From our Sounds Promising Young Composers

Salastina's Sounds Promising Young Composers Program was an experience quite unlike anything I have encountered before. Over the course of this program, we had the opportunity to write, workshop, and record a new piece for Salastina's close-knit community of artists—completely free of charge.

However, what stood out to me the most during this program was the sense of community. We would connect with members of Salastina and this year’s cohort across the globe through monthly “Family Meeting” discussions via Zoom, where topics would range from feedback and mentorship on our compositions to conversations on any initiatives we were up to.

While getting to know the cohort, it became apparent that all participants here were already actively engaged in community building. Some were serving as artistic directors for various music advocacy initiatives, some actively sought out multidisciplinary collaborations with local artists, while others founded chamber music projects or student-led orchestras. As Salastina itself already had a strong sense of community between its artists, it was fascinating to see a community of community leaders take shape.

At the end of our time here in this program, I, along with fellow Sounds Promising participant Zygmund de Somogyi, wanted to reflect on this remarkable journey and the community we have formed. We wanted to hear directly from the rest of the cohort, so we came up with a list of questions on topics that had popped up during our monthly family meetings.

We will be splitting our questions into two posts, which will precede the two Sounds Promising Premieres in October and November respectively. I, Nicholas Ma, will be the host of the first blog, and Zygmund in charge of the second. Please enjoy these discussions below and get to know the experiences of our brilliant cohort!

- Nicholas Ma

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Everyone was chosen here because of their community initiative. What outreach projects, collaborations, or initiatives have you been involved in? How has this impacted your creative and professional growth?

Zygmund de Somogyi: I’ve served since 2020 as the artistic director of PRXLUDES — a contemporary music magazine focused on the promotion and celebration of work by emerging and early-career composers, through in-depth interviews and features. (We even interviewed SP alum Kian Ravaei earlier this year!) While I hesitate to call what I do “community initiative” — as it’s the composers and artists I’ve had the privilege of featuring that have crafted this community, rather than anything I’ve done — the way myself and my co-director Patrick Ellis run the magazine is very much in line with my artistic ethos, that being: the most important thing we can do as composers, artists, new music practitioners, is to support each other.

Nicholas Ma: One of the initiatives I have been involved in is MASC, or the McGill Association of Student Composers - a student-run collective made up of composition students. I have served in various roles over the years - most recently as Vice-President, as well as organizing concerts as part of being the Co-Chair for McGill’s Concert Committee. Being in these roles was not only inspiring but also insightful, as I got a new perspective on what it is to approach community and build projects from an administrative standpoint. Additionally, while at MASC I got to closely work alongside like-minded composers who each had unique perspectives on composition and community, which actually draws parallels to what I love about Salastina’s cohort! Whenever I am in a community, simply being near people with the same drive and passion for composition motivates me to keep learning and improving.

Jazreel Low: I actively participate in local game jams alongside game developers. One of the game jams in particular stood out for me, the Heritage Game Jam, because it promoted the creation of games showcasing the rich tapestry of cultural and social norms in Singapore, ranging from our diverse multi-racial society to our shared passion for food. I have had opportunities to collaborate with local illustrators for my composition Shophouses too. These experiences have significantly influenced my approach to composition, inspiring me to adopt a multidisciplinary perspective. I now strive to incorporate various art forms beyond music to elevate the overall performance and presentation of my work.

Mieke Doezema: When I first was exploring composition as a career path in my undergraduate education, I was volunteering as an advocate for a local agency called Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services or DVSAS. My work with clients lead me to write many pieces centered around shared stories and experiences. These works seem to reach people the most- audience and performers alike- who are desperate to connect on experiences that can be incredibly isolating. The work of advocacy through music is a complicated one, but I think it’ important as artists to think about how our work impacts our communities and beyond to foster meaningful connections.

William Jae: A recent initiative I have been involved with is the Eastman Chamber Orchestra or EChO for short. EChO is a student-led chamber orchestra focused on bringing chamber orchestra performances at Eastman. As the founder and artistic director, some of the things I have learned to be the most important aspect when leading is communication and empathy.

