in the key of now

April 2023 | Iss. 130

ACF’s monthly e-Newsletter

Applications Now Open for innova Recordings’ 2023 Spring National Call

innova Recordings, the in-house label of ACF, has announced the 2023 open call for projects. Applications will be accepted through April 28 and will be reviewed by a panel of artist-curators. There is no fee to apply.

We're hosting a free information session tomorrow (April 5, at 3 p.m. CT), where you can learn about the program and its mission, how to apply, and the curatorial process.

To register for the info session, click here.

To read the full announcement about the Spring National Call, click here.

We are grateful for our partnership with the Elizabeth and Michel Sorel Charitable Organization, whose generous funding helps us lift up artists who have been historically marginalized in the recording industry.

ACF at SphinxConnect

Reflections on “Immigration, Identity, and the Arts”

“We see artists as social commentators and visionaries within their communities,” writes Carolina Heredia, ACF's Director of Artist Support, who has a wealth of experience as a transnational artist and composer. “Our intention for “Immigration, Identity, and the Arts” was to contemplate the experience of immigrant communities in the U.S.A. through artists’ stories.”

Carolina reflects on this series of conversations about some of the most important cultural aspects that are shaping the landscape of creative music, composition, and the arts across the country today.

Click here to read (6-minute read).

This series is part of the NEA Big Read, a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. This series is also supported by Saint Paul’s STAR program.

Sean Harold Releases Children's eBook Kinderstück - April 7

Sean Harold is a 2015 ACF JFund awardee (now ACF | create), and Kinderstück is the final product of his commission. The multidisciplinary children's eBook features illustrations by Yoko Furusho with Harold's musical score for ondes Martenot and electronics. Available on Bandcamp April 7.

Goldfeather Single Release Show - April 7

This experimental pop band from New York is the whimsical brainchild of Sarah Goldfeather and Mike Tierney. The April 7 release show in Brooklyn for "Who Am I When I Am All Alone?" — the lead single from their forthcoming innova Recordings album — will also feature Forever House and Vines.

Get your tickets here.

JG Everest Premieres Installation While it Lasts - April 20-23

JG Everest is composing and designing a site-specific installation at Montalvo Art Center for the culmination of his 2019 McKnight Composer Fellowship. While it Lasts will premiere with an open access event on April 20, and will continue April 22 and 23 with open-house style presentations. More info here.

The Dust of Colonialism: Eurocentrism in Art Music

“The cultures of the world, including those of China, India, Iran, East Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, already have Indigenous methods of teaching music that have evolved within those cultures and are pedagogically linked to the music of those cultures. Many of these music education systems are simply not compatible with the European conservatory system.”

In this essay on ICIYL, Reza Vali discusses the impact of Eurocentrism on art music and suggests steps toward a more pluralist approach.

Click here to read (9-minute read).

Andy Akiho Wrings New Sounds out of Colossal Sculptures

“Andy Akiho became engrossed in Jun Kaneko’s practice, even venturing inside of the sculptor’s humongous kiln and lighting it up (with the door open, of course). He’s spent painstaking hours bowing and tapping Kaneko’s works, unearthing the pitches inside of them. To Akiho, any object is capable of making music, and he’s down to give it a shot.”

Vanessa Ague traveled to Nebraska for the Omaha Symphony premiere of Andy Akiho’s new work that features the sculptures of Jun Kaneko as part of the performance.

Click here to read (6-minute read).

Want more from I CARE IF YOU LISTEN?

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Goldfeather – Change

Stream the album | Watch the video premiere

Equal parts surreal and fantastic, Goldfeather’s new album leaps into a dynamic and effervescent sound world. The record ricochets between harsh electronics to rich orchestrations, relaying a deeply visceral story along the way. Each song has a catchy melody, underscored by unusual vocal and electronic effects, and unpredictable key and time signature changes.

Change is one of the selected projects from innova Recordings’ 2022 Spring National Call. Goldfeather's album is supported by the Sorel Organization.

deVon Russell Gray, Nathan Hanson, Davu Seru – We Sick

Stream the album

Performed and recorded in a church just across the street from the Minnesota State Capitol on December 28, 2020, only weeks after Minneapolis police murdered George Floyd, We Sick is a record of staggeringly emotional improvised music, full of contemplation, fear, and fury. deVon Russell Gray's piano haunts the corners and cornices and interweaves with Nathan Hanson's lyrical saxophone. Drummer Davu Seru finds his place outside of and in between the other two, propelling, pulling, and singing.

We Sick is one of the selected projects from innova Recordings’ 2022 Spring National Call.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.

At ACF, we honor the Anishinaabe and Dakota people, the ancestral caretakers of the land where we make our home. We acknowledge the displacement, unjust treatment, and violence that they have endured over many generations; we offer our respect to the elders of the past, and to present and future tribespeople for their stewardship of this land and its resources. We are grateful for their rich cultural legacy.