micro/Maker by Loose Leaf Transmissions

What began as a budget constraint became a revelation: when Emma O’Halloran couldn’t afford a librettist, she turned to her uncle, the celebrated Irish actor-playwright Mark O’Halloran. Adapting his fierce short play Mary Motorhead into an opera showed Emma the power of direct, unflowery text—and the joy of music layered with words. Their partnership grew into Trade and beyond, a collaboration mar...

Caterina Schembri talks about returning to her earliest creative love—literature—and how that reconnection reshaped her compositional voice. What began as a lifelong attachment to books eventually surfaced as a desire to write her own texts, opening up a new dimension in her work where language and music develop together. She describes the different ways text enters her process: sometimes through...

Emily Koh talks with Tyler Kline about her evolving identity as both a composer and bass player — and how those worlds finally merged after finding community in Georgia. She shares the origin of her “super bass” concept, composing for violin and bass as a single sonic unit alongside percussion, and the inspiration behind her piece Memento Mori. Emily also reflects on the physicality of bass freque...

Shruthi Rajasekar talks with Tyler about what pulled her toward the UK—first as a study-abroad student, later as a graduate student, and eventually as part of her professional orbit. She traces the pattern she’s begun to recognize in herself: moving toward the things that scare her, even when the first experience abroad was marked by culture shock, loneliness, and the complexities of navigating ra...

Ania Vu shares how she wrestles between musical freedom and formal clarity — between gestures that defy meter and notational structure that keeps things communicable. She discusses her favorite extended techniques, the challenges of letting go of control, and the artistic impact of works like Joshua Hey’s Lens from Alpha Centauri . micro/Maker episodes release every Tuesday and Friday! Listen to m...

Hannah Selin unpacks her idea of biocentric composition—music that honors and engages with the natural world. She and Tyler talk about field recordings, data sonification, and what it means to write music in dialogue with nature rather than about it. Along the way, Hannah reflects on the limits of concert music as activism, and how meaning begins when sound and awareness meet. micro/Maker episodes...

Nicolás Lell Benavides talks about what it means to compose for real people—and the accountability that comes with it. He and Tyler discuss how opera has reshaped his sense of collaboration, why trusting performers makes the music stronger, and how staying open to revision keeps the work alive. It’s a look inside the workshop: where artistry meets empathy and every choice counts. micro/Maker episo...

Hannah Boissonneault shares the winding path that led her to music school—one filled with detours, self-doubt, and ultimately, resilience. In this excerpt, she recalls the first time she met a working composer, how one supportive teacher helped her take the leap, and why it took persistence to find her place in the composition world. Her story is a powerful reminder that there’s no single right wa...

Chris Opperman ’s career defies categorization. From video game soundtracks to jazz, rock, classical, and experimental projects, he thrives on variety—taking inspiration from Miles Davis, Frank Zappa, and Carla Bley in continually evolving his voice. He shares how hyperfocus, single-tasking, and even a “six-minute rule” help him balance composing, orchestrating, teaching, and running his label—whi...

Composer Mahdis Golzar Kashani shares memories of discovering music as a child in post-revolution Iran. In this excerpt, she describes how early improvisation at the piano opened the door to composing, even as formal training and musical resources were limited. With the encouragement of her mother, Kashani began creating pieces that blended her natural musical instincts with the sounds she heard i...

Vanessa Ague reflects on the early moments that shaped her path as an arts critic — from a life-changing childhood viewing of Spirited Away , to writing an extra credit essay in high school that sparked a love for interpreting meaning in art. She talks about her long-standing connection to Miyazaki's work and the importance of recognizing criticism as its own creative act. micro/Maker episodes rel...

When his teacher first suggested organ lessons, Graeme Shields wanted nothing to do with it. Years later, that same instrument would become a central part of his creative and professional life. In this conversation, he and Tyler talk about discovering unexpected inspiration, writing for community, and how artistic values can stay constant even as life and context change. micro/Maker episodes relea...