Aaron Israel Levin: With composer Soomin Kim and violist Harris Bernstein, I recently co-founded a chamber music project called Rattlebox Music in the Twin Cities, Minnesota. I was born and raised in the Twin Cities, and I owe a lot of my initial musical inspiration to the amazing public education and arts organizations that I grew up with. Rattlebox Music aims to contribute our personal musical vision––one of adventurousness, virtuosity, and inclusivity––to the Twin Cities’ already incredible arts infrastructure. I was thrilled to take part in Salastina’s Sounds Promising program for the chance to learn about Salastina’s own model as a pioneering arts organization, one which has directly inspired us to create programming that is both representative of our individual passions while also welcoming and engaging broader audiences.

Everyone here is involved in many other projects, we’ve been participating in other festivals, school work etc. How do you manage your time and meet deadlines when working on multiple composition projects simultaneously?

Riccardo Perugini: Balancing multiple composition projects demands a well-structured approach. Prioritization, creating a realistic schedule, avoiding multitasking, and open communication with collaborators are all vital. It's equally important not to overcommit. Adaptability and self-care play key roles in meeting deadlines while preserving creativity. Personally, I find that focusing on one project at a time helps maintain both quality and creative flow.

Zygmund de Somogyi: I’ve historically found it hard to work under duress of a deadline — which has made it a challenge to adapt! I find it stressful to be working right up to a deadline (the multiple all-nighters ahead of my undergrad dissertation can attest to this!) — so I like to make sure I’m on top of things weeks ahead of time. For me, this also adds more time for “idiot factor” — in case something comes up that means I need to make changes, or commitments that mean I won’t have those blocks of time to dedicate right up to the deadline. My main method of staying on top of deadlines is taking a “little often” approach; while I try to make to-do lists, when the tasks pile up I like to hack away a little bit at each one. Usually, I find that my way of procrastinating on one particular task or piece means making decent progress on something else! I also give myself a rule of “no zero days” — even doing one tiny thing, or just ten minutes of work, on an otherwise lazy day, is infinitely more rewarding than doing nothing and then stressing about it. So far, this has worked for me — with both PRXLUDES articles and my compositions — though I’m sure the time will come where the work piles up and this method will be put to the test!

How do you balance the need for artistic experimentation with practical considerations (eg. You don’t know how some extended techniques will turn out, etc.)

Jazreel Low: In the context of composing music for film and games, which is my specialty, the baseline always has to be a piece of music that will communicate the intended message of the medium, as powerfully as possible. This usually involves aligning the direction of the music to the director’s vision for the work. Where I can inject my own style is in crafting a distinct sonic palette that will sound interesting to the listener. This is where experimentation comes in, in order to constantly push creative boundaries. The more one explores and gets comfortable with these techniques, the more it becomes part of one’s compositional vocabulary and forms a part of one’s composition style. I’m still learning every day. Extended techniques is one such direction for experimentation, although it is not my preferred choice (partly due to limited budget for hiring live players 😛).

Jonah Cohen: This question is really a central concern for all creators of acoustic music, myself included - how does one be truly creative and innovative while respecting the limitations of live musicianship? In my opinion, the greatest musical innovations occur when the creator pushes the envelope of practical concerns just beyond its limit at the time. For instance, consider Tchaikovsky's beloved Violin Concerto. The dedicatee of the piece, preeminent violinist and teacher Leopold Auer, originally called it unplayable, and yet it is now at the core of the violin repertoire. In my own work, I accept that not everything I write will sound exactly as I intend when played live, and even that some of it may be altogether impossible and needing extensive revisions. I am ready to accept this sacrifice, though, in the interest of creating music that is innovative and relevant to our current world.

