I Care if You Listen (.com)

10/07/2025

"Every time I get involved in a creative process with other musicians, I am affected in such a way that my playing changes, is enhanced, and enriched. Collaboration is very important, it is a way of sharing."

Jacob Kopienski sits down with cellist, vocalist, and composer Paula Sanchez, who shares finding her home in performance art.

10/07/2025

"Stylistically, OTPMD dances between post-punk, minimalism, and free jazz. The fundamental musical concepts of OTPMD are based on motoric grooves in the drums and syncopation traded around the rest of the group that can begin to feel monotonous over time; without distinct melodic structures, their performances can grow trancelike, but they execute these textures extremely well."

I CARE IF YOU LISTEN contributor Clover Nahabedian reviews the latest performance shared by Switzerland’s Orchestre Tout Puissant Marcel Duchamp (OTPMD) and Providence, Rhode Island’s dakoudakou. Follow the link to read the full article!

https://icareifyoulisten.com/2025/07/orchestre-tout-puissant-marcel-duchamp-brings-joyful-grooves-to-rhode-islands-machines-with-magnets/

09/07/2025

"The concept of the piece is really where I start: I need to know the journey I want to take. I think of composing as sonic storytelling. Being a composer is so interesting because I get to shed a light on whatever I think we as humans need to look at or think about. As an Indigenous composer I always come to my work with my Indigenous lens, my perspective."

Assistant Editor A. Kori Hill speaks with composer-performer Cris Derksen on her artistic process, and Indigenous practices of accountability, continuity, community, and innovation, and much more. Check it out by following the link in our bio!

https://icareifyoulisten.com/2025/07/5-questions-to-cris-derksen-composer-cellist/

08/07/2025

"The Crossing exhibits immaculate intonation and blending in the unison moments of [Tawnie Olson’s Beloved of the Sky], in particular the opening of the third movement, 'Oh, that stodgy, lumpy feeling,' that features homophony and intricately subtle counterpoint."

Anne Goldberg-Baldwin reviews "At Which Point" from The Crossing, featuring new works for choir, out on New Focus Recordings.

04/07/2025

“Building your own world is essential. Don’t deny yourself the ability to dream.”

Check out last week's playlist curated by OHYUNG, featuring works by Dreamcrusher, dead prez, Material Support and more.

Lia Ouyang Rusli (OHYUNG) shares a playlist of songs that stick it to the man, from dead prez to Dreamcrusher, to Sunik Kim, and more.

01/07/2025

“When pieces of narrative do appear in the program, I did not want to question them or explain them, but have them appear unfiltered, like a natural part of one’s day. When I worked with Lembit on his piece Green Line, which was based on one of my mother’s memories, we made sure to record her twice telling the same story to capture the extemporaneity and variance of her storytelling and to work against the feeling that there was a single, concrete version of the story.”

The husband-and-wife creative team sit down with I CARE IF YOU LISTEN contributor Christine Escobar to discuss their upcoming project and much more. Check out the link below to read the full interview!

https://icareifyoulisten.com/2025/07/5-questions-to-lembit-beecher-composer-and-karen-ouzounian-cellist/

27/06/2025

"Today, when I work with sound I like to move on the edges, I try to inhabit the undefined places of the artistic practices I carry out. I’m interested in creating frictions, and I have a tactile, erotic, and animalistic approach to my instrument."

In case you missed it, check out this 5 Questions interview from performer-composer, Paula Sanchez.

Jacob Kopienski sits down with cellist, vocalist, and composer Paula Sanchez, who shares finding her home in performance art.

27/06/2025

"The Crossing’s At Which Point is definitely on the “do not miss” list and worthy of a GRAMMY nomination this coming year."

Have you heard the latest album release from The Crossing? What did you love about it? Don't forget to check out the full review by I CARE IF YOU LISTEN contributor Anne Goldberg-Baldwin.

Anne Goldberg-Baldwin reviews "At Which Point" from The Crossing, featuring new works for choir, out on New Focus Recordings.

26/06/2025

"The sold-out 2025 festival, presented in partnership with the stunningly beautiful and resonant ISSUE Project Room in Brooklyn, started with the unparalleled nineteen-piece Sun Ra Arkestra, directed by NEA Jazz Master Marshall Allen. Composer Jessie Cox, commissioned by the Paul Fromm Foundation to write for the group, said that his first encounter with their voluminous energy scared him for a year. But he couldn’t escape the pull of iconic Afrofuturism and raucous joy..."

In case you missed it, check out our review of the MATA Festival, which took place in Brooklyn earlier this month.

Lana Norris reviews MATA Festival 2025 held Jun 11-14 at Brooklyn's ISSUE Project Room, featuring FLUX Quartet, Katie Porter, and more.

26/06/2025

"I put together this playlist of my favorite anti-fascist music. This is where my head has been recently and where I hope everyone is right now. All DIY grassroot leftist music, from hardcore punk to rap to experimental noise."

Check out this playlist curated by film composer and recording artist Lia Ouyang Rusli, taking a genre-spanning look at the music of resistance. Check it out by visiting our website or following the link below!

https://icareifyoulisten.com/2025/06/listn-up-playlist-lia-ouyang-rusli-ohyung-june-26-2025/

20/06/2025

“Space, says Kim Harris, connects all of us. The festival’s INTERGALACTIC INFINITY: Music Between Spaces theme—encouraging sequined or metallic attire and allusions to film scores—provided a flexible and fun entry point for MATA’s eclectic audience and brought buoyant cohesion to a wide-ranging program. Previous MATA festivals attempted this coherence through lengthy printed programs or a comedian emcee; this year struck the perfect balance.”

Check out I CARE IF YOU LISTEN's full review of the MATA Festival 2025, which took place in Brooklyn this past weekend written by contributor Lana Norris. Full article available on our website or by following the link below!

https://icareifyoulisten.com/2025/06/mata-2025-transports-listeners-with-a-beautifully-curated-cosmic-program/

18/06/2025

“The album opens with Infinite Body by Ayanna Woods, a multi-movement work that examines the ways we bend and shape ourselves in a capitalist society. Through Woods’s text, the work displays a wide array of textures and colors, highlighting the complexity of the choir as a vehicle. The first movement, “Infinite Growth,” immediately arrests the listeners in its intricate beat patterns that create a shimmer atop expansive, lush chords.”

Check out our website or follow the link in our bio to read the full review of The Crossing's latest album release, written by I CARE IF YOU LISTEN contributor Anne Goldberg-Baldwin

https://icareifyoulisten.com/2025/06/the-crossing-at-which-point-is-a-beautifully-executed-record-of-new-choral-works/