A scholarship took James May to Ireland—and changed his creative life completely. In this conversation, he recalls how studying experimental sound practice at University College Cork opened his ears to new ways of listening, performing, and creating. From free improvisation to extended vocal techniques, James shares how that year taught him to trust instinct over tradition and to see music as some...

For Yue Song , composing always begins with a feeling—a fleeting sound, image, or story that sparks curiosity. From there, it’s about experimentation, not for novelty’s sake, but as a way of keeping music alive. In this conversation, Yue reflects on balancing respect for musical tradition with an openness to new forms, and how every composer plays a small part in the long history of sound. micro/M...

Joshua Mallard breaks down what it really means to collaborate in creative industries — from game audio to classical commissions. He and Tyler talk about how making music for interdisciplinary teams flips the lone-genius composer stereotype on its head, and why work-life balance becomes the next frontier for working artists. micro/Maker episodes release every Tuesday and Friday! Listen to music/Ma...

Anna Huffka talks with Tyler Kline about how her Japanese heritage and design sensibility influence her approach to beauty. She shares why the concept of iki — celebrating imperfection with intention — resonates more than chasing unattainable ideals. They also touch on Japanese beauty trends and the thoughtful attention to detail that defines them. For Anna, it’s about making people feel seen by e...

Shelley Washington shares how her deep connection with family naturally flows into her music, whether consciously or not. The strength and joy of her familial bonds become a quiet, continuous thread that shapes her creative spirit. micro/Maker episodes release every Tuesday and Friday! Listen to music/Maker with Tyler Kline wherever you get podcasts, or at musicmakerpodcast.com . Support Loose Lea...

For Han Hitchen , taboo isn’t a gimmick — it’s a consequence of writing honestly about what society tries to ignore. Inspired in part by Julius Eastman’s unapologetic music, Han shares how his work confronts subjects like death, periods, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and queer identity itself. By turning discomfort into dialogue, his music insists on visibility for experiences many would rather...

Phong Tran discusses his deeply collaborative approach to composing for performers, and how writing with others in mind becomes a shared artistic identity. He opens up about a moment of learning with pianist Miki Sawada, and how it reshaped his views on virtuosity, labor, and care in the creative process. micro/Maker episodes release every Tuesday and Friday! Listen to music/Maker with Tyler Kline...

Hannah Boissonneault shares how her path shifted from film scoring dreams to a love for concert music and live performance. She reflects on the challenge of seeing her creative pursuits as separate — band work, composition, performance — and how she eventually came to embrace all of it as part of a unified artistic identity. Through pandemic isolation, shifting priorities, and personal healing, Ha...

What does it mean to build something slowly — with trust, curiosity, and mutual respect at the center? Emily Koh shares her love of long-haul collaboration with Tyler Kline, explaining why her most meaningful projects often take years to develop. Whether it's a solo piece with layered complexity or an opera grounded in community stories, she values process over speed — and prefers to let audiences...

Baljinder Sekhon shares the moment a piano professor casually told him, “You should be” a composition major — a moment that shifted the course of his life. In this excerpt, he talks about changing majors, assembling his first portfolio at a FedEx Kinko’s, and how composing moved from a side hobby to something he took more seriously, even while still identifying primarily as a percussionist. micro/...

Vanessa Ague talks about growing up with an exploratory relationship to music — improvising on violin from a young age, engaging with minimalism through playing, and ultimately deciding not to pursue a performance career. Instead, she followed her passion for theory, history, and context, which gradually led her toward a life in music criticism. micro/Maker episodes release every Tuesday and Frida...

C. Jacqueline Wood describes her art as a tension between the analog and the digital—between what can be touched, saved, and archived, and what disappears into streaming platforms, algorithms, or failed hard drives. From cataloging every physical book, CD, and record she owned for her exhibition What Makes a Life to re-recording double-exposed slides until they disintegrated into static, Jacquelin...

At 19, Chris Opperman thought his future was slipping away—Frank Zappa was gone, and no label wanted a young composer making instrumental music. So he built his own label, Purple Cow Records, funded by a scrappy internet “mini mall” selling movie posters. Two decades later, after a PhD detour and a changing music industry, Chris revived the label with a fan-supported Kickstarter and a flood of ord...