This Life in Music: Percussionist Amy Garapic

Percussionist Amy Garapic (photograph by Gordon Hayes)

The picture I used to carry in my head of a percussionist was a guy (and it was always a guy) at the back of an orchestra, in partial view at best, standing around until it was his turn to ding on a triangle or beat a huge drum. Well, no more. These days, I picture a hugely talented and energetic woman, leaping from marimba to cymbals to car parts, to create a sonic phantasmagoria with skill and zeal. Her name is Amy Garapic, and I’m delighted to present her on Prufrock’s Dilemma.

This Life in Music: Soprano Lucy Dhegrae

Soprano Lucy Dhegrae (photograph by Shawn Jaeger)

I love to hear Lucy Dhegrae sing. She’s a skilled and dedicated artist and oh, so much more: behind that lovely voice and regal bearing beats a rebel’s heart. Her joyful embrace of even the furthest reaches of contemporary classical music is irresistible. (She’s the first person ever who’s been able to persuade me to listen to Helmut Lachenmann with some semblance of an open mind.) I’m pleased and proud to present Lucy Dhegrae on Prufrock’s Dilemma.

This Life in Music: Bassoonist Dávid Adam Nagy

Bassoonist Dávid Adam Nagy (photograph by János Sutyák)

One thing I’ve particularly enjoyed about my explorations into contemporary classical/new music is the chance to hear instruments in soloist positions that aren’t often heard in that role. I first encountered bassoonist Dávid Adam Nagy in a solo role in Contemporaneous’s world premiere performance of Dylan Mattingly’s A Way A Lone A Last A Loved A Long the Riverrun. Nagy’s accomplished performance led me to race to hear him when I learned that, as a winner of the 2011 Bard College Conservatory of Music Concerto Competition, he’d be performing as soloist with Bard’s American Symphony Orchestra.

This Life in Music: Violinist Sabrina Tabby

Violinist Sabrina Tabby

I learned of Sabrina Tabby through her participation in Contemporaneous, where she exhibited not only technical excellence, but also deep understanding of the soul of each piece she played. I missed her presence in the ensemble while she was studying abroad, though it was wonderful to learn this meant friends in Central Europe would get a chance to hear her perform. I am delighted to present Sabrina Tabby on Prufrock’s Dilemma.

This Life in Music: Composer and Pianist Maxwell J McKee

Composer and Pianist Maxwell J McKee

The first time I ran across Maxwell J McKee was at a recital of student work at Bard. The first half of the concert closed with McKee’s Double Helix for string quartet, “captivating,” I wrote at the time, “from the opening breath of violin played at the edge of its sound.” Double Helix has since garnered McKee an ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award and the Hudson Valley Chamber Music Circle’s composition prize.