Composer/performer collective When Morty Met John (Stephen Lilly, Stacey Mastrian, Kristian Twombly) returns to Studio Z this week after their last performance here eleven years ago. Since then, the group has expanded their repertoire and explored new directions, which will be showcased in their program entitled "Where Are We Going" this Saturday, January 4 at Studio Z. We interviewed the group to get an inside view of their work, their process, and the group's evolution over the last 20 years. 

​How did the group get together? 

At the University of Maryland, there's an annual event called Maryland Day, where students and faculty showcase their research for each other as well as the surrounding community through lectures, demonstrations, concerts, open houses, etc. We, a ragtag group of music graduate assistants, decided we would use this as an opportunity to bring to life the music we had only read about—FLUXUS (James Tenney, Alison Knowles, George Brecht et al) and the New York School (e.g. Cage, Wolff, Brown et al). When it was all said and done, we had blown one of our studio speakers and forged a life-long bond and commitment to performing on the fringe.
 

What does your creative process look like as a group? 

In addition to distinct personalities, each member of our collective has their own compositional/improvisational/performative style. Given that most conservatory-minded performers are interested in conquering European musical notation rather than contemplating the challenges posed by the experimental traditions we loved, we found it more productive to write for each other. So we started tailoring works to the unique personalities and styles within our cohort and ended up creating a body of work that is tailored to our ensemble. Each piece, while usually conceived by one composer, has its roots and is then honed—through rehearsal and performance—by the specific characteristics, interests, quirks of individuals within the collective. 
 

What did your Studio Z performance look like 11 years ago? 

Back in 2009, we had shifted from performing the likes of Cage and Tenney to focusing solely on those works tailored to our ensemble. The program we presented was thus very inwardly focused. It was a time of intense collaboration. With an "Us against the World" spirit we saw ourselves as offering a very personalized alternative to contemporary neo-whathaveyou trends.
 

How has the group evolved since then? 

Our approach, while still experimentally-focused, has become more inclusive. Our quasi-combative mindset has morphed into something more embracing and outward looking. Rather than just using performance opportunities to showcase our own work and experimental works from the 1950's-1970's, we have sought out contemporary composers like Agostino DiScipio and Abby Aresty whose works resonate with our own. With each new piece we add to our repertoire, the more we grow as composers, performers, and listeners.
 

Tell us about the premieres you will be presenting. 

The Sixth is a world premiere. Since leaving University of Maryland, Stephen Lilly has been nursing the delusion that he might be a poet in addition to being a composer. The composing-urge is strong with him, however, so with every poem he writes, he creates a composed-out quasi-musical version. The Sixth started as a found-poem about his sixth year as a husband, using for the developmental milestones of a six-year-old child as an over-extended metaphor. The musical version is a duet that quite literally reads between the lines. The end result is both intensely personal and oddly universal.

Several of the works are world premieres of revised versions of pieces, one is a U.S. premiere, and most are MN premieres. For example, Kristian Twombly created a multi-channel version of Interplait for this performance. The work started with recordings of famous lectures on mindfulness and a singing bowl (Meditation, which is also on the program) and has evolved into a work including voice which folds in upon itself. Prerecorded and live elements feed off of and influence each other in a living feedback circle that outwardly demonstrates some of these beneficial mindfulness properties.
 
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Anything else you would like to add? 

In recent years, one of our shared interests is meditation. We have become fascinated by the calming, introspective, healing, and sympathetic properties of this practice, and we’ve framed the program around mindful listening for us and the audience. Starting with one of Pauline Oliveros’ Sonic Meditations and continuing through the entire program, we hope to explore a variety of perspectives on meditation and listening – a phenomenological approach, if you will.  And like John Cage, we prefer laughter to tears and have included a bit of whimsy and humor in the program as well – keep your eyes peeled for a bunny! 

​Tell us about your new work for Zeitgeist, Conjuring. 

