PR and consulting services for the new music field, founded by Steven Swartz Publicity is indispensable, and we're pretty damned good at it. The downside?
But it's only one part of our integrated approach: building audiences and careers through increased visibility and enhanced presentation. DOTDOTDOTMUSIC is the brainchild of Steven Swartz. Trained as a composer, with a PhD in composition under principal teacher Morton Feldman, Steven's background includes journalism, radio, the recording industry, and PR. Prior to founding DOTDOTDOTMUSIC in 2006,
he spent sixteen years as the director of publicity at Boosey & Hawkes, where he developed strong relationships with music journalists in every major North American market. He has been active in developing new digital tools for publicity and promotion, giving seminars to both emerging musicians and seasoned professionals. In addition to carrying out highly successful campaigns for Kronos Quartet, Eighth Blackbird, Wild Up, The Industry,and other new music powerhouses, Steven takes a strong interest in emerging artists. In a 2007 article in MUSO magazine, he anticipated the rise of today's thriving indie-classical scene, in which DOTDOTDOTMUSIC has played a major supporting role. Based in Brooklyn, NY, DOTDOTDOTMUSIC serves clients from coast to coast, and across the Atlantic as well. Along with our international initiatives, we have conducted highly successful, locally-focused campaigns in markets around the country. As the name implies, DOTDOTDOTMUSIC's practice transcends styles and genres. Today's listener can access a universe of music with just a few clicks of the mouse. The stylistic fences are down, and new audiences can come from nearly any direction. A galaxy of artists clamoring for attention. We can help you cut through the noise. Having nurtured the careers of creative artists from Elliott Carter to the Cowboy Junkies, our ears are open. Drop us a line!
10/30/2025
TONIGHT, Reena Esmail’s ‘Terra Infirma’ receives its world premiere performed by acclaimed harpist Yolanda Kondonassis (in the unusual dual role of harpist and percussionist) and the Interlochen Arts Academy String Orchestra. This environmentally-themed concerto runs 25-minutes and features stunning projections by designer Camilla Tassi. If you can’t be there in person, head to the link below for the livestream. This livestream will not be archived, so make sure to catch the performance live!
TOMORROW, October 30 (7:30 pm ET), Grammy-nominated harpist Yolanda Kondonassis and the Interlochen Arts Academy String Orchestra present the world premiere of Reena Esmail’s ‘Terra Infirma.’
This multi-year project has brought Interlochen Arts Academy students into the creative process through workshops with Kondonassis and Esmail. The clip above, shot in April, shows Esmail exploring textures for the piece in real time with the String Orchestra and Kondonassis.
Catch the world premiere of this environmentally-themed concerto tomorrow (accessible through the link in our bio). The stream will not be archived, so be sure to catch it live!
Video courtesy Fulvew Productions
10/16/2025
Mark your calendar! On October 30 (7:30 pm ET), Grammy-nominated harpist Yolanda Kondonassis + award-winning composer Reena Esmail present the livestreamed WORLD PREMIERE of ‘Terra Infirma,’ a new environmentally-themed concerto featuring Kondonassis and the Interlochen Arts String Orchestra conducted by Andrew Grams. This riveting multimedia presentation will include projections by Camilla Tassi – livestream link below.
Kondonassis, a longtime climate activist, takes the unusual dual role of harpist and percussionist in this stirring score, which was spurred in part by Esmail's harrowing experiences as an Altadena resident during the January fires in Los Angeles. Says Kondonassis, “‘Terra Infirma’ is about exploring a way out of our environmental crisis, and connecting it to our shared humanity and compassion for the planet as a living thing.”
According to Esmail, “‘Terra Infirma leads us through the trajectory of a wildfire, starting with the eerie moments before the first spark, and ending with the hope of new growth. It is a hopeful work that looks from utter devastation toward a future built through trust and shared intention.”
The premiere will be followed in April by a commercial recording on Azica and a professional documentary. Watch this space for further news!
Jeremy Shatan's AnEarful podcast features Anna Weesner's Professor Girlfriend project and their debut album, 'My Mother In Love: The Summer Sessions.' Listen here!
Keep up with all my activities here. The playlist for this episode is .....
09/05/2025
✨ It’s Bandcamp Friday ✨ which means it’s the perfect time to pick up Professor Girlfriend’s debut album, “My Mother In Love: The Summer Sessions.”
This genre-defying release from composer/lyricist Anna Weesner, vocalist Charlotte Mundy, and producer Charles Mueller has been called “sharp and evocative,” by An Earful and has been praised by Amplified Magazine for its balance of “living-room intimacy and orchestral grandeur.”
Professor Girlfriend’s debut album, “My Mother In Love: The Summer Sessions,” is out today! For this exhilarating project Anna Weesner is joined by Charlotte Mundy and Charles Mueller, as well as an impressive list of guest instrumentalists. Head to the link below to check out this singular record that features newly imagined versions of Weesner’s chamber pieces from “My Mother in Love” along with four completely new tracks!
