Composer, conductor, and producer Peter Askim joins Seth Boustead to discuss building vibrant communities around contemporary classical music through the NC State 10-Year Premiere Project, the NEXT Festival of Emerging Artists, and his work with orchestras across North Carolina.

From commissioning dozens of World Premieres to mentoring emerging composers and reimagining how audiences experience new music, Askim shares his vision for the future of the orchestra and the artists shaping it.

This is the first in a two-part episode.

MUSIC

The Raw Heart of the Spinning World by Peter Askim

The Inheritors Overture by Allison Loggins Hull

Nowruz for Orchestra by Adeliia Faizullina

Sinfonietta of Dreams movement III: There by Jeff Scott

Webbings and Circles by Nahre Sol

Composer Brent Michael Davids discusses his powerful new work Requiem for America: Singing for the Invisible People—a sweeping musical reckoning with the genocidal foundations of the United States, told through Indigenous voices.

Blending Native American musical traditions with orchestral forces, the piece confronts history through texts both personal and political, culminating in a message of resilience: “We Are Still Here.”

We also feature a selection of Davids’s music, offering a deeper window into his singular artistic voice and lifelong mission to center Native perspectives in contemporary classical music.

Esteemed composer Bernard Rands has passed away, a huge loss to our musical community. We honor his memory by re-airing this interview with host Seth Boustead from September 2017.

Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Bernard Rands reflects on a remarkable career spanning more than a hundred published works and recordings.

In this conversation with Relevant Tones, he shares insights into his musical language, creative process, and the ideas that have shaped his work

Produced by Sarah Zwinklis