Conjuring is a wild experiment where we challenged each other to try to create a seamless score for both sound and movement, where each relies completely on the other. We play with structures in sound and movement that move into alignment and then out of alignment, kind of like an eclipse or the perfect incantations needed for a spell. We like to think that through our connection as performers in this piece we are bringing something into existence that wasn’t there before. We are conjuring a new way of being, a change that leaves the world forever altered.

How did the two of you get started in your respective fields?

Maggie: I started dancing when I was five. For me dance has always been the path, even if I didn’t want it to be. Somehow dance and embodiment dragged me out of whatever other ideas I had in my head about what I should do.

Nick: I also started when I was five. They didn’t have basses that small so the orchestra teacher at the time put me on a cello standing upright, and tuned it like a bass. I primarily studied classical music through my younger years, but once I was a teenager, it seemed that the accessible styles for bass were endless. I did bluegrass, jazz, rock, and classical all at the same time. After I graduated college, it was easy to find work being a versatile performer so I stayed pretty current in all styles.

Nick, who are your inspirations in music, be that in bass or whatever comes to mind?

Nick: If you asked me this question 10 years ago, I would probably rattle off famous bass players and music bands. But my philosophy has shifted. I think inspiration is all around and can be connected to anything we come in contact with, or anything we can think of or recall. In addition to humans, I believe inspiration can come from the surrounding colors, sounds, tastes, landscapes, relationships, and events. I think if I had to pinpoint an exact inspiration to sum this up, I would say the scene in Mulholland Drive in the theater is chalked full of inspiration. The women that sings “Llorando” a cappella and then topples over is by far one of (what I believe) the most fascinating works I have seen. It’s followed up by the emcee saying “There is no band.” It’s colorful, moving, and yet simple all at the same time.

Maggie, when looking for a piece of music or art in general to choreograph a routine to, what do you think stands out and sparks creativity in you?

Maggie: My work usually begins with a feeling or a situation or a series of events. And then I’m happy to say I married a composer, so I then ask him to make sound for me! At that point we work together on the structure, sound, mood, I rarely ever find music first and then make work to it. I’m much more interested in creating both the sound and movement together instead of letting one come first and then creating a reaction. 

How do the two of you look at the process of collaboration, and how important do you think it is, both with each other and in the world at large?

Maggie: It is so huge in how we work together, but it also is really the way the world works. There is great reassurance in a process with someone I trust. It can get so messy when one person sees a direction and the other doesn’t. Or there is real disagreement in the way the work should move forward. But somehow the space of not-knowing feels deeper when working in collaboration, and there is something to be said about working through the not-knowing and the real conflict to get something into the world. Nick and I remodeled our bathroom about ten years ago, and we spent about three hours in Menards talking through and visualizing and telling each other our ideas. It was so so hard. But now our bathroom rocks! :)

Nick: And so does our kitchen!

Anything else you would like to add? 

Nick: Collaboration takes more than just being a “team player.” I think the hardest lesson for me in collaboration is knowing when to back down, knowing when to listen, and knowing when to be vulnerable to change. It takes a great amount of mental power to manage internal thoughts during the process. I don’t think it’s ever easy, and if it is easy, then there’s probably a missing component where someone isn’t being honest, or someone is holding back. I think this is why the collaboration with Zeitgeist was such a different experience. We tried to stay transparent whenever possible and attempted to craft a work that attempted to be distributed between all members of the ensemble. I don’t know if we achieved that arrival point, but it was something to work towards during the creative process.

Composer Jonathan Posthuma will present a recital of premieres from his Paul Klee: Painted Songs series featuring local musicians at Studio Z on Oct. 17, 2019. We welcome Posthuma as a guest blogger to share insight on this ambitious project and examples of Klee's work. 

