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Projects/CollaborationsMy activities as a composer have always been rooted in my background as a performer. I grew up playing violin and viola, and have since branched out to several other string instruments, including guitar, bass guitar, mandolin, and banjo. My interests as a performer run the gamut from notated concert music to various improvised media. These are a few musical projects with which I have been involved in some capacity.
The Music Room (findthemusicroom.com/) Founded by my close friends Chris Wild and Eliza Brown, The Music Room is devoted to performing contemporary classical music in public spaces. In the summer of 2011, I participated in performances of works as diverse as John Cage’s Five, Louis Andriessen’s Worker’s Union, and Frederic Rzewski’s Coming Together. I also composed a new piece, Bludgeon Me, for the group. My experiences with The Music Room have served to reinforce my belief in the relevance and importance of contemporary music in the 21st century.
The Sissy-Eared Mollycoddles (sissyearedmollycoddles.com/)  The Sissy-Eared Mollycoddles at the Green Mill Formed in Chicago in 2007, the Sissy-Eared Mollycoddles (who took their name from a quote by Charles Ives) seek to perform only new works by living composers, especially those which fall in the gap between Rock/Pop and “Art” music. In the winter of 2011, I joined the lineup of the Mollycoddles on bass for their show at South by Southwest. The set included works by Ben Hjertmann, Alex Temple, Noah Zeldin, Brian Baxter, Elliot Cole, and Lee Weisert. Further collaborations are forthcoming. Alex Temple: Big Heads Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Noah Zeldin: Fusty Artichokes Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser. Ben Hjertmann, voice
Necessary Monsters (necessarymonsters.net/) Necessary Monsters, a monumental song cycle (inspired by Borges’ Book of Imaginary Beings) by Carla Kihlstedt and Rafael Oses straddles divisions of genre, style, and technique. I joined the group on viola for performances at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago in the winter of 2008 and for recording sessions in San Francisco a year later. The ensemble that Carla had assembled included members of Tin | ||