Ringmasters: Jenna Lyle

Jenna Lyle's inventiveness never ceases to stun me.  The last time she collaborated with Spektral, she strapped a mic'ed stethoscope to Austin's chest, using his heartbeat as an amplified guide for the quartet.  The result was her strange and visceral miniature Inkblot.

Not only does Jenna have a knack for intriguing musical gestures, she's aware of how those gestures will be embodied by a player.  It's what makes the realization of her compositions so enthralling; you don't know exactly what you're hearing and you can't stop watching.

She's also really good at making diagrams in Microsoft Paint:

Ringmasters: Ben Hjertmann

Ben Hjertmann is no newcomer to writing for Spektral.  In fact, his electrifying second String Quartet No. 2, "Étude" will be featured on the quartet's debut album! The composer also  just released an epic album of his own, howling his fair share of angular melodies and doling out some unexpected rhythmic jabs.  You can listen to the whole thing below:

Ben is in a variety of "avant-pop" projects which no doubt contribute to his intriguing voice as a composer of chamber music.  He continues to find ways to merge his craft of composition and songwriting, creating unusual results both on the record and in the concert hall.

Ringmasters: Augusta Read Thomas

Augusta Read Thomas' latest works have been gargantuan, to say the least.  Last year, she composed 30 minutes of music for Third Coast Percussion consisting of nothing but bells (300 of them, BTW).  What's even more impressive is that she was writing another half hour-long work at the same time, her Mahler-inspired Earth Echoes for solo vocalists and chamber orchestra.

Thomas seems to have maximized the Mahlerian spirit, incorporating in both of these works a conglomeration of cultures from around the world, be it instruments or poetry for the libretto.  But out of that plethora of material comes extreme conceptual and compositional precision and cohesion.  Take, for example, the beautifully interwoven timbres from the second movement of her Resounding Earth.

Ringmasters: Greg Saunier

 I've been in love with Greg Saunier's music since before I knew he wrote it.  I was introduced to his band Deerhoof after my freshman year of college with their album Holdypaws and I've been a fervent fan of ever since.  A dream came true when I got to play with Deerhoof in a brand new piece written by Marcos Balter for the band and Ensemble Dal Niente.  To say that playing with such dynamic musicians was a joy is an understatement...it was truly life changing.

Greg plays the drums like nobody else.  He attacks the set with abandon, limbs flying to sculpt a fury of sonic activity that always grooves in the deepest way.  Seriously, check out Deerhoof live:

That is unbelievable playing...he doesn't need a huge kit to make a world of sound.  And, the best part is he's a composer in his own right, having arranged his Deerhoof tunes for Dal Niente and working with yMusic.

Ringmasters: Sarah Kirkland Snider

 What fascinates me, listening to Sarah Kirkland Snider's 2010 album, Penelope, is that it is even more enchanting today than when I first heard it three years ago...and given how often I had it on rotation back then, that is saying something.

Penelope has an expedient way of slipping the listener immediately into the warm solitude of melancholy, and I am ecstatic that a composer capable of such magnetism has partnered with Spektral Quartet for Mobile Miniatures. 

 

The mission of Mobile Miniatures is to explode a supernova of new-music across the world using phones as the transmitters. I am inspired by the thought of a fellow el passenger hearing Sarah's ringtone and asking, "That's beautiful. Who wrote that?" I love the idea of striking up a conversation while boarding an international flight and having an auditory launch point to tell my seat-mate about Sarah's catalogue, or the new-music label she co-directs, New Amsterdam Records.

 

- Doyle

Ringmasters: Jonathon Kirk

Chicago-based Jonathon Kirk traverses a variety of mediums for his musical output.  Whether it's a chamber ensemble with live electronics or a rock outfit with a brass section, he finds a way to discover intriguing sound worlds through myriad formats.  Discover seems like an appropriate word for his music, implying less of an acting upon of the sounds he uses and more of an observation of them.  His awe-inspiring Lost Bird Environment, for instance, comes off as a natural sonic phenomenon that we happen to be witness to rather than a thoroughly composed piece of music.

This spirit of observation plays perfectly into Kirk's work as an installation artist.  Check out his stunning collaboration with Lee Weisert in which the composer placed a series of microphones into bowls of frozen water, capturing the slow, solemn sound of ice melting:

Cryoacoustic Orb from PAML on Vimeo.

Ringmasters: Anna Thorvaldsdottir

When Anna Thorvaldsdottir accepted our invitation to write a ringtone for Mobile Miniatures, I did a fist pump that nearly dislocated my shoulder. Ever since listening to her 2011 breakout album, Rhizoma, I've been fascinated with Anna's ability to push the horizon of sound far beyond what one might expect from a recording. It's like being chopper-lifted to a remote mountain valley, left with no company but the surrounding landscape and one's own ruminations. It's collosal and miniscule at the same time:

 

 

See what I mean?

 

I can't wait to set Anna's miniature as my wake-up alarm. The only problem is that with sounds this mesmerizing, I might not believe I am yet awake...

