Catherine Gregory, flute
Moran Katz, clarinet
Brad Balliett, bassoon
Clara Lyon, violin
Nathan Schram, viola
Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir, cello
David Kaplan, piano
PROGRAM NOTES
DECODA marks a decade of creating eclectic and impactful chamber music experiences around the world, and illuminates humanity’s universal need to connect through celebration. Performed by an all-star cast of virtuoso chamber musicians, composer-performers, and soloists, this vibrant program of American music showcases Decoda’s flexibility, versatility and sense of play.
The world premiere recording of Valerie Coleman’s Revelry is a central work for the ensemble, which was originally commissioned for Decoda by Carnegie Hall, and premiered there by the ensemble in 2018. The piece explores the complexity of celebration; the way Revelry bridges effervescent joy and riotous tumult has been a source of inspiration for the album as a whole.
Reza Vali’s Folk Songs (Set No.9) for flute and cello draw inspiration from Persian folk music yet create a language all their own. The eight short movements conjure an enormous color palette: Vali includes many references to the Iranian end-blown flute, the ney, calling for varied timbres of alto flute, bass flute and piccolo. In addition to playing their instruments, the performers are asked to vocalize, whistle, and play crystal glasses and percussion, creating an evocative set of vignettes.
William Bolcom’s beloved Three Rags: Incineratorag, Graceful Ghost and Poltergeist are presented here in witty and whimsical new settings by Decoda artists, who interweave contemporary techniques with the charming, nostalgic melodies of the originals to highlight ragtime’s enduring legacy in American music.
We invite you to join us in this musical celebration wherever you might be listening – from the comfort of your living room, on your daily commute, or in your favorite pair of headphones. We look forward to connecting with you through music in the next decade of Decoda!
— Catherine Gregory & Clara LyonPROGRAM NOTES
VALERIE COLEMAN Revelry
Revelry is a two-movement sensory guide to the reckless abandon that emerges when people congregate. The thematic material represents the experiences of revelry within varying points of view as told by each instrument, in the differing ways that it occurs: the rage that manifests within riots and war, versus Bacchanalia-like celebrations. The first movement begins with a lushly chorded passage by the strings that depicts the beginning of the festivities. The depiction and progression of revelry is inspired from the bold colors and shapes found within Matisse’s Jazz cutout collages. In the second and final movement, the anger within riots and wars take center focus, as spiky rhythms and dissonances violently dance and clash as opposing sides meet. There are shifting between moments of tense quiet that are interrupted by abrupt wailing. An accelerating tempi is built around virtuosic riffs and grooves, ending with a shout. Revelry brings the darker side of humanity, while arguing the point of its necessity.
— Valerie ColemanREZA VALI Folk Songs (Set No. 9)
Folk Songs (Set No. 9) is the ninth set of an ongoing cycle of Persian folk songs which Reza Vali has been writing since 1978. The piece consists of eight songs, some of which are based on authentic Persian folk melodies and some composed in the style of a folk song (imaginary folk songs). Throughout the piece, various extended techniques are employed to enrich the sonic landscape. In the opening movement, the flutist performs and sings simultaneously, conjuring a resonance reminiscent of the Persian vertical flute, the ney. In other movements, the cellist contributes by singing, whistling, and playing crystal glasses as well as drums, adding diverse dimensions to the overall musical experience. —
Reza ValiWILLIAM BOLCOM
Three Rags: Incineratorag, Graceful Ghost and Poltergeist (arrangements by Decoda)
Incineratorag (arr. Anna Elashvili)
Graceful Ghost (arr. Nathan D Schram) Poltergeist (arr. Hamilton Berry)
In his notes for The Complete Rags for Piano, Bolcom recalls that his interest in ragtime music originated in 1967, when he heard about Scott Joplin’s opera Treemonisha (1911) from his friend Norman Lloyd, who was then head of the music division at the Rockefeller Foundation. After finally tracking down the vocal score with the help of his colleague Rudi Blesh at Queens College, Bolcom began an intense study of Joplin’s music, and of ragtime style in general, ultimately taking lessons with pianist and composer Eubie Blake. “What may be less well-known,” Bolcom adds, “is that from about 1968 on a whole group of young American composers—Peter Winkler, William Albright and several others—joined me in writing new traditional-style rags...Bill Albright and I would send each other rags by mail like chess problems.”
