Fridays at 10:00 pm
A weekly exploration of the most fascinating time in classical music history: right now.
With composers from nearly every country in the world creating music in diverse styles, there has simply never been a more exciting time for classical music. Relevant Tones creator and host Seth Boustead dives into this treasure trove of music accompanied by first-person interviews, in the field segments that take him to festivals and concert halls around the world, with stellar performances by talented ensembles and soloists.
Composers Among Us: Angélica Negrón
Puerto Rican-born composer and multi-instrumentalist Angélica Negrón writes music for accordions, toys and electronics as well as chamber ensembles and orchestras. Her works Bubblegum Grass Peppermint Field and La Isla Magica are as whimsical as their names suggest. Leap into Negron’s mind and music in the latest installment of our Composers Among Us series.
Late Night at National Sawdust III
Relevant Tones teams up for the third concert series with Open G Records and Access Contemporary Music to present new music broadcasting from Brooklyn.
Dealer’s Choice 2017
Great music is a game of expertise, luck, and chance. As an avid poker player himself, Seth will deal out the a deck of great selections. Every track is bound to be a winner and not just the luck of the draw.
Balearic and Catalonia in New York
Ramon Llull was a leading philosopher, logician and writer in medieval Catalonia and the foundation that today bears his name works to export Catalonian culture and music throughout the world. Their most recent project in the U.S. is an exciting weekend of concerts and workshops in New York and a window into current trends in Catalonian music. Relevant Tones travels ...
Improvisation
Something of a lost art, improvisation in classical music is making a comeback in a big way thanks to composers like Steven Snowden, Don Malone, and Aaron Johnson. Teaming up with fantastic performers, they prove that improvisation very much has a place in the modern concert hall.
Memory Palaces
A Memory Palace is a technique for memorizing long lists of names or places by associating each list item with an object in your imaginary “memory palace”. This is derived from the method of loci developed in ancient Greece and Rome. Many composers have been inspired by this technique and have written pieces with this title. In this episode, we ...
Composers Among Us: Errollyn Wallen
The next in our series spotlighting talented up and comers features versatile singer, pianist and composer Errollyn Wallen, who is creating a unique body of work and making an international name for herself along the way.
Soundward: Rediscovery
It’s a format as old as time: two guys sit down to play music and talk about it. Soundward, a continuing collaboration between Relevant Tones and Q2 Music, features lively conversation, new releases from composers around the globe and interesting new discoveries.
Deep Resonances: Modern Music for Bass
Thanks to virtuoso performers like Gary Karr, François Rabbath and Edgar Meyer, the double bass is leaping to the front of the concert stage and composers are taking note. This week we’ll listen to some of the music written in the last few decades for this sonorous and incredibly versatile instrument.
Wilco’s Glenn Kotche Goes Classical
Called one of the best drummers of all time by Gigwise magazine, Kotche is also a talented and multi-faceted composer who has worked with powerhouse groups like eighth blackbird, So Percussion and Kronos Quartet.
Pianist/Composers
Since the Mozarts and the Chopins, to Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland the composer-pianist is easy to trace through time. Now, in the 21st century, there is a resurgence in the tradition. Relevant Tones is examining the diverse composer-performer community from Philip Glass to Yiruma.
On Line Exclusive: Look + Listen | BRIC House
The evening began with an excerpt from Michael Gordon’s Timber performed by members of Sō Percussion andYarn/Wire. Followed by Pauline Oliver’s Tuning Meditation led by Jason Treauting. Up next, Jen Shyu performed excerpts form her newest solo ritual music drama Nine Doors. We were proud to present the 2017 L +L Composers Competition winning piece spero lucem by Nina C. Young was performed by Ensemble Échappé. Critically acclaimed Sō Percussion performed the New York premiere of Paul Lansky’s Springs*. Lara Pellegrinelli was our graceful ...
On Line Exclusive: Look + Listen | Pratt Manhattan Gallery
Opening Night took place at the Pratt Manhattan Gallery where we enjoyed performances by Miranda Cuckson, yMusic and Battle Trance. As a special tribute to Pauline Oliveros special guest, Ione from the Deep Listening Institute led the deep listening ritual The Heart Chant. The evening was hosted by Bill McGlaughlin and conducted lively interviews with Miranda Cuckson, Louis Karchin, Nadia Sirota (from yMusic), Travis Laplante (form Battle Trance), as ...
Music of Math
Though it’s definitely not true of all composers, many have a facility and fascination with math. We’ll talk to several composers who use math in their compositions and find out how this affects the resulting music. Is it all cerebral? What is the balance between emotional expression and mathematical precision?
Boulez Notations
In his Notations, Pierre Boulez composed twelve short piano miniatures that contain a cosmos of sound and potentiality. After decades at the helm of the avant-garde, Boulez has set to work unlocking those inner possibilities through thoughtful orchestration and elaboration. Click here for more information on Pierre Boulez
Soundward: New Hits
Q2 Music’s Phil Kline joins us to chat about music that hits a chord. The newest recordings that are certain to become a classic.
Late Night at National Sawdust
Podcast and live radio collide in an evening of music inspired by fractals, dynamic systems, feedback loops and nature. Open G Records and Access Contemporary Music present: Caroline Mallonee‘s Butterfly Effect, a string quartet inspired by the idea that a butterfly flapping its wings in Australia could cause a tornado in Texas, Chin Ting Chan’s gorgeously abrasive Fractals, Lyudmila German’s nod to ...
Gabriel Prokofiev
London-based DJ, composer and entrepreneur Gabriel Prokofiev talks with Seth Boustead about composing and performing for a 21st century audience, family legacies, and the use of sampling in classical music. Prokofiev worked with hip-hop turntablist DJ Yoda on the piece Concerto for Turntable and Orchestra. Prokofiev talks about working with DJ Yoda and incorporating the live orchestra into hip-hop like samples.
Composer Spotlight: Chinary Ung
Cambodian composer Chinary Ung came to the U.S. to study clarinet and composition but was forced to stay when the Khmer Rouge uprising broke out in his home country killing millions. Over the years he has helped many family members and friends escape that regime and has documented his struggles in music.
Extra Tones: Music of Migration
Extra Tones is a podcast that goes deeper into subjects covered on Relevant Tones. In The Accordion, Seth explored composers who are writing new music for the accordion. Traditionally thought of as a European folk instrument, The Music of Migration tells the story of how accordion music has evolved as it’s traveled with immigrants to North America. Styles have blended and ...
