Modern Notebook for February 23

Modern Notebook for February 23 - March 1, 2025

Photo: composer Errollyn Wallen (photo credit: Martin Godwin).

Coming up on the next Modern Notebook with Tyler Kline: Imagine taking a short walk through a New York City neighborhood, and hearing all the different sounds: sounds of the city’s energy, the multicultural aural palette of its inhabitants, strains of English consort, samba, swing, and techno. On this week’s show, we’ll hear a work by Jessie Montgomery titled “Coincident Dances,” which captures all of this and more.

Then: Composer Errollyn Wallen recounts that her Cello Concerto took some time to write, and likens the process to something like being a sculptor – as if she was chiselling out notes from a lump of granite to produce the music. However, despite this rocky metaphor, the result is actually quite lyrical and flowing, and even emotional.

Tune in for that, plus music by Carlos Simon, Nia Imani Franklin, Jonathan Bailey Holland, Shawn E. Okpebholo, Courtney Bryan, Darian Donovan Thomas, Tyriq Baker, Pamela Z, and others; and performances by Transient Canvas, Chicago Sinfonietta, baritone Will Liverman and pianist Paul Sanchez, Ensemble Pi, Sphinx Virtuosi, pianist Robert Fleitz, flutist Claire Chase, and more.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

Recent Shows

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.