The three rags on this album (all arranged by Decoda members) - the melancholic “Graceful Ghost Rag” (1970); spooky “The Poltergeist” (1971); and good-natured “Incineratorag” (1967)each adhere to the traditional stylistic parameters of ragtime: duple meter; heavy syncopation in the treble register against an underpinning of regular eighth notes in the bass; and an alternation of three or four contrasting sections, or strains. Less traditional, on the other hand, is our orchestration of Bolcom’s solo piano scores for the unusual instrumentation of flute, clarinet, bassoon, violin, viola, and cello. These arrangements distribute the melodic and accompanimental elements of the rag playfully among the contrasting timbres of the ensemble, with the aim of preserving and accentuating the quirkiness and humor of the originals.
— Hamilton BerrySPECIAL THANKS
Decoda is incredibly grateful to Tippet Rise Art Center, and to Peter and Cathy Halstead and their incredible creative team for the gift of such a beautiful and inspiring recording experience. With deep appreciation for the enormous contributions and talents of: Pedja Mužijevic, Rhema Mangus, Monte Nickles, Jim Ruberto, Michael Toia, Lindsey Himmon, Pete Himmon, Melissa Moore; with profound thanks for our intrepid producers David Sabee, and Dimitriy and Alexander Lipay; with heartfelt admiration and appreciation for Clive Gillinson, Amy Rhodes, Jeremy Geffen, Anna Weber, Ab Sengupta, Sarah Johnson, Liz Mahler, Manuel Bagorro, Deanna Kennett and everyone at Carnegie Hall – as well as Ara Guzelimian and Joseph Polisi at the Juilliard School – for planting and nurturing the seeds for what Decoda would become; and our deepest gratitude to our Board of Directors, donors and friends who have helped to support our mission over the years, especially Suki Sandler, Gerry Ohrstrom, Craig Laurie, Benjamin Weil, James Stewart and Nick Britell. Deep gratitude for Milad Daniari, for deftly steering the ship. Created with much love and respect for the evocative, powerful and compelling voices of Valerie Coleman, Reza Vali and William Bolcom: thank you for trusting us!
Decoda Artists and the Tippet Rise Art Center team. Tippet Rise Art Center, MT. Photo: Kevin Kinzley © 2022 Tippet Rise, LLC.ABOUT DECODA
DECODA is an artist-led collective seeking to create a more compassionate and connected world through music. By thoughtfully curating outstanding performances of live chamber music and facilitating creative community projects, Decoda strives to inspire the next generation of musical artists to rethink and reimagine their role in society.
Praised by the New York Times as “refreshing in the extreme” and by luminary Eric Booth as “the ninja musical artists the 21st century requires,” Decoda’s versatile musicians are equally committed to virtuosic performance and audience engagement. Its flexible instrumentation, from duos to large mixed ensembles, allows for unique, inspiring and engaging concert experiences for a vast array of audiences, from concert halls to schools, hospitals, shelters, and correctional facilities. The only affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall, Decoda seeks to engage, inspire, and create a more compassionate and connected world through music.
