Modern Notebook

On the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: Ljova’s Cellostatus imagines what scrolling through social media might sound like. A plucked groove pulls us in, giving way to fragments of danger, romance, and reflection — even a final movement where the soloist plays just one note. Then: One of pianist and composer Daniel Pesca’s earliest memories is hearing his mother sing. That memory shaped his n...

On the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: Five rhythms — fume-fume, djabara, kenkeni, and more — collide and align in Evan Williams’ Cycles . Inspired by African and Afro-Cuban bell patterns, the piece uses a fast-paced additive technique that loops, shifts, and locks into place. It’s both hypnotic and full of drive. Then: “I want to be the force which is truly for good.” Those words from John...

On the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: What does space sound like? Deirdre McKay’s Mr Shah Stares to the Heavens captures the tension between cosmic silence and the richness of sound on Earth — a quiet meditation through music. Then: Full of driving rhythms and striking textures, Errollyn Wallen’s Violin Concerto is bold and unpredictable. A single, extended movement gives the violinist roo...

On the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: Reinaldo Moya’s Minnesota Suite paints three vivid scenes: towering red pines, the deep stillness of lake country, and the open sweep of prairie. It’s a musical journey across the state he’s called home for nearly a decade. Then: Jazz, rock, and Armenian folk all shape Tigran Hamasyan’s Sonata for Percussion. It’s music that grooves and challenges — bu...

On the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: From Egyptian mythology to NASA’s golden record, Trevor Weston’s Stars explores the human fascination with the cosmos. Inspired by a poem by Robert Hayden, the piece moves through constellations, frequencies, the blues, and imagined cosmic music. Then: Whispers, trills, and wordless textures — Wang Lu’s At Which Point reimagines the voice through surre...

On the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: Highways, winter landscapes, a honking horn before disappearing into the distance — Henry Dorn’s “Mid-Michigan Miniatures” captures the feeling of driving across Michigan. It’s music rooted in travel, family, and the slow quiet of pandemic life. Then: Restless, layered, and rhythmically charged — Ken Thomson’s Uneasy lives up to its name. The music bui...

On the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: Thomas Adès’s Powder Her Face has dazzled audiences for three decades. Its vivid Dances have long been part of the orchestral repertoire — but the composer’s revised Three-piece Suite has never had a commercial release. Now, in its anniversary year, that moment has come. Then: Modern Notebook pays tribute to the late Sofia Gubaidulina, who passed away...

On the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline:   Good and evil, reality and illusion — composer Melia Watras explores these intertwined opposites in “Doppelgänger Dances.” The piece plays with musical doubles and variations, drawn from her earlier composition William Wilson, inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s haunting tale of duality. Then: “Still Leaning Towards This Machine” — that’s the subtitle of R...

On the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: Called a “dream group” by The New York Times after just one concert, the ensemble Owls brings together members of Kronos Quartet and acclaimed soloists. Their debut album Rare Birds is built on joy, curiosity, and experimentation — ending with a 14-minute celebration of minimalism and 5/4 rhythm by Terry Riley. Then: A single chord for viola grew into...

On the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: Some events seem to happen by chance — but still leave a lasting impact, from moment to moment, measure to measure. That idea is at the heart of Marc Mellits’ “Discrete Structures,” a set of miniature movements that connect and complete each other in surprising ways, drawn from shared musical material and personal moments of serendipity. Then: The trom...

On the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: What does it mean to have a voice, to be able to question whether we are truly understood when we speak, and what occurs when we remain silent? Composer Andrea Casarrubios explores these questions through her piece for cello and percussion, “Speechless.” It’s music that requires the performers to embark on a playful yet desperate search for answers per...

On this week’s Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: The reinterpretation of Korean folk music is one of composer Jean Ahn’s lifelong pursuits, and she does this through maintaining the essence of a folk song–like the original tune–and allowing it to juxtapose and contrast with her non-Korean musical background. The result is a fascinating reimagining of three folk songs collected under Ahn’s solo pia...

On this edition of Modern Notebook, Tyler is joined by pianist Eunmi Ko to discuss her newest album with Contemporary Art Music Project, called 12 Views on Life. Featuring music by Han Hitchen and Soobin Lee.

Roger Zare is a composer who is a Sarasota native, and coming up April 12-14, the Sarasota Orchestra will be performing a work of his called NEOWISE. Roger is a composer deeply inspired by science, nature, mathematics, and mythology. In his conversation with Tyler, he talks a lot about science, growing up in Sarasota, and, of course, the piece that the orchestra is playing next weekend.

February 25 Modern Notebook: Interview with Anthony R. Green

On this edition of Modern Notebook, we’ll conclude our series of conversations with composers from the inaugural Suncoast Composer Fellowship Program. Tyler Kline speaks with composers Claire Hu and Nick Bentz about their work and careers, and we'll hear a piece by each of them performed at SCFP.

On this edition of Modern Notebook, we continue our series of composer talks with two fellows from the Suncoast Composer Fellowship Program: Angela Elizabeth Slater and Zachary Konick. Plus, we’ll hear their music, including a work for winds and strings, and another for hammered dulcimer.

On this edition of Modern Notebook, Tyler Kline kicks off a series of interviews with fellows from the inaugural Suncoast Composer Fellowship Program in Sarasota, FL! We’ll hear from artistic director Max Tan and composer mentor Sean Friar to learn more about this new program, then I’ll speak with composers Chris Neiner and Yangfan Xu about their experiences there, their music, and their careers.