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STUDIO Z Blog

A PROJECT OF ZEITGEIST NEW MUSIC

Interview with Keyna Wilkins

4/10/2023

 
Powerhouse Australian/British pianist, flutist, and composer Keyna Wilkins is stopping by Studio Z on April 12 along her U.S. tour and we were delighted to ask her a few questions about her music and her solo show she will be performing. 
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​Tell us about your tour! How long are you in the U.S. and where else are you going?

I have a workshop of a brand new piano duet composition "Outback Sonata for 2 Pianos" with high profile pianist Shannon Wettstein on April 15th, and I will be teaching at Saint Cloud State University on Monday, April 17. Then I head to New York for a solo show at Williamsburg Music Centre in Brooklyn, Live Jams at The Smooth Spot Studio and Studio #305, and a solo show at the Downtown Music Gallery. Details are on my website: www.keynawilkins.com and social media. 

Your music spans a wide range of topics and genres, and your solo shows include both composed works and stream-of-conciousness improvisations on both flute and piano. How do you go about combining all of these elements into a cohesive set?

That is a really great question! I think what links it all together is the fact that I hope I am able to merge all the styles into a hybrid so that it does all fit together in one big journey, with broad strokes of jazz, art music and contemporary classical as well as some experimental material. My music background is eclectic, but at the end of the day it's all music and it's all expression, and it all comes from me, so that must be a common thread. It begins and ends with outer space, with a bit of humanity and philosophy thrown in the middle, in a cosmic way.

Along those same lines, how do you find that the various aspects of your musical career influence or inform one another?

I was classically trained in UK, Australia and Germany on flute and piano. But I found that this approach was rather limiting for me. I got lessons in free improvisation from a Tibetan Buddhist monk  when I was 19 years old, and this definitely inspired me to a new path of using improvisation as a catalyst for compositional ideas,  and as a tool used in performances. What you will hear in my show is a range of stylistic features in the same piece, a hint of flamenco, Debussy, alongside contemporary jazz. 

How do you hope the audience feels after seeing your show, or what do you want them to take away from it? 

Firstly I want to create a space where people feel taken out of their daily lives, even for a moment, and be taken on an expressionistic journey. I also hope to raise awareness of issues around refugee rights around the world, and help people see connections between all things in a cosmic way. 

KEYNA WILKINS
"AD LIBITUM" SOLO SHOW

Wednesday, April 12, 2023 at 7 p.m. 
Studio Z: 275 E. 4th Street, Suite 200, St. Paul
​Tickets/Info
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Keyna Wilkins is a pioneering Australian/British composer-musician. She was one of three finalists for the Australian Art Music Awards for Individual Excellence in 2021 and 2018 (APRA/AMCOS). As an innovative soloist her solo show explores stream-of-consciousness improvisations merging jazz and art music, alongside her composed pieces, often using loop pedal and visual projections and inspired by contemporary human rights issues, astronomical phenomena and thoughts. She has collaborated with six detained refugees from their prison cells via zoom, victims of Australia's brutal mandatory refugee detention laws for nine years, on various music, poetry and art collaborations. She has performed her solo show around Australia including Phoenix Central Park, MONA, Sydney Women's International Jazz Festival, Melbourne Digital Concert Hall, Australian Flute Festival and many other venues. She has released 4 solo albums on piano and flute and 5 ensemble albums. Her works are published by Wirripang and performed internationally. While classically trained in UK, Germany and Sydney Conservatorium, she has branched into jazz, flamenco, live theatre and has studied intuitive conceptual improvisation with Tibetan Buddhist musician Tenzin Cheogyal. 

​"A powerhouse player"
​JAZZ JOURNAL UK

"Particularly fine nuanced playing throughout"
LIMELIGHT MAGAZINE

"Creating soundtracks for the biggest issues of our time"
​JAZZ IN EUROPE

Todd Harper on the "How and Why?" of his Visual/Intuitive Scores

4/3/2023

 
In the next "Studio Z Presents" concert this Friday, April 7, composer Todd Harper will share his latest visual/intuitive scores on performed by the composer and special guests Michelle Kinney, cello; Laura Harada, violin; Garrett McQueen, bassoon; and Heather Barringer, percussion. ​Todd joins us as guest blogger to explain his process and inspiration for creating these scores. 
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In 2019, I was getting tired of using musical computer programs. I didn’t know how to add the kinds of information that I wanted, and didn’t have the patience to dig into the tech aspect. I needed less screen time, not more! 

My cellist friend Aaron Kerr just started writing his scores by hand on very large paper, drawing the staves and notes. It was a return to the masters, who until very recently, wrote by hand. “Cool!” I thought. 

I started by creating staff paper by cut and paste, using the spaces on the page to have little motifs. I then copied them onto stiff cardstock. This worked perfectly for what I wanted--scores that had little motifs spread around the page that musicians could explore and develop. It wasn’t long before I started to add extra musical symbols to interpret. These were mostly in colored pen and pencils. I added some sketches, and started putting a lot of information on the page, so that musicians could choose from a wider palette. Carei Thomas said “Yeah! This is a great path! Take it!” 

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Laura Harada and Aaron Kerr were in the first group that was to perform these scores, on March 28th, 2020. The shock of the pandemic stopped the roll out of this new idea. Like the world, I was deeply shocked, saddened, and ungrounded. Luckily I had the impulse to buy a tin of Daniel Smith watercolors, and fell in love. Watercolor became a daily practice--the process is much like musical improvisation. You can’t go back and “fix” what you did, but you can let what you expected turn into something different. I learned restraint, but with confidence. There is a seductive, visceral element of watching the paint dry, of the mix of colors. 

In September of 2021, Aaron Kerr produced my first concert of these visual/ intuitive scores. He, Michelle Kinney and Laura were part of that combo. Now I am making the scores larger (up to 16x20”) and being more aware of the spaces in between. 

I came into this music through free jazz--improvising off the top of your head, exploring the sonic possibilities. It is difficult to play in this style. If one is not diligent, it is easy to repeat yourself, again and again. 

With the visual/intuitive scores, my goal is to give just enough information to hold the work together. I trust the musicians I choose to use their vast musical technique and sensibilities to create meaning. And each time, I am continually surprised. As you see these scores and hear this music, let your mind time travel, make connections, space out. Please enjoy!" 

-Todd Harper

STUDIO Z PRESENTS
TODD HARPER'S VISUAL/INTUITIVE SCORES

April 7  •  7:30 p.m. at Studio Z​
$15 / $10 students

Details
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Studio Z presents a concert of visual/intuitive scores by Todd Harper performed by the composer and special guests Michelle Kinney, cello; Laura Harada, violin; Garrett McQueen, bassoon; and Heather Barringer, percussion. ​

​​This concert is produced as part of "Studio Z Presents," a new concert series curated by musicians in our community, thanks to a grant from the City of Saint Paul STAR Program. ​

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    Studio Z Blog

    The Studio Z Blog was a project of Zeitgeist New Music from 2012-2023 featuring articles and interviews about events and performances happening at Studio Z. New content is no longer being created, but past articles remain available.


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Studio Z  •  275 East Fourth Street Suite 200, Saint Paul, MN  •  (651) 755-1600