If you're interested in starting a chamber ensemble, listen to Alinéa Ensemble's story and the amazing things they have done in this episode of the Making Noise Podcast.
As with all big ideas, it started over coffee. And if there’s one thing conservatory has plenty of, it’s coffee. But as the five of us — Alex, Matthew, Emma, Robbie, and Tyler — began to chat, we realized what we felt was missing from our time at conservatory. Our education had given us a wonderful taste of contemporary music through theory courses and surveys introducing the music of the twentieth-century pioneers; we wanted to know more, to not just study modernity but to play it, to embrace it, and, most importantly, to trace it into the present day.
So we decided to pick up where they left off. In April of 2019, a rag-tag team of soon-to-be Alinéa members played a two-night performance of Ligeti’s “Nouvelles Aventures”, a work that embodied everything we loved about contemporary music. It was engaging, theatrical, boundary-pushing, dramatic, visceral, and required us to think outside of the classical music box at every turn.
We fell in love, not only with the repertoire but with playing as an ensemble. So, a month later, we all sat down again for more coffee, and discussed the idea of sticking together.
I randomly stumbled upon Alinéa Ensemble’s podcast, Everything but the Kitchen Sink, and was immediately amazed. I had never heard of them prior, however, the podcast featured interviews with composers like Chaya Czernowin, Beat Furrer, Aaron Cassidy, Marcos Balter, Rebecca Saunders, just to name a few. To me, this was an ensemble that was open to taking on challenges. They took advantage of two things that were provided with the quarantine of 2020: time and accessibility. We go in-depth - from how the ensemble formed in 2019, to their graceful transition during quarantine, and what they intend to do next - in episode 11 of the Making Noise Podcast.
Alinéa Ensemble Website
https://www.alineaensemble.org/
Social Media
@alineaensemble
Everything but the Kitch Sink Podcast
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsrtFxQIlGk
Watch the podcast on YouTube
Follow the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, and my website where you can listen to music, purchase scores, and learn how to commission a new piece for your ensemble.