​Paul Klee: Painted Songs is an ongoing series of instrumental chamber works inspired by the visual art of Paul Klee. Started in 2011, the series has grown into an expansive project – with around 30 of the planned 165 works completed. Over the years, I have added to the series, continuing to draw on the wealth of inspiration from Klee's images, which are filled with musical references, textures, colors, and symbols that closely link musical concepts with Klee's philosophy of visual art. To me, these pieces are musical settings of visual poetry, hence "painted songs." What continues to fascinate me about Klee is both the diversity and consistency of his total body of work. Throughout his vast career, certain ideas continue to resurface and find new applications. In this spirit, Paul Klee: Painted Songs continues to expand, ever exploring the poetry of his work through musical interpretation.
 
What draws you to Paul Klee?
Everything! His works are incredibly varied, but instantly identifiable. He practically wrote the textbook for the theory of color, line, and texture, and though sometimes abstract, his work doesn’t try to push you away – it draws you into a world of fantasy and is often very child-like, even impish at times. He is able to balance the purity and simplicity of his subjects with clever and direct titles, and though his work rigorously follows its own principles, it isn’t academic or overly dense. Klee was a trained musician, loved classical music, and often played his violin for hours before beginning to paint. The reverse is true for me – by studying his work, the music starts to flow more easily.
 
What is your favorite painting by Paul Klee?
There are so many incredible works that I’ve grown to love by Klee, but I am partial to Klee’s works between 1920 and 1930, which encompass his time as a teacher at the Bauhaus in Weimar (1920-1924) and then when the school was relocated to Dessau after being shut down by rising tensions and right-wing extremists (1925-30). Those years of applied study, exploration, and lecturing alongside colleagues like Kandinsky yielded vast and diverse results, and then when his teaching load was reduced, those explorations blossomed. Perhaps my favorite style of Klee is seen in “Mask of Fear,” “Illuminated Leaf,” and “Ghost of a Genius” where thinly applied washes of color are outlined by finely-sketched lines. His “magic squares” also fascinate me (such as “Colorful Flower Beds” and “The Blooming Garden”) but I respond more strongly to his more figurative and representative works, especially those of flowers and birds, subjects which have always fascinated me as well. The works from his last few years (after 1935 in particular) have always deeply troubled me and though I am including many in the series, they are more raw and cryptic than his earlier work. “Intoxication” and “Hidden Treasures” are among those works, which emphasize dark lines, patches of bold colors, and are more glyph-like than figurative. Those works are often considered Klee’s response to the trauma of the Nazi regime and WWII as well as his own physical pain from a series of illnesses – perhaps because the works are more visceral, it is more difficult for me to find a musical response that is fitting.
 
Why 165 works? How many are completed?
This number is largely symbolic and represents the number of squares in “Ancient Sound,” which is No. 165 in the catalogue. Over the years, I have reordered and renumbered the works multiple times, but this current ordering includes a wide range of chamber ensembles, ranging from solos up to large flex-instrumentation ensembles. Beyond the 165, there are other plans as well, including “galleries” that have more of a through-line or plot and are designed to be used for dance or theatrical productions. Currently, there are around 30 completed pieces are around 12 have been premiered.
 
Do you have synesthesia?
No, not in the sense that other composers or artists have described. But I do have strong associations with colors, textures, shapes, and lines that I respond to when composing. Certain colors are brighter and darker, more intense or more muted, which correspond with certain harmonies, dynamics, or instrumental colors. Certain lines or textures have a gesture or a density that is very relatable to music. Certain images or symbols seem to guide my musical response as well (e.g. eyes are song-like, hands are always searching, feet are rhythmic, plants grow and decay, fish, birds, and mammals have different types of movement, etc.) None of these associations are completely fixed and remain very flexible, but I have my own tendencies that have become somewhat self-referential as I respond to these ideas found through Klee’s work.