Nicholas Ma: My current philosophy is that I can experiment as much as I want while I am still a student writing pieces for school. In an educational environment, if something does not turn out the way I wanted it to sound, that's alright! In this context, the stakes are considerably lower when compared to actual commissions or premiering significant works. Therefore, I am comfortable with trying out new techniques and “failing”, as these experiences will only add to my knowledge. However, when faced with commissions or professional premieres, I would tend to err on the side of caution. Unless I have direct contact with a performer who can demonstrate these techniques, I would avoid incorporating elements that I am not sure how they would sound in order to ensure the quality of the final work.

Riccardo Perugini: Though extensive research into extended techniques can be valuable, my recent artistic journey has shifted my focus towards pure notes and rhythms. Instead of relying solely on technical texts, I now encourage fellow composers to embrace their creativity, visualize unique sounds, and engage in direct conversations with musicians. This shift has allowed me to explore uncharted musical territories, fostering collaborative and expressive compositions.

As we’re interacting with fellow composers in the program, how has the program impacted and/or influenced your development as a composer, both in terms of aesthetic and in terms of community?

Nicholas Ma: Meeting nine other fellow composers who were so driven, curious, and talented was one of the highlights of this program. I feel like I learn the most whenever I am in an environment where I am surrounded by peers with diverse perspectives and equal enthusiasm for composition. When talking about composers, I also have to hand it to Derrick for being such an inspiring mentor. I really like how not only did he advise me on composition techniques in our mentorship sessions, but he also covered what skills I would need in the “real world” as a professional composer.

Jonah Cohen: Meeting, interacting with, and experiencing the music of the nine talented young composers who participated in the program alongside me was one of the best parts of this opportunity. Experiencing sheer diversity in the styles and musical voices of my fellow participants has been extremely inspiring to me, and has expanded my view of the contemporary classical music field in numerous ways. I feel very grateful to have been part of this community, and I take away from the program a vastly enriched perspective of what can be explored and achieved through music in general.

Zygmund de Somogyi: I think being part of the programme has made me so much more appreciative of the communities that we foster. Every composer I’ve interacted with as part of Sounds Promising has brought so much of themselves to the programme, to their pieces, and to all of us — and I feel Maia, Kevin, and Derrick really encouraged that sense of connection. In one of my sessions with Derrick, he described me as a “doer”, and encouraged me to fall back in love with composing on a DAW, with my keyboard and Logic Pro — something I stopped doing while trying to be a “conventional” composer working with notation. I think that spirit of “fuck it, do it yourself, that’s what this industry needs” is something I really took from this programme. It’s really felt like Salastina gave me permission to be my unadulterated self.

Jazreel Low: It has been very encouraging to have met this friendly community of composers (Derrick included) through the Sounds Promising program. We all have vastly different styles, and it’s been eye-opening to learn about how we each express ourselves uniquely through our music. Composing is a rather lonely experience, especially when working mostly with music production, so it was great to learn that we share similar struggles and aspirations. Derrick has been an absolute blast to have been taught under and I’ve learnt so much from our sessions -  from his coping strategies for writer's block to dealing with work pressures, and also some tips and tricks to level up my composition. He has helped me to better understand how I compose, and I would like to think that has impacted my music in some way or another. I am also incredibly grateful to the Salastina co-founders Maia and Kevin, for offering the Sounds Promising program to composers all around the world - even in Singapore, which is a helluva lot of time zones away. (5am family meetings anyone?) Los Angeles is a tad far away, but I would love to have the opportunity to drop by one day to visit the lovely folks at Salastina.

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It has been quite a journey being a participant in Sounds Promising. As a student at the end of my undergraduate studies, having this program was an incredibly eye-opening opportunity. Not only did I receive a professional quality recording for my future applications, but being surrounded by such like-minded peers has been a truly inspiring experience. Maia, Kevin, Derrick, and the rest of Salastina are facilitating such a unique platform for young composers to learn and connect with each other. As we were from all across the globe and had different artistic backgrounds, it was a wonderful chance to experience such diverse perspectives while being united with the common goal of creating and sharing music. Be sure to tune in for the second half of these questions, which will be published in November! - Nicholas Ma