The Composer Chronicles – Details, episodes & analysis

What do you get when you gather ten composers, all with different musical styles, talents, backgrounds, and areas of expertise? You get ICEBERG.

Featured pieces (in alphabetical order by composer last name):
Unfolding for strings and live electronics by Drake Andersen
Coatlicue barría la escalera del templo (Coatlicue was Sweeping the Temple Steps) by Victor Baéz
pOwer trIo for alto sax, piano, and percussion by Alex Burtzos
Decomposition by Yu-Chun Chien
RISE by Derek Cooper
Steep for strings, percussion, and celesta by Jack Frerer
Clarinet Quintet by Max Grafe
Source Code by Harry Stafylakis

Learn more about ICEBERG and follow them on social media:
Website | YouTube
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

The Etudes Project album featuring Jenny Lin and ICEBERG.
Lisa Pegher at Timucua

Theme music is by Daryl Banner.
Alexandrian Media podcast music by Andrew Gavin. Voiced by Michael Bolton.

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Humans have been looking up towards the sky for answers for thousands of years. To this day, humans have held on to the belief that celestial bodies can impact our daily lives, and Gustav Holst saw this as an opportunity for music.

Theme music is by Daryl Banner

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Music used in this episode:
The Planets, Op. 32 by Gustav Holst
City of Silent Wishes by Hampus Naeselius
Graso by Strom
Adrastea by Van Sandano
Silverstar by Elm Lake

The plays of William Shakespeare have been an inspiration to countless other pieces of art, and that includes composers and music makers. Giuseppe Verdi, one of Italy's leading composers in the 19th Century, was thrilled at the idea of getting to set an opera to one of Shakespeare's plays, something he would return to for the rest of his career; it all started with Shakespeare's terrifying tale Macbeth.

Theme music is by Daryl Banner

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Music used in this episode:
"Una macchia è qui tuttora" from Macbeth by Giuseppe Verdi
Lucky Guess by Trevor Kowalski
Corrivation by Ethan Sloan
Offcut by Ethan Sloan
Inception by Megan Wofford
Junior Momentum by Rand Aldo
The Batoidea by Martin Landh

Sources used for this episode:
Julian Budden, Verdi (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008).

Let's kick off this spooky season with a Movie Night! Today, I am happily joined by author and booktuber Cameron Chaney. The film Trick 'r Treat is one of his favorite movies, enough for him to start a tradition of watching it every year with other activities; however, the music of this film is even more special. Besides setting the mood brilliantly, the music holds special significance to Cameron.

Where to find Cameron and his work:
Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Patreon
Library Macabre
Autumncrow: Amazon | Goodreads

Theme music is by Daryl Banner.

Listen to this episode ad-free by supporting The Composer Chronicles on Patreon.

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Making his debut after the release of his first album Year of the Beard, Toska Bear has been on the rise as a singer and songwriter. His unique style marries elements of indie pop, synthwave, vaporwave, EDM, indie rock, and hip-hop, and Year of the Beard is inspired by gay culture, video games, and underground music.

Featured music:
From Year of the Beard: "Year of the Beard", "Time to Let Go", "Help Me Out", and "Prom Queen Days".

Where to find Toska Bear and his music:
Instagram | Twitter | BandCamp
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

Theme music is by Daryl Banner.

Listen to this episode ad-free by supporting The Composer Chronicles on Patreon.

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Richard Fay is a composer who has absorbed the culture of his ancestors and his hometown and embedded them into his own music. With a love for klezmer, Balkan, and Irish music, he had established many various ensembles to perform these musics as well as his own.

Featured music:
From Hamosity: Music for Hard Times: New Horizons, Hamosity Horo, The Seasons, The Heron Pool, and Sean Mannion

Where to find Richard and his music:
Website | Facebook | Instagram
YouTube | BandCamp

Theme music is by Daryl Banner.

Listen to this episode ad-free by supporting The Composer Chronicles on Patreon.

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Life can take you down interesting paths; you never know if that path will lead you directly where you want it to take you or somewhere you are pleasantly surprised to be. Kevin Graham started his career in filmmaking. With a passion for music stirred in, he turned his career into being a full-time composer.

Featured music:
From Dying of the Light: "Fireforge", "Golden Age", "Unbreakable", "Fortress", and "For the Stars"
From Enigma Machine: "Immortality"

Where to find Kevin and his music:
Website | Facebook | Instagram
FILMPAC | Vimeo | SoundCloud | Spotify | Apple Music

Theme music is by Daryl Banner.

Listen to this episode ad-free by supporting The Composer Chronicles on Patreon.

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Silas Hite is a composer with many projects. From television to the concert stage, ambient to folk, Silas has created repertoire for himself that gives everyone a chance to hear his music!

Where to find Silas and his music:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
SoundCloud | Spotify | YouTube

Theme music is by Daryl Banner.

Art used for cover by Patrick Whitehorn.

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Alexandrian Media Store

Often when music and language are paired together, we simply get lyrics to a song, but every once and a while, a composer will use language in a much more unique way.⁣ This week, I’m joined by David Dies to tell his story, discuss the use of language in his music, and the beauty of music.

Where to find David and his music:
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Website | SoundCloud | Apple Music

Theme music is by Daryl Banner

Listen to this episode ad-free by supporting The Composer Chronicles on Patreon.

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Originally designed for television, Richard Rogers and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote a musical that just couldn't be contained to the television.

Disclaimer: This episode discusses the events of a surgery and the emotional trauma inflicted by it. 

Theme music is by Daryl Banner

Listen to this episode ad-free by supporting The Composer Chronicles on Patreon.

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Music used in this episode:
Cinderella Ball Night by Sinfonietta Cinematica
My Friends by Vendla
I Will Be Right Here With You by Wendy Marcini
Laponia by Bladverk Band