Author

Tristan McKay

Tristan McKay (he/him) is a pianist, visual artist, and scholar based in NYC. His research interests include semiotics and graphic notations, and he teaches at SUNY New Paltz. Tristan plays ice hockey in his free time.
Macie Stewart -- Photo by Shannon Marks

5 Questions to Macie Stewart (multi-instrumentalist, composer)

Macie Stewart is one of those artists who is seemingly everywhere. As a multi-instrumentalist, compo...
Author
Tristan McKay
Delfin Demiray -- Photo by Nichole MC Photography

5 Questions to Delfin Demiray (composer, pianist)

This sponsored article is part of a paid partnership with the Curtis Institute of Music. Philadelphi...
Author
Tristan McKay
Tallā Rouge -- Photo by Titilayo Ayangade

Tallā Rouge Explore the Viola’s Dynamism and Virtuosity on Debut Album

Viola duo Tallā Rouge has it all – a dynamic and diverse repertoire, killer technique, and enough he...
Author
Tristan McKay
Juri Seo -- Photo by Il Kwon Cho

Juri Seo’s “Toy Store” Plays Upon Memory, Nostalgia, and Childhood

When I was a kid in the 90s, my parents owned a toy store. It definitely had its perks (collecting P...
Author
Tristan McKay
Composer and producer Jlin. Photo by Lawrence Agyei.

On “Akoma,” Jlin Fuses Technical Precision with Boundless Imagination

Math and music are often said to be related, but for composer and producer Jlin, they’re inseparable...
Author
Tristan McKay
Nkeiru Okoye's

Nkeiru Okoye Celebrates the Transformative Power of Black Women in “When the Caged Bird Sings”

The stage at the University of Michigan’s Hill Auditorium was jam-packed with an assembly of celebri...
Author
Tristan McKay
Yaz Lancaster -- Photo by Felix Walworth

Yaz Lancaster’s Thoughtful Curation of “comp.01” Unifies Wide-Ranging Aesthetics for a Common Cause

comp.01 accomplishes a lot of things that compilation albums often struggle to do: it is unified by...
Author
Tristan McKay
Alistair Coleman -- Photo courtesy of the artist

5 Questions to Alistair Coleman (composer)

This sponsored article is part of a paid partnership with the Curtis Institute of Music. Alistair Co...
Author
Tristan McKay
Molly Joyce -- Design by Zac Bru

Strange Beautiful Music Showcases Trailblazing Artists in the Motor City

Detroit’s annual new music celebration Strange Beautiful Music is back this week for its 16th year o...
Author
Tristan McKay
Brittany J. Green (Photo by Shanita Dixon) and Nnux (Ana E. López) (Photo by Gabino Palacios)

Brittany J. Green and Nnux (Ana E. López) Receive 2023 Matt Marks Impact Fund

The modern chamber music band Alarm Will Sound is dedicated to exploring new and experimental music...
Author
Tristan McKay
Anna Thorvaldsdottir -- Photo by Kristinn Ingvarsson

5 Questions to Anna Thorvaldsdottir (composer)

Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir creates music with immersive and dreamlike qualities. In orc...
Author
Tristan McKay
Juantio Becenti -- Photo by Eshyla Becenti

5 Questions to Juantio Becenti (composer)

Juantio Becenti (Diné/Navajo) composes music that defies easy description. With an organic and intui...
Author
Tristan McKay
Rick Burkhardt, thingNY--Passover

Rick Burkhardt and thingNY Exchange Multi-Dimensional Stories of Departure with “Passover”

For the first time in a decade, Obie Award-winning composer and playwright Rick Burkhardt has releas...
Author
Tristan McKay
Chelsea Randall--Photo courtesy of the artist

5 Questions to Chelsea Randall (pianist)

Pianist Chelsea Randall is known for her eclectic programming in which she explores the tensions and...
Author
Tristan McKay
New Music Detroit's Strange Beautiful Music--Photo by Karl Otto

Detroit Awash in Light and Variety at Strange Beautiful Music 2022

New Music Detroit’s multi-day new music marathon Strange Beautiful Music celebrated its 15th anniver...
Author
Tristan McKay
Raven Chacon--Photo by Adam Conte

Raven Chacon on For Zitkála–Šá, Graphic Notation, and Identity

There has been quite a buzz following Raven Chacon since he was awarded the 2022 Pulitzer Prize in M...
Author
Tristan McKay
BAKUDI SCREAM FINAL SKIN

BAKUDI SCREAM’s FINAL SKIN is an Open World Meditation on Virtual/Actual Identities

If you enjoy contemporary classical music and artists like 100 gecs, Arca, and SOPHIE, I may have fo...
Author
Tristan McKay

Counterpoints is an Enchanting Meditation on Place and Meaning

Every single day as we move through the world, we use our senses to identify places and navigate amo...
Author
Tristan McKay
Image

The Rhythm Method Questions the Stories Told by our Inherited History

You may know The Rhythm Method from Hidden Mothers, their initiative that brings the music of histor...
Author
Tristan McKay
DunkelpeK Fire's Hush

DunkelpeK’s “Fire’s Hush” is a “Joyous Vehicle” for Experimental Improvisation

With nearly a decade of experience playing together under their belts, Japanese-born percussionist N...
Author
Tristan McKay
Ting Luo, Founder of New Arts Collaboration

5 Questions to Ting Luo (Founder, New Arts Collaboration)

New Arts Collaboration (NAC), founded by pianist Ting Luo, is dedicated to bringing artists together...
Author
Tristan McKay
Kyaness--Photo by Nori Webb, Layout by Egil Kalman

Efstathiou/Dyrnes Debut Album Kyaness is an Intimate Sensory Journey

If you cope with anxiety, you may be familiar with the 3-3-3 rule: name three things you see, identi...
Author
Tristan McKay
Mendi + Keith Obadike--Photo courtesy of the artists

5 Questions to Mendi + Keith Obadike (lull: a sleep temple)

For the 2021 edition of the Look + Listen Festival, four multimedia artists created work to be exper...
Author
Tristan McKay
Image

Meaghan Burke and The Rhythm Method Voice A Few Concerns

Meaghan Burke’s A Few Concerns (Gold Bolus Recordings) is the culmination of six years of work with...
Author
Tristan McKay
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