This composition with Amyra has been in the works for quite a long while, and sharing it with a full house at Opéra Berlioz was an incredible experience. Next performance is in March at Théâtre du Châtelet. Until then, here are some audio excerpts from the premiere.

This past summer I was contacted by filmmaker Léopold Gautier and musicologist Andrea Selina Contherr about a new series of video interviews with women creators. The screening happened in Paris earlier this month, while I was sitting on another panel about women composers in the orchestral world. Something’s in the air in France that’s for sure. You can watch the video here.

From September-November I’ve been leading my first series of workshops as composer-in-residence at Opéra Montpellier. The final concert, featuring new works for violin, percussion and electronics by eight young composers, will take place next week. Meanwhile, I was also invited to give a composition lecture at IRCAM to students in the Cursus program, as part of the seminar poésie-text. I discussed in depth my recent IRCAM projects You’ll drown, dear and Heave, as well as some upcoming projects. You can watch the full video here.

Starting this September I will begin a new position as composer-in-residence with the Opéra National Montpellier, led by artistic director Valérie Chevalier. Throughout the residency period, I will be working with the orchestra, the choir, and their respective soloists on several new commissions, leading up to the production of my opera Like flesh in 2022. I will also be leading several composition workshops. If you’re not familiar yet with the work of this opera house, I invite you to discover it with me.

For this public reading with the Gulbenkian Orchestra, Amyra had composed her own text and vocals, which she wove in and out of my orchestral textures. Her presence on the stage was very powerful. It’s been almost a year and a half since we first met at Apollo Theatre in Harlem, and it’s been quite a journey. Portugal news discussed the project with Luis Tinoco here. Stay tuned for the premiere in November.

Opéra de Lille, together with IRCAM and Ensemble Le Balcon, is commissioning Like Flesh for its 2021-22 season. Librettist Cordelia Lynn and I have been developing ideas for this opera for over a year. Cordelia will begin working on the libretto in September, and I will begin working on the music at IRCAM in January. For more information about the core themes we’ve been exploring, check out this video from our second developmental residency at Snape Matings last Fall.

Earlier this year, I was commissioned by the Orchestre de Chambre de Paris and the Opéra Orchestre National Montpellier to write a new work for voice and orchestra. I brought poet, activist, and R&B singer Amyra Leòn on board, and together we fleshed out our first ideas for the piece. I then went off to write the first draft for the orchestra, which was read last week by the Gulbenkian Orchestra. In July, Amyra will join me in Lisbon for the next reading, leading up to the premiere in November. Until then, here’s a little video press release about the upcoming premiere.

Being back in California is always a treat. The occasion: A week of guest lectures at my alma mater UC Berkeley, featured in the Townsend Center Magazine here. The other highlight: A concert by the Eco Ensemble. SF Classical Voice did a nice writeup of the concert, highlighting soprano Ann Moss’ “luxurious, almost rapturous singing” in You’ll drown, dear, and drawing an interesting parallel with Bluebeard’s Castle “where the crux of the story isn’t figuring out the man: It’s all about the woman’s inner life.” The full review is here.

Solicitations received its French premiere by Diotima Quartet a couple of days ago. The reviews in l’Humanité and Anaclase managed to capture some of the magic in Diotima’s performance. Maurice Ulrich described the work as “meditative, captivating, where one holds one’s breath in anticipation” while Michèle Tosi observed “a secret dramaturgy… one woven by infra-saturation, phantom sounds, and unexpected colors.” You can read the full reviews are here and here.

[Switch~] ensemble will be performing Tarr in NY next month. While this chamber piece was originally written for Divertimento ensemble in 2014, [Switch~] has made it their own, touring with it in CA, and now in NY. In preparation for the NY concert, clarinetist Madison Greenstone interviewed me about the work, which led to this very special article. Do read it if you have a chance.