Obo AddyPhoto courtesy Susan Addy

Ghanaian-born master drummer, teacher and composerBased in Portland OR
Ghanaian music takes a long time to learn. Americans can learn to play this music, but only if they have …

Dean SuzukiPhoto by Ryan Suzuki

That the West is a haven for musical iconoclasts and has a dynamic new music community is made manifest when one takes a close look at some of the …

Thoughts on composing operas.

There is much to learn from all of the world’s musical traditions.

Terry RileyDrawing by Melissa Richard

Terry Riley in conversation with Frank J. Oteri@ the Wortham Theater Center, Houston, TX
February 16, 2001
Transcribed by Julia Lu

Earliest Musical Experiences

Studying Composition and Discovering Jazz

The Birth of Minimalism and …

Iris BrooksPhoto by Kevin Misevis, courtesy Iris Brooks

As both a musician and writer I have been drawn to Asia like a magnet for many years. It is not merely the exotic sounds of …

For various periods of time since high school, I have found myself trying to “be” Asian, as silly as that may sound. I suppose that having grown up “above average” (to use Garrison Keillor’s words) …

Obo Addy“…There are some people who just learn a couple of phrases from somebody and then start telling people that they are playing Ghanaian music…”

Ali Akbar Khan“In the history of America, people never had a …

Back in the September 2000 issue of NewMusicBox (not yet, as of this writing, converted to the archive), under Hymn & Fuguing Tune, we had a thread going called ‘What Makes You Attend A Concert,’ …

Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to have long-term partnerships with several outstanding orchestral conductors who have commissioned, performed and recorded my music. This has had a profound influence on my work. Several of …