 

- Doyle

http://annathorvalds.bandcamp.com/

Ringmasters: Olga Bell

I have had the great pleasure of knowing Olga Bell for well over a decade, having first met her at the now-defunct Musicorda Summer Festival (where I was the director of dormitories).  I haven't had a chance to see her in recent years, but what sticks with me about her is that she is wickedly funny and super sharp.   She has one of those infectious, charming personalities that makes you want to stick around and see what she'll say next.

Since that time she has gone from playing Beethoven trios to creating her own brand of smart, idiosyncratic synth pop.  I bought her album Diamonite when it came out in 2011 and couldn't stop listening to it for a solid month.  One of my favorite tracks is "Dialtone"  (I know, I know, how convenient for this particular project)   Check it:

I also love her brilliant and strangely beautiful re-mixes - this one mashes up Renaissance composer Francisco Guererro with Spektral fav James Blake: Olga is now touring with indie rock band The Dirty Projectors. You might have caught them on Jimmy Fallon's show, but my favorite TV appearance is this Portlandia scene. (Look for Olga on the accordion...)

Ringmasters: Christopher Jones

Christopher Jones' music is marked by finely detailed textures and a strong command of unconventional forms.  It turns in unexpected directions, following well-sculpted orchestrations and distinctive sonorities toward uniquely expressive musical landscapes.  As the opening energies of Strange Loop fade, expressively disorienting violin glissandi open up a slowly unfolding chain of melody and harmonic underpinning that moves forward inexorably, yet sumptuously.  Click the link above and take a short, satisfying musical journey.

Currently on faculty at DePaul University, Chris is a welcome addition to Chicago's musical landscape.  His ear for sonic development beg the question: could he be the composer to save your alarm clock or ringtone from its trite fate?

Ringmasters: Andrew Tham

Andrew Tham is a partner in crime with us Spektrals.  He's our support when we need an extra hand on many occasions and his work with Parlour Tapes+ is helping bring our debut release to light next month.  Plus, he's got a one-of-a-kind twitter feed (or I'd say the perfect distillation of the medium)...check out his timeline.

Even better, he's also a massively creative and open-minded person.  You can follow his travels through the musical landscape of Chicago and beyond on his blog, and check out his intriguing sonic meditation "Daydream" here:

Ringmasters: Luke Gullickson

 The soulful, carefully stripped down, and no b.s. music of Luke Gullickson is always a joy to encounter.  Classically trained and skilled as a player and composer, Luke passes on the pretense and creates in an arrestingly direct style.  He can be seen around Chicago and increasingly beyond with the infamous Grant Wallace Band.  If you've never heard this freaky folk trio in action, check out the first track from their upcoming album:

And, Luke frequently releases tracks under the name Golconda.  Listen up and dive deep into some great tunes:

Ringmasters: Suzanne Farrin

 The incredibly creative and poetic Suzanne Farrin is an articulate voice for contemporary music and a composer with a uniquely substantive flair for the dramatic.  You can hear her talk in-depth about here about her recent disc of works centered around the poetry of Petrarca, which covers a wide range of expression and color.

Below, check out the spaciously grand "Gli Occhi Miei" with Suzanne providing a tour de force of sound playing inside the piano and singing. 

Gli Occhi Miei from suzanne farrin on Vimeo.

Ringmasters: Seth Boustead

Seth Boustead is one of the leading advocates for new music in Chicago, wearing many hats as a composer, administrator, and broadcaster.  He is the Executive Director of Access Contemporary Music, which engages in a wide variety of efforts to bring many composers and countless pieces to light.  He also plays the advocate for the wider new music scene through his show on WFMT, Relevant Tones.

A particularly popular effort of ACM is their "Sound of Silent Film Festival", which brings new music and strangely wonderful old films together.  Here's a work by Seth from a past festival:

Ringmasters: Katherine Young

In the spirit of full disclosure: Katherine Young is a close personal collaborator of mine.  I'll be premiering an evening-long work for solo violin(s) that we constructed over the course more than a year on September 27 in Chicago.  Our piece, like much of her work, lives at the intersection of improvisation and notated music as well as exploring the potential of sounds that might seem too small to be significant at first glance.

The quartet is very happy to name her as a good friend as well.  She plays bassoon in the band Pretty Monsters, who opened for us at The Hideout in June, and she's working on an arrangement of this lovely Arthur Russell tune for our Oct. 26 Album Release Party.  

But, until you can hear the results of her ringtone creativity, why not check out one section of Katherine and my project (called: Diligence Is to Magic as Progress Is to Flight) and hear the gritty sound-world we created with a strangely prepared violin we bought on Amazon?

Ringmasters: Marek Poliks

Marek Poliks write music that "mines for expressivity in threadbare spaces, exhausted resources, and modes of interdiction." He lives on the edge of notated music, writing pieces that focus heavily on the performer's interaction with the score.  The complex, and visually beautiful notation inspires multiple modes of response from interpreters and the sonic results are similarly multivalent.

I had a real freak-out when I heard his string quartet "ordinances(B)".  The strangled shimmers and terrifying groans of the instruments create a haze of harmony that challenge my ear and imagination.  As the notes fade in and out of speaking, I wonder: "How much space can music occupy in the world, and in my mind?"