GREETINGS FROM BISQC!

Gratitude to everyone involved in the 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition, where I am currently Composer In Residence. I won’t attempt a recap, but I’ll re-state my belief in the string quartet as a living, breathing, vibrant medium, which this past week has re-affirmed many times over. It’s my first time in Banff, and the first time that I’m hearing my newly-commissioned Rapprochement, which all nine finalist ensembles are required to perform as part of the competition. The commissioned work is the only composition that is played by all of the quartets invited here to compete. My first two string quartets are longer in overall duration, and (coincidentally, or not?) were both written for laureates (first-prize winners) of this competition, but Rapprochement is nine minutes long. One of my challenges in writing this piece was to create a form succinct enough so that it would not be a drag on everyone to hear nine performances in a row on the same concert. My time coaching the quartets was also relatively compact: I had half an hour (30 minutes) with each group. This meant that I had to get straight to the point with my feedback. Each group did a run-through for me, and then we discussed refinements of their interpretation. Many of the groups had insightful questions and ideas, a few of which I will incorporate into the score going forward. I should state explicitly that I was not on the jury and did not contribute to the results of the competition in any way besides writing and coaching the new piece.

With Barry Shiffman for the talk right before the concert

I had not anticipated the energy that these quartets would bring to the piece. The ensembles all needed very different things from me in the coaching, and the “feel” in the room was distinct with each one. With the first group that I coached (Poiesis) it was the first time that I had ever heard the piece, and our interaction was also being filmed at close range by a camera crew for a documentary. The first ten minutes or so of our coaching was taken up with the camera crew getting the shot that they wanted of me entering the room! So I really had to make those remaining twenty minutes count. Overall, this experience strengthened my confidence in subtlety in chamber-music interactions and in how I mark the score. It also reminded me to trust in my collaborators when I don’t know the answer – often one of the other musicians in the room will have an idea of how to execute a gesture, or of the meaning behind it that extends (or clarifies) what I am trying to do musically. I’ll leave Banff with a sense of the special power of the quiet end of the dynamic spectrum and the strength that can be cultivated in delicate gestures (also canons!), and the keen impression that audiences and players want to embrace something lyrical - something that sings.

The audience members here (including many journalists) are engaged and curious. I can’t believe the number of times I had people approach me after the concert and say that they wanted to hear the piece again as soon as possible - after having just heard it nine times in a row! Barry Shiffman’s leadership is off-the-charts good – I don’t know how he does it. He also plays beautifully, and is an inspiring collaborator and chamber musician. With my colleagues on the jury, many of whom knew the score in great detail, I’ve enjoyed conversations about articulation, dynamic shaping, and nuances of notation. Some of them mentioned wanting to play the piece themselves, and I hope that they will - I would love to hear what they do with it. The staff and production crew have been amazing. The beauty of the place, the mountain air and the sunrises/sunsets have helped to shape my next piece, which I am working on here in Banff. And, the players who are competing: They put their hearts and souls into everything that they played over the past week. I loved seeing their distinct personalities emerge onstage in tandem with talking with them behind the scenes about their experiences in the competition and their hopes for the future. Their interpretations of Rapprochement made me hear its rhythmic underpinnings, melodic unfoldings, and the flow of its energy in new, continuously expanding ways. And, to the Poiesis Quartet - Congratulations!!! - I plan on getting back those ten minutes sometime soon.

Watch my conversation with Barry Shiffman and listen to the world premiere round here.

Photo of the composer by Sarah Ying Ma.