Chrysanthe Tan chats with Titilayo Ayangade about her recent commission, a new meditation series, and how her approach to music feeds her photography.

"I do care if you listen! But I mostly care that you might find some joy or at least some recognition in these songs. Thanks for listening." Check out the latest ListN Up playlist from composer and multimedia artist, Mason Bynes!

"As difficult as it may be to reconcile, concerts specifically dedicated to music of the African diaspora are as important as they are misguided.... However, when these artists are sectioned off on one program, it isn’t a study of Afromodernism."

“There’s so much that goes into it that’s nothing to do with what [composers] are up to and their music,” says Thomas Kotcheff. “Sarah and I just loved music, seeing what’s going on, [being] inspired by our colleagues and friends.”

"There are composers whose works and theories are central to this piece... Incidentally, what’s changed as I’ve matured is not the list of composers I look up to but how I understand their music in relation to one another."

“This provides the most distilled lesson, and benefit, of “polyglotism” – that some things can only be expressed in certain languages.”

“Vocal expression can encompass so much more than words! It can go beyond words, to a pre-verbal communication that is found in the natural world and also between human beings in specific circumstances, not to mention the very first year of our lives.”

With threads of Gospel, R&B, Folk, Sacred Choral music and more, composer and multimedia artist Mason Bynes weaves together an eclectic tapestry of artists, places, and experiences in this curation.

“It’s more than just putting us on stage; it is about making these spaces a home we can come to again and again and again — and not just on a few programs here and there,” said Nathalie Joachim.

“As a Counterclassical composer, I find immense value in deeply understanding the tradition and building confidence in my skillset as an orchestral composer while pushing the tradition into the 21st century!”

“I’ve been doing my own AI projects for 45 years. The new AI technology seems more concerned with how you use it as a tool of power. My machines listen to people and interact with them. That seems very minoritarian in contemporary AI thinking.”

“This shift was mirrored in Xuan’s visuals; the diamond sparkles that initially encircled a mash of silvery, liquid mercury expanded to all three walls... an explosion of consonant hope as the room became enveloped in red.”

“Unfortunately, DeSantis’ veto of all arts funding in the state was and continues to be devastating, not just to enSRQ, but to literally every other Florida institution of art and learning. The arts are a massive economic driver in Sarasota County…”

“From a dead-pan delivery of cake instructions to occasional solitary lines like ‘Anti-diarrheal’ and ‘moistened towelettes,’ the performers themselves kept breaking out into laughter, and we as the audience couldn’t help but join in.”

"Throughout the evening, the performers were highly aware of each other’s contributions; they gave space to one another’s ideas and answered thoughtfully with their own." Read the full concert review.

Yaz Lancaster’s profile of the polymath composer highlights his advocacy work and teaching, as Lewis offers his insights on philosophy, AI, and his newest opera which will receive its East Coast premiere at the @CurtisInstitute next month.

Tomorrow @SymphonySpace: Sacred and Profane, premieres + works by composers @ShereeClement & #RobertSirota. @AriadneGreif #PaulPinto @MomentaQt #BenjaminLarsen #HyungjinChoi #RobertaMichel @jonahsirota #NadiaSirota & #KatherineFortunato 7:30pm *ad

“I have no interest in art or music that doesn’t challenge the status quo.” Listen to Muyassar Kurdi's expansive, genre-defying playlist now by following the link below

“Nine years in, the biggest thing we’ve learned is to give our audiences credit: they want to hear new sounds.”

This feeling of community strengthened throughout the evening as ganavya thoughtfully wove together language, poetry, prayer, family, sisterhood, jazz, Tamil arts influences, and an immense love for humankind.