(from left to right)
No. 21 “Mask of Fear” (Maske der Furcht, 1929)
No. 9 “Illuminated Leaf” (Belichtetes Blatt, 1929)
No. 98 “Ghost of a Genius” (Gespent eines Genies, 1922)
 
Examples of Klee’s work in the 1920s using thin layers of paint and finely-sketched lines.
​

​ (from left to right)
No. 161 “Colorful Flower Beds” (Buntes Beet, 1923)
No. 158 “The Blooming Garden” (Der blühende Garten, 1920)
 
Examples of Klee’s “Magic Squares”
​

(from left to right)
No. 18 “Intoxication” (Im Rausch, 1939)
No. 89 “Hidden Treasures” (Kleinode, 1937)
 
Examples of Klee’s late work, which is more cryptic and visceral.

​

Oct. 17  •  7:30 p.m.  •  $15  •  Tickets

A recital of premieres from Jonathan Posthuma's Paul Klee: Painted Songs series featuring local musicians.

Eri Isomura, marimba
Devan Moran, violin
Amelia Smith, clarinet
Jonathan Posthuma, composer / piano

Paul Klee: Painted Songs is a ongoing collection of chamber music inspired by the visual art of Swiss painter Paul Klee. Selections include solos for marimba, violin, and clarinet as well as ensemble works featuring improvisation. More information here.  ​

Cleveland-based composer Buck McDaniel will make his Minnesota debut next week with the premiere of Scherzo in Four Movements, his new work for Zeitgeist that will premiere at the annual Here & There concerts Sept. 19-22. Zeitgeist intern Tyler Schultz interviewed McDaniel about his new work and the Cleveland music scene. 
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Zeitgeist kicks off the 2019-2020 season with their fifth annual collaboration with Cleveland-based No Exit New Music Ensemble. An exchange of local artistry, the event features Zeitgeist and No Exit performing music by Minnesota and Ohio composers. The program includes Zeitgeist performing music by Minnesotans Tiffany Skidmore, Randy Bauer, Christopher Brakel, and Joshua Musikantow, and a world premiere by Cleveland composer Buck McDaniel. No Exit will present new works by Minnesota composer Philip Blackburn and Czech-American composer Ladislav Kubík. ​

2018-2019 Studio Z Composer-in-Residence Tiffany Skidmore's new work for Zeitgeist, The Psyche and Cupid Miniatures, will premiere at Zeitgeist's Here & There concerts Sept. 19-22. Zeitgeist intern Tyler Schultz interviewed Skidmore about her new work and her compositional influences. 
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Tell us about your new work for Zeitgeist, The Psyche and Cupid Miniatures.

The Psyche and Cupid Miniatures are encapsulations of elements from my opera, The Golden Ass, which will premiere on February 21-23, 2020 at Nautilus Music-Theater, and will also be heard as part of the final performance of the completed production. The opera is a modern adaptation of the myth of Psyche and Cupid by Apuleius that combines Apuleius's text with a new libretto by Patrick Gallagher. The Miniatures zoom in on certain characteristic sounds from the opera and re-contextualize, re-imagine, and expand upon those sounds.


What was the most fulfilling aspect of composing this work? What made it challenging?

I'm a huge Webern fan and have always been captivated by his ability to make me feel like I'm stepping into and out of a fully-realized world within the the space of thirty seconds or a minute when I listen to his music. There is a sense that the pieces are just long enough, but not too long. Every note counts. I have tried to create that same sense in these Miniatures, but doing that is extremely challenging. The most fulfilling aspect of composing the work was working with the musicians of Zeitgeist and Alyssa Anderson during the Zeitgeist Composer Workshop last summer and again in rehearsals after the Miniatures were finished. I really enjoy the process of experimenting with different ideas and learning about each musician's unique abilities.


Do you have a favorite instrumentation to write for? Why?

I don't really have a favorite instrumentation to write for. The most important and enjoyable criterion I rely on to make instrumentation decisions (whenever possible), is that of working with musicians of all sorts who are very flexible and who enjoy a challenge. I also really like composing for unlikely combinations of instruments and voices.


Which composers and/or pieces have influenced you the most?

