Over 10 years ago I founded Oh My Ears (OME for short) in Phoenix, AZ. The end of this month will mark the 10th New Music Festival we have produced. OME provides a consistent place for Arizona new music makers to perform alongside national (and sometimes international) folks. The main goal is to bring emerging composers and ensembles together with Arizona audiences. This week I wanted to feature all Arizona composers. The challenge with creating these playlists is that often works are not on an album or on major streaming services (because most of them are extremely predatory). Some works were never even recorded for a release. This is where services like Mixider come in – it pulls from Spotify, YouTube, Soundcloud, and other services.
I give this playlist a Difficult Listening Hour rating of 3/10.
To have these playlists delivered to your inbox every week, sign up for my newsletter.
1. Willingly by Alex Temple performed by Lily Floeter, flute and David Chavannes, piano. About this piece, from Alex, “Willingly is one of the most spare, spacious pieces I’ve written in a long time. It’s based on the recorded voices of friends, colleagues, former students and family members talking about unanticipated changes in their lives — some of them trivial and some of them very significant.”
Alex is an Assistant Professor at Arizona State University in Tempe.
2. There Once was a Man by Ulysses Kay performed by the Detroit Symphony. This piece was never commercially released – this nebulously legal recording is from a 1969 live radio broadcast. Ulysses Kay was born in Tucson, AZ, and had a full career as a composer and composition professor at the likes of Boston University and University of California. He is known as one of the leading Black American composers of the 20th century.
3. A long way from home by Spencer Arias. Performance as a result of winning first place of the 2015 Abundant Silence Composition Contest. “Spencer Arias (b.1990) is a composer, improviser, and educator based in Arizona who creates people-centered music based off shared and contrary experiences focusing on themes of social, political, and environmental changes. They believe that community should be put at the center of music and art and that it should not live within a hierarchy.”
Spencer is from Arizona and is currently a Visiting Artist at Arizona State University in Tempe.
4. Arbor Vitae by Jacob Adler performed by the Openscore Ensemble. Album: Manifold Landscapes. “Directed by Jacob Adler, the ensemble performs contemporary classical music, member compositions and improvisations. We have played the music of György Ligeti, Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Julius Eastman, Olivier Messiaen, Perotin, and Arvo Pärt. In 2019, the Openscore Ensemble performed Philip Glass’ 4-hour opera Einstein on the Beach at the Phoenix Art Museum in collaboration with theater and video artists. In 2023, the ensemble performed Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time.”
Jacob is a Faculty Associate at Arizona State University in Tempe.
5. St. Quarrelsome by Briggs Kennedy performed by Quartetto Indaco. Album: Quintets. I wrote this around 2010 for a performance at the highSCORE Festival. Fun fact – the entire piece is just one chord. I live in Phoenix and serve as the Co-Director of Institutional Advancement for OME.
6. Isolation Variation by Michael Abels performed by Hilary Hahn. Buy the single here. “Hilary Hahn presents the world premiere recording of Michael Abels’s Isolation Variation. ‘This is a very special piece to me. In spite of its rhythmic complexity, writing it felt effortless. It seemed as if the music was already present in the ether, and I was merely transcribing it. I am not sure where this music came from, but it was clearly meant to be here for Hilary Hahn to play. I’m grateful that it chose me to transcribe it.’ – Michael Abels”
Michael is from Phoenix, AZ. You might know him for his work on Jordan Peele’s Get Out and Us.
7. MOVIOLA MUSIC by Christopher Norby. Performed by Sabrina Hu, Cathal Breslin, and Christopher Norby. “He is a versatile composer, performer, and educator with a diverse output spanning live theatre, concert composition, video game music, film/TV scoring, and live performance.”
Christopher is an Instructor at Arizona State University in Tempe and also runs a theatric music presenting group, Kabarett: A Strange Show for Strange Time.
8. Silence Does Not Denote The End by Jessie Demaree performed by Desert Breath. “”Silence Does Not Denote The End” is a profound three-movement piece inspired by the death of her own father, Jim Demaree, that explores death, life, and the philosophy of silence. Performed by Desert Breath, the composition features intense moments depicting violence and energetic sections that uplift and energize. Demaree’s work recounts the ways humans mourn, cope, and carry on.”
“Desert Breath formed in 2019 as an avenue to elaborate on Jessie Demaree’s experimental and more intimate musical tastes. Desert Breath has been leading the path for experiences in alternative venues throughout Arizona and in her hometown of Phoenix. A graduate from Northern Arizona University, Jessie has used her skills as a musician, as well as a linguist and educator, to travel many countries and immerse herself in the applications of clarinet and bass clarinet throughout the world.”