Decoda’s work is anchored by creative programming and performance of mixed ensemble chamber music repertoire. Past engagements have included performances, creative community projects, and artist training residencies at Southbank Centre and the Barbican (London), the Guildhall School of Music & Drama (London), Royal College of Music (Stockholm) Festspiele MecklenburgVorpommern (Germany), Abu Dhabi Music & Arts Festival (UAE), Mainly Mozart Festival (San Diego), Við Djúpið Festival (Iceland), Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Caramoor Music Festival, National Center for the Performing Arts (Mumbai), Decoda Institute (South Africa), Suntory Hall (Japan), Programa de Educación Musical Fomento Cultural Banamex & Carnegie Hall (Mexico), Curtis Institute of Music, Yale School of Music, Peabody Institute of Music, the Juilliard School, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Decoda’s creative community projects are a vital component of its artistic vision, and have been recognized by CNN, CBS News, Huffington Post, the Washington Post, and the White House. At home in New York City, Decoda has partnered with Mount Sinai Hospital, WQXR, the Police Athletic League, Beth Abraham Hospital, and the Administration for Children’s Services to make music with, and for, a diverse cross-section of the city. Decoda’s songwriting workshops in correctional facilities empower vulnerable and disenfranchised voices of incarcerated individuals at facilities around the country.
Decoda was founded in 2012 by musicians who first collaborated as members of Ensemble Connect, a two-year fellowship program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the NYC Department of Education. Its work as an ensemble has grown out of this collective training, which is focussed on developing skills as exemplary performers, dedicated teachers, and passionate advocates for music in communities around the world. decodamusic.org
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Winner of the 2018 Pro Musicis International Award, Australian flutist CATHERINE GREGORY has performed as recitalist and chamber musician at Carnegie Hall, Caramoor, the Chamber Music Societies of Philadelphia and Lincoln Center, Camerata Pacifica, and with the Southern Cross Soloists. She has toured internationally with the Orpheus and Australian Chamber Orchestras, and been a frequent guest principal flute with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. Catherine’s Just Breathe project is a performance featuring new commissions from leading composers such as Clarice Assad, Viet Cuong, and Juhi Bansal, as well as a series of interactive performance workshops for cancer patients that explore the intersection of breath and music. First coming to the US as a Fulbright Scholar, she now serves on the faculties of The Colburn School and the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and has given masterclasses and residencies at leading music schools internationally, from The Tianjin Juilliard School, to Curtis, to the Guildhall School in London. Catherine’s recent album together with pianist David Kaplan, entitled Vent, was released on the Bright Shiny Things label in September 2023. catherinegregory.com
Clarinetist MORAN KATZ is the winner of numerous international awards, including top prizes at the 2013 Ima Hogg Competition of the Houston Symphony, the 2009 Freiburg International Competition, as well as the 2nd Prize at the 2009 Beijing International Music Competition for Clarinet. She has performed recitals for the Phillips Collection in Washington D.C., the Dame Myra Hess Recital Series in Chicago, the Detroit Institute of Arts, and at the Chamber Music Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic. She is an alumnus of the Marlboro Music Festival and the Juilliard School, and has been invited to the Cooperstown Music Festival, Mt. Desert Music Festival, Roaring Hooves Festival in Mongolia, Music in Drumcliffe in Ireland, and the Homburg Musiktage in Germany. In her adopted home of New York City, she has performed a recital debut at Merkin Hall, as well as at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, MoMa, Symphony Space, Miller Theater and Bargemusic.