I have been influenced greatly by so many composers! Certainly listening to, studying, and performing Webern, Mahler, Debussy, Stravinsky, Babbitt, Schoenberg, and Stockhausen has made a very clear impact on my music. I performed Mahler's and Debussy's art songs as an undergraduate vocal performance major and still think about those songs all the time. Schoenberg and Webern are such romantics and I love Schoenberg's theatrical bent. All of these composers are also such wonderful technicians! These are elements that have become important in my own music. I have also been heavily influenced by my studies with J. Kevin Waters, Jonathan Middleton, James Dillon, and Chaya Czernowin, and certainly by aspects of their music, as well. J. Kevin Waters taught me about the importance of working every day, rather than waiting for inspiration to strike. Jonathan Middleton gave me permission to break the rules. James Dillon and Chaya Czernowin have helped me to think about the philosophies behind my music and the importance of a solid conceptual foundation.


What is 113 Composers Collective? What does 113's upcoming program look like?

113 is a group of composers and performers who produce concerts, educational workshops for people of all ages, and guest artist residencies. This season will feature an international tour of performances of new works for saxophone by Acute Trio, based in the US and Switzerland with performances in the Twin Cities on October 15-16; the premiere of my opera, The Golden Ass, featuring performances by Quince Vocal Ensemble, Justin Anthony Spenner, and Adam Zahller, and stage direction by Joey Crane, at Nautilus Music-Theater; a performance of new works for percussion and piano by Bent Duo in New York City in April; and the Twin Cities New Music Festival May 27-31, featuring portrait concerts and talks by Steven Takasugi, Anthony Green, Joe Horton, and Bethany Younge, as well as performances of pieces selected from 113's annual call for scores. Our season kickoff event will be hosted at the Wine Thief & Ale Jail and will include free beer and wine tastings and food available for purchase from Anchor Fish and Chips at 4 p.m. on September 20. We'd love to party there with people before the Zeitgeist performance that evening! For more information about these events, our web address is www.113collective.com.


Anything you would like to add?

I'm very grateful to Zeitgeist for the opportunity to serve as Composer-in-Residence and have really enjoyed getting to know, working, and performing with them!
​

Zeitgeist kicks off the 2019-2020 season with their fifth annual collaboration with Cleveland-based No Exit New Music Ensemble. An exchange of local artistry, the event features Zeitgeist and No Exit performing music by Minnesota and Ohio composers. The program includes Zeitgeist performing music by Minnesotans Tiffany Skidmore, Randy Bauer, Christopher Brakel, and Joshua Musikantow, and a world premiere by Cleveland composer Buck McDaniel. No Exit will present new works by Minnesota composer Philip Blackburn and Czech-American composer Ladislav Kubík. ​

Hi! I’m Liz Pearse, and I want to invite you to a salon concert I’m performing, hosted by Studio Z on Friday, August 16. I will be singing and playing some of my favorite songs from the last 100-or-so years, inspired by the animal kingdom, mathematical equations, and more. The program includes a number of works I’ve commissioned--and one world premiere!

Growing up in Wisconsin, just across the river from my new home of Pickwick, MN, I held an early fascination for specific musicians. One example was Richard Stoltzman, a clarinetist who appeared on Sesame Street. From the age of four onward, I knew I wanted to play clarinet because of that episode, and it became my primary instrument through my entry into college as a music major. Another musician I adored was Dick Van Dyke’s “Bert” from Mary Poppins--the concept of a one-man band was simply irresistible (how much noise can one child make?!). 

But my favorite musician was always my dad, who spent many Saturday evenings playing piano for his kids while we ran around the house to “Bumble Bee Boogie,”, “Maple Leaf Rag” and the like.

Given these examples, perhaps it seems odd to choose singing as my profession. To me, it makes perfect sense. The human voice is by FAR the most versatile, flexible instrument one may access--as a contemporary singer, I’m often tasked to perform as if I’m a one-woman band! My voice operates very much like a clarinet; similar range, similar proclivity to movement... training as a woodwind player has always informed my vocalization. Last but not least, the piano has always been present. My first music lessons were on the piano, and I spent my entire childhood playing and singing (to accompany myself, my sister, the high school choir, whoever would let me near the keyboard!). 

