Modern Notebook for August 4

Modern Notebook for August 4 - 10, 2024

Photo: composer John Mackey (photo courtesy of the artist).

Coming up on the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: Pianist Michael Mizrahi has a new album out titled “Dreamspace,” and it’s a collection of music for solo piano intended to give space for dreaming. We’ll share a selection from the album, as well as pieces by Laurie San Martin, Jeffrey Mumford, and others.

Then, composer John Mackey says that he sees the saxophone as essentially a brass instrument: it’s made of metal, yet it uses wood to produce sound. We’ll hear a Soprano Saxophone Concerto by Mackey that draws on the physical materials of a saxophone as musical inspiration.

Also featuring music by Huang Ruo, Nathaniel Heyder, Kevin Puts, Nina C. Young, Sun Young Park, Outi Tarkianen, and others; and performances by cellist Rhonda Rider, harpist Yolanda Kondonassis, violist Jordan Bak, Conspirare, Unheard-of//Ensemble, saxophone Stephen Page with pianist Liz Ames, shakuhachi soloist Kojiro Umezaki with Hub New Music, and others.

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Modern Notebook for November 30 - December 6, 2025

By Tyler Kline • November 27, 2025

On the final episode of Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: Hideaki Aomori’s Split stretches the bass clarinet to its limits, exploring the full breadth of its sound world. This hour also features Baljinder Sekhon’s Drifting Seeds for cello and harp, along with music by Anna Mieke, Vivian Fung, and more. Then: chamber music by Jessica Ackerley called Spark Surge — one of the highlights of the final hour. You’ll also hear Fumiko Miyachi’s piano duo Up, Down, Top, Bottom, Strange Charm , alongside music by Shirish Korde, Oliver Knussen, and others. Also in this episode: music by Tania León performed by pianist Isabel Dobarro; Claire Victoria Roberts performed by the National Youth Choir of Great Britain; Judd Greenstein performed by NOW Ensemble; Justin H. Bush performed by saxophonist Timothy McAllister and pianist Liz Ames; and flutist Tessa Brinckman performing music by Shirish Korde.