I’ve been on a serious composing spree lately. On May 14, at the Chapel Performance Space in Seattle, I’m premiering eight very personal works for a new twelve-member ensemble. “Uncomfortable Subjects” was commissioned before the pandemic, by 4Culture, the Seattle Mayor’s Office of Arts and Culture, and Nonsequitur. It’s been postponed, understandably, since September 2020. Working on it lately and realizing how long this music has had to percolate in my brain is fascinating: I’ve never had this much time, time characterized by such broadly interconnected struggles and upheavals, to focus on a body of work. I’m extremely excited to play it with people. I’m coming at this premiere with a new perspective – the perspective of a woman who has wondered when and if she would play her music again, wrestling with fears surrounding the state of music performance (and so many other things) in uncharacteristic isolation. Check out this amazing illustration I commissioned Stephen Schildbach to create for the concert and recording. Much more information is coming on the poets and musicians involved in the project – but I wanted to give you a heads-up to watch this space, because right now this is meaning everything to me.
Samantha Boshnack 