It is certainly not a unique setup. Countless performers play piano and sing simultaneously, from Nina Simone, to Billy Joel, to Tom Waits, and beyond. It is uncommon in the realm of classical music now, though once it was common on concert stages and salon recitals. I seek to revive self-accompanying in “art song” for a number of reasons. ​

Singing while accompanying oneself at the piano is not a “new” endeavor -- but in the realm of art song, it is certainly unusual. Performer Liz Pearse’s self-accompanied recitals hearken back to the era of the salon: an informal, intimate, and fresh atmosphere in which to absorb songs both old and new. This particular evening presents some gems of 20th and 21st century song, including a centennial celebration of Francis Poulenc’s La bestiaire, alongside newly-commissioned works inspired by members of the animal kingdom. ​

Guest blogger Michael Wittgraf shares the story behind his collaboration with HASCO Duo ahead of their performance on Sunday, March 31 at Studio Z. 
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​I hope you can join the HASCO Duo and me at Studio Z on March 31st for an afternoon of improvised electronic music. Amanda DeBoer Bartlett (voice) and Jesse Langen (guitar) of the HASCO Duo bring their improvised electronic magic and blend it with my sound processing environments to create music ranging from the ethereal to the edgy, intermixed with the occasional surprise. You will see and hear interesting texts, guitar pedals, e-bows, and Nintendo Wiimotes.

Jesse and Amanda are featured on the recently released album Manifold, an eclectic collection of my original music from the past 25 years, ranging from solo classical guitar to guitar with electronics to the improvised electronics you will hear in this show. The album will be available that afternoon, and is available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, and other outlets.

Jesse and I are from Stearns county in central Minnesota, but we met in 1994 in Chicago when we were students at Northwestern University. I have performed with and written many pieces for him since then, and am extremely pleased to have been able to work with him extensively over the past two years. He is a singular talent who takes the process of learning and studying a piece of music more seriously than anyone I have met. It is a fortunate composer who has a performer treat his music with the degree of detail that Jesse does. 

The original idea for Manifold was an album featuring Jesse on guitar, solo and with electronics. At his suggestion, we brought in Amanda from Omaha for two tracks of improvised music, which has proven to be an extremely good decision. The tracks with Amanda have received more airplay than the others. Jesse and Amanda, besides forming the entirety of the HASCO Duo, are also members of the renowned Chicago-based new music ensemble Dal Niente. 

​This concert is part of a short tour that includes shows in Grand Forks, ND, Chicago, and St. Paul. It is funded by a University of North Dakota Fine Arts and Humanities Scholarship Initiative Grant, administered by the UND College of Arts and Sciences.

March 31  •  4 p.m.  •  $10  •  Tickets/info
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An afternoon of improvised electronic music. The HASCO duo, comprising Amanda DeBoer Bartlett (Omaha, NE) on vocals and electronics and Jesse Langen (Chicago, IL) on guitar and electronics, team up with Michael Wittgraf (Grand Forks, ND) on computer to create an afternoon filled with soothing sounds, interesting words, and many surprises. It is an experience of maximum interaction between performers and their technology.

Ryan David Stevens (b. 1992) is an American composer from Minneapolis, Minnesota. They received a B.M. in music theory and composition in 2016 from the University of Northern Iowa, studying under Dr. Jonathan Schwabe and Dr. Alan Schmitz. Stevens takes interest in loosening the definition of what it means to make "high art" music. They often take inspiration from the experimental production and composition styles of noise, electronic, and rock/pop music,  while continuing to push boundaries in the contemporary classical realm of music composition and performance. 

Ryan is one of three winners of Zeitgeist's 24th annual Eric Stokes Song Contest. Named in memory of late composer Eric Stokes, the contest is designed to encourage and celebrate amateur composers throughout the Twin Cities. Ryan's winning composition, Tachypsychia: Circadian, will be performed by Zeitgeist at their annual Playing it Close to Home concert Feb. 8-9 at Studio Z. 

