festival, we’ve been there too, and we’ve got some tips! Elizabeth’s hair looks great, by the way. 

Here are the deets on our upcoming festival in Omaha in October: https://www.flutenewmusicconsortium.com/nmf-2024.html 

 Self-proclaimed “all-purpose nerd” Linda Antas is a composer, arts technologist, flutist, and educator on the faculty at Montana State University. Her current research involves audiovisual works, real-time signal processing, sonification, and physical computing. Today, she shares her thoughts on walking in the woods, meditation, and keeping your hands on your instrument whether or not you’re performing regularly. Listen on for some great advice about getting started in electro-acoustic music and resisting the constant dopamine hit of the wrong kind of social media!

www.lindaantas.com

Brandi Carlile: https://www.youtube.com/@BrandiCarlile

Messiaen, Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant Jèsus (1944): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovMnmIoZh74

This one’s not about new music, folks. Nicole is processing the hard truths on Katherine Needleman’s Facebook and confronting her own accidental complicity in the past, while Elizabeth reminds us of some various cultural phenomena proving that the 90s wasn’t as great for women as we thought back then. And yes, a certain flutist fellow does come up. What do you do, as the grown-up in the room, when younger people need your support? We're still figuring it out ourselves.

Katherine Needleman’s Substack: https://katherineneedlemanoboist.substack.com/

Reporting Title IX complaints: https://www.equalrights.org/issue/the-title-ix-process/

Gavin de Becker, The Gift of Fear: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gift_of_Fear

Composer and author Dale Trumbore discusses her book, Staying Composed: Overcoming Anxiety and Self-Doubt Within a Creative Life and shares some of her philosophies, including seeing the music she writes as a memoir, embracing the suckitude in the creative process, vaccinating yourself against meanness, and applying the Girl Scout motto to her work. We adored our time with her and know you will too! 

https://www.daletrumbore.com/

How to Go On: https://www.daletrumbore.com/how-to-go-on

Infinitely and Without Apology: https://www.daletrumbore.com/infinitely

Snow White Turns 60: https://www.daletrumbore.com/swt60

Y La Bamba: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au-mBoepJUA

Tori Amos, Little Earthquakes: https://youtu.be/uov7BZDOvFg?si=BTisn5FzU2NeTNjW

Messiaen, O Sacrum conVivium: https://youtu.be/x0__tgrjTkc?si=nbOZfrIhApFFPz9g

Ravel, String Quartet: https://youtu.be/O4a-BNQgqqE?si=GaAohSvd_r9cdJB_

Picking up from our previous conversation, Elizabeth opens with a story about her feminist radicalization (just kidding–there is no such thing) and small world, Alex was there too! Alex explains how she left the rat race of SoCal for a tiny island off Washington state, describes composition as improvising in slow motion and reminds us that it’s always worth being kind. Enter some shared wise words about appreciating your own musical fingerprints, reading life with nuance, and fostering mental health as part of the curriculum. Nicole shares her pedagogical philosophy (applicable to all of life!), and Elizabeth explores the limitations of teaching students how to live their lives. 

https://www.alexshapiro.org/

Athena Lab: https://athena.gatech.edu/

Celebrated composer and author Alex Shapiro and Nicole trip down memory lane recalling Alex’s residency at University of Wyoming, and Nicole asks “what do you get out of it?” Alex describes being an extroverted introvert, the “warm fuzzies” she gets from her composer community. Nicole mentions the weirdness of being a woman. Elizabeth, Alex, and Nicole also deconstruct bro culture and conclude that the key is education through intentional programming and normalization of diversity. Finally, Alex encourages us to have an attitude of abundance rather than scarcity.

https://www.alexshapiro.org/

Midwest Clinic: https://www.midwestclinic.org/

Cat Bohanan, Eve: https://www.catbohannon.com/home/eve