BRAD BALLIETT is a New York City-based bassoonist, composer, poet, and educator. Brad is on faculty at The Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University, Bard Prison Initiative, and The Juilliard School. In New York, Brad frequently performs with the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet, the Knights, and Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and has played seasons with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and Houston Symphony Orchestra. He is a member of Signal and the Princeton Symphony, and has appeared with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the International Contemporary Ensemble. During the summers, Brad has spent time at the Marlboro, Tanglewood, Stellenbosch, Newport Jazz, and Lucerne Festivals. As a teaching artist, Brad regularly leads composition and song-writing workshops in prisons, and has led workshops at Sing Sing, Allendale, Radgowski, Greenhaven, Lee, and Cheshire Correctional, and Brooklyn Detention Center and Riker’s Island. As a composer, Brad has written orchestral, chamber, choral, operatic, and incidental music. Recent commissions have come from Carnegie Hall, Cecelia Chorus, and Metropolis Ensemble bradballiett.net
Three-time GRAMMY-nominated artist
CLARA LYON is an accomplished soloist, chamber musician, improviser, and curator whose work connects sonic languages and artistic disciplines to create new pathways for imagination. Known for stylistic versatility, she is a sought-after collaborator in numerous contexts, from performances with groups like the Lydian Quartet and A Far Cry, to being a featured improvising soloist with musicians of the San Francisco Symphony on their SoundBox series. Currently a co-Artistic Director of Decoda, from 2014-2023 she was a violinist and Director of Programs for the Chicago-based Spektral Quartet, during which time they commissioned and performed over 50 new works, were nominated for three GRAMMY awards in three different genres, toured internationally to critical acclaim, and were in residence at the University of Chicago’s Music Department. She is a recipient of the Music Academy of the West Alumni Enterprise Award, and is a prizewinner of the Irving M. Klein International Competition and the Schadt International Competition. claralyon.com
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
NATHAN SCHRAM is the two-time GRAMMY Award-winning violistcomposer of the Attacca Quartet, and has collaborated with a dazzling bouquet of artists from Björk, to Sting, to Itzhak Perlman. As composer-performer, Nathan has released two solo albums, including Oak and the Ghost on New Amsterdam Records, and together with Attacca has recorded for Sony Classical, GroundUP Music, and Nonesuch. Attacca’s records, Orange and Evergreen, won GRAMMY Awards for Best Chamber Music Performance in 2020 and 2023. His arrangement of Radiohead’s 2 + 2 = 5 written for Becca Stevens and Attacca Quartet was also nominated at the 2023 GRAMMY Awards. Nathan is also the Founder and Artistic Director of Musicambia, which develops music education programs and performances inside prisons and jails throughout the United States. As a deep believer in prison abolition and the irrepressible power of music, Musicambia strives to humanize the criminal legal system of the United States.
Nathan is a PhD student in composition at Princeton University and an Honorary Ambassador to the city of Chuncheon, South Korea. nathanschramnoise.com
Icelandic cellist SÆUNN THORSTEINSDÓTTIR has appeared as soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra and Iceland Symphony, among others, and her recital and chamber music performances have taken her to many of the world’s prestigious venues including Carnegie Hall, Suntory Hall, and the Barbican Center. Her most recent album “Marrow: The 6 Suites for Solo Cello by J.S.Bach” was released on the Sono Luminus label in 2023. Born in Reykjavík, Iceland, Sæunn serves on the faculty of the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. saeunn.com
DAVID KAPLAN is a New York-born piano soloist and chamber musician. He has appeared as soloist with the Britten Sinfonia and Das Sinfonie Orchester Berlin, and this season makes debuts with the Symphony Orchestras of Hawaii and San Antonio. He has given recitals at the Ravinia Festival, Washington’s National Gallery, and New York’s Carnegie and Merkin Halls, and in addition to his work with Decoda, has collaborated with the Attacca, Ariel, and Tesla String Quartets. Kaplan is the Assistant Professor and Inaugural Shapiro Family Chair in Piano Performance at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, where he has taught since 2016. A graduate of UCLA, Yale, and a Fulbright scholar in Berlin, Kaplan’s teachers and mentors include Claude Frank, Walter Ponce, Miyoko Lotto, and Richard Goode. Away from the keyboard, he loves cartooning and cooking, and is mildly obsessed with classic cars. davidkaplanpiano.com
Produced by David Sabee. Engineered by Monte Nickles. Mastered by Dimitriy Lipay, Alexander Lipay and Elina Frenkel. Assistant engineer: Jim Ruberto. Recorded at Tippet Rise Art Center, Olivier Music Barn, Fishtail, MT. January 24-28, 2023 Published by VColeman Music (1-2); Keiser Classical (3-10); E.B. Marks Music Company (11-13). Photo by Kevin Kinzley. Cover and album design by Haeg Design.