Artist Propulsion Lab

• The Elves and the Cello Maker: A Christmas Audio Drama

  For the final episode from the Artist Propulsion Lab class of 2023, cellist Zlatomir Fung wrote a new Christmas audio drama, The Elves and the Cello Maker, based on the Brothers' Grimm fairytale, "The Elves and the Shoemaker," for which he also composed the music. He updated the original fairytale to focus on a young cellist in New York, her cello maker father, and two of Santa's elves, as she prepares for a solo in her school concert.Cast (in order of appearance): Q - Thorgy ThorSpy Boss - Brooke GladstoneJune - Briana HunterHenry - Jeff SpurgeonDorothy - Lulu MillerFi - Nicholas CanellakisSev - Miyan LevensonNorth Pole Network Announcer #1 - Kerry NolanNorth Pole Network Announcer #2 - Arun VenugopalCello Teacher - Clayelle DalferesMusic Boss - Elizabeth NonemakerNorth Pole Network Announcer #3 - Paul CavalconteCarter Brey appears as himselfUber Driver - Zlatomir FungNYPD Officer - LaFontaine OliverNimet Habachy appears as herselfMusic composed by Zlatomir Fung, and performed by cellists Zlatomir Fung and Nicholas Canellakis. Additional cello performances by Carter Brey and Robbie Craigmyle. Accordion performed by Max Fine. 

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• Inside "At Ease" with Briana Hunter, Jasmine Barnes, and Rio Cortez

  For her time with the Artist Propulsion Lab, mezzo Briana Hunter wanted to focus on highlighting Black women. As part of that, she commissioned a new song cycle At Ease, by composer Jasmine Barnes. At Ease sets three poems by poet Rio Cortez from her collection Golden Ax, "Black Annie Hall," "Black Mary Wilkie," and "Black Lead in a Nancy Meyers Film," focusing on Black women at leisure. In this podcast, Briana, Jasmine, and Rio take us inside At Ease, and then we will hear the complete song cycle.Program:At Ease by Jasmine Barnes, poems by Rio Cortez-Briana Hunter, mezzo; Eric Sedgwick, piano Golden Ax  by Rio Cortez is published by Penguin Books. Copyright © 2022 by Rio Cortez

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• Meditations on Samuel Barber and John Cage by Alexi Kenney

  In this audio essay, violinist Alexi Kenney reflects on the music of two composers who had vastly different musical careers, but were also almost exact contemporaries and both lived in New York City: Samuel Barber and John Cage. Special thanks to the New York Public Radio archives for audio of interviews with Samuel Barber and John Cage, and to the Bellingham Festival Orchestra.Music:John Cage: Six Melodies for Violin and Keyboard-Alexi Kenney, violin; Janice Carissa, pianoSamuel Barber: Violin Concerto-Alexi Kenney, violin; Bellingham Festival Orchestra, cond. Tito MuñozSamuel Barber: Canzone for Violin and Piano-Alexi Kenney, violin; Janice Carissa, pianoJohn Cage: Eight Whiskus-Alexi Kenney, violin

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• Shelley Washington's Eternal Present

  For her Artist Propulsion Lab residency, composer Shelley Washington wanted to pull back the curtain on composers’ lives and work. As part of that, she composed a new work for the ~Nois saxophone quartet and recorded voice memos documenting her process. The piece, Eternal Present, is about Shelley’s experiences of time-blindness, and premiered on New Sounds in September. In this podcast, Shelley takes us inside her process of composing Eternal Present.

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• A Conversation Across Generations

  While mezzo Briana Hunter has had many meaningful conversations behind closed doors about important issues in opera today, like power dynamics and the use of Blackface, she has also been frustrated with how these conversations frequently play out online. Often these differences are generational. As part of her residency with the Artist Propulsion Lab, she convenes singers from four different generations to bring these conversations out into the open. She is joined by soprano Martina Arroyo, mezzo Denyce Graves, and soprano Hannah Jones.

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