A Conversation With The 2017 Composers And Performers Of The Bueno Yabbelow Concert Series

Alice Woelfle-Erskine, Program Director, KZYX Mendocino County's Public and Community Radio

The Bueno Yabbelow Music Series is an opportunity for the composers and faculty of the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music to share their gifts with the community of Anderson Valley. The performances serve as inspiration for the small rural community, delivering truly excellent performances from a diverse line up of performers and composers. On September 19th, 2017, the morning of the performance, I spoke with the composers and performers in the green room at the Anderson Valley Grange. The composers from the Academy's "Cycle Two" are Akshaya Tucker, Christine Hedden, Michael Thomas Foumai, Noah Luna, Roger Zare, and Marco Adrian Ramos. The two performers for the evening, Joshua Roman, and Johnny Gandelsman, as well as Gabriela Lena Frank also participated in the discussion. The young composers spoke about the challenges of being a composer today, the importance of new music to the tradition of classical music, and how the unique collaborative opportunity of the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music has influenced their compositions and their emerging careers.

To listen to this broadcast, go here.