We’re just days away from the release of Professor Girlfriend’s debut album, “My Mother In Love: The Summer Sessions.” Composer Anna Weesner, vocalist Charlotte Mundy, and producer-engineer Charles Mueller have reimagined chamber songs by Weesner as indie-rock tunes, and the results are enchanting.
This unique project began during the pandemic, when Weesner and Mundy began to collaborate on songs that could be constructed remotely. Weesner had written a song about her older son, thinking it would go no further than her living room, and asked Mundy if she’d be willing to record it. Mueller, who happened to be Mundy’s roommate at the time, offered help with an arrangement; according to Weesner, it felt as if “someone had bought my song a new dress for the party.”
Don’t miss out on this delightful new album! “My Mother In Love: The Summer Sessions” comes out Friday, August 15 on Neuma Records.
08/11/2025
Acclaimed composer/lyricist Anna Weesner has teamed up with ruling vocalist Charlotte Mundy and producer-engineer Charles Mueller for Professor Girlfriend, a bold new project that Weesner calls “a love letter to pop music.” Their debut album, “My Mother in Love: The Summer Sessions,” comes out this Friday and reimagines Weesner’s 2024 concert song cycle “My Mother in Love” in a whole new light. The original versions are cast into sparkling chamber-pop arrangements, played by members of the TAK ensemble, violinist Sarah Goldfeather, violist Carrie Frey and more.
Mark your calendars for August 15 and keep an eye on this page for more info!
04/12/2025
Yep. Believe it or not, Meta actually did that. As one commenter said, the words 'LGTBQIA' and 'democracy' seem to have been enough.
The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music is set to return to the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium from July 27 to Aug. 10.
03/19/2025
Essential reading for all new-music artists
Amanda Cook sits down with Hannah Edgar, Loki Karuna, and John Schaefer for a discussion on the importance of a digital presence.
02/13/2025
Michael Hersch: "a composer who is comfortable with possible impossibility...[who] prizes the ability to look into the abyss of pain and loss with an unflinching gaze"
The opera is a chimera: McCrae’s words refracted through Hersch’s sensibility, then reframed yet again by McCrae.
01/17/2025
Next Sunday, 1/26 at New World Center in Miami!
Orlando Jacinto García's Prohibido is centered around the impacts of the Holocaust.
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DOTDOTDOTMUSIC is the leading public relations agency serving artists and organizations in today’s vibrant new-music scene. Clients include Kronos Quartet, Alarm Will Sound, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Symphony Space, Cincinnati Opera, Japan Society, wild Up, composers Bryce Dessner, Jessie Montgomery, and Christopher Cerrone, and many more. From brilliant upstarts to venerated institutions, DOTDOTDOTMUSIC is unrivalled in securing high-profile coverage for musical innovators.
Since 2007, we have launched ventures such as New Amsterdam Records, the critically-lauded Prototype festival, and the city-spanning Make Music New York festival, while leading campaigns on Missy Mazzoli’s operas, Kronos Quartet’s 40th-anniversary season, The Industry’s celebrated mobile opera Hopscotch, and many others.
Who we are
DOTDOTDOTMUSIC is the brainchild of Steven Swartz. Trained as a composer, with a PhD in composition under principal teacher Morton Feldman, Steven’s background includes journalism, radio, the recording industry, publishing, and PR. In three decades as a publicist, he has built robust relationships with opinion leaders in print, broadcast, and online media. He is known as a keen spotter of talent: in a 2007 article in MUSO magazine, he cited Mazzoli, David T. Little, and Judd Greenstein as composers to watch. Swartz is also active as a lecturer and panelist, giving workshops in career development around the country.
In 2017, Eileen McMahon joined DOTDOTDOTMUSIC as a Consulting Publicist. Formerly Senior Director of Publicity and Public Relations for Lincoln Center, Eileen’s illustrious career has spanned music, theater, dance, and more. We’re proud to have her on board for special projects.
DOTDOTDOTMUSIC is grateful for the contributions of Sarah Baird Knight, who served as Partner from 2011 to 2018.
What we stand for
In an ever-changing media landscape, DOTDOTDOTMUSIC aims to build lasting, sustainable careers through increased visibility and enhanced presentation. Smart angles are essential, but authenticity matters most. In telling your story, we aim for the heart of your mission and identity.
Technology is a wonderful thing: today’s listener can access a universe of sound with just a few clicks. The old gatekeepers have left their posts, and new voices can now be heard. Art forms are merging, giving way to exciting new hybrids. But challenges abound. Arts journalism faces an uncertain future. On every screen, there’s a blizzard of content clamoring for your attention. We can help you cut through the noise. Our ears are open – drop us a line!
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