Tachypsychia was originally written as a four-movement piano suite. The second movement, Circadian, has been arranged specifically for Zeitgeist. Tachypsychia is a neurological condition that alters the perception of time during moments of extreme trauma, physical exertion, or altered states of mind. Ryan finds that minimalism tries to achieve a similar goal of distorting time through music. 

Feb. 8-9, 7:30 p.m.  
Studio Z: 275 East Fourth Street, Suite 200, St. Paul
$15 / $10 students & seniors
Tickets/Info

With winning songs from the Eric Stokes Song Contest plus music by local composer Yohannes Tona, Zeitgeist's annual Playing it Close to Home concert celebrates the wealth of musical creativity found right here in our own backyard. The program includes music by Eric Stokes Song Contest winners Debbie Cushman, Ryan David Stevens, and Dominic Cudd, plus new works by Ethiopian bassist and composer Yohannes Tona, including pieces inspired by Ethiopian folk music and works from his albums 1317 and Sand From The Desert.

​Dominic Cudd is a 16-year-old singer, songwriter, composer, and multi-instrumentalist from South Minneapolis. He is a sophomore at the Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists, is a member of the Prelude Performance Program at MacPhail Center of Music, and studies voice with Thaxter Cunio. He has been awarded the Mary Ann Kimball Vocal Performance Scholarship at MacPhail the past two years, and is a 2019 winner of MacPhail's Mini-Met Competition. 

In addition to singing, Dominic plays trumpet (including with Minnesota Youth Symphonies), piano, and guitar, and he composes his own songs. He released his first album of original songs (entitled In This Place) in November 2018. Dominic wrote the lyrics and music for the album and performed on vocals, keyboard, guitar and trumpet. Dominic has also composed original jazz compositions, and he recently wrote an original score for an SPCPA production of The Little Prince at Gremlin Theatre. 

Dominic is the youth winner of Zeitgeist's 24th annual Eric Stokes Song Contest. Named in memory of late composer Eric Stokes, the contest is designed to encourage and celebrate amateur composers throughout the Twin Cities. Dominic's winning entry, Composition in B minor, will be performed by Zeitgeist at their annual Playing it Close to Home concert Feb. 8-9 at Studio Z. 

In describing his winning composition, Dominic says: "I love music because it is beautiful and allows me to express deep emotion. There is some sadness in this song but also the idea that creating something beautiful is calming and healing."

Feb. 8-9, 7:30 p.m.  
Studio Z: 275 East Fourth Street, Suite 200, St. Paul
$15 / $10 students & seniors
Tickets/Info

With winning songs from the Eric Stokes Song Contest plus music by local composer Yohannes Tona, Zeitgeist's annual Playing it Close to Home concert celebrates the wealth of musical creativity found right here in our own backyard. The program includes music by Eric Stokes Song Contest winners Debbie Cushman, Ryan David Stevens, and Dominic Cudd, plus new works by Ethiopian bassist and composer Yohannes Tona, including pieces inspired by Ethiopian folk music and works from his albums 1317 and Sand From The Desert.

A classical piano student from the age of five, St. Paul-based singer-songwriter Debbie Cushman taught herself to play guitar as an adult. One awesome teacher and a couple of decades later, guitar is her primary instrument and she has written three albums of songs since 2012, all published under the Footfall band name. While Americana is a natural home for most of her repertoire, Debbie is happy to sing and make music across genres; she is equally comfortable with hymns and rock and roll. Debbie plays in a variety of settings and configurations, including as a soloist and with the bands Footfall, Granger’s Moonshine and Wayward Creek. Thanks to the good humor of her band-mates, you may also see her dabbling in harmonica and washboard. 

Debbie is one of three winners of Zeitgeist's 24th annual Eric Stokes Song Contest. Named in memory of late composer Eric Stokes, the contest is designed to encourage and celebrate amateur composers throughout the Twin Cities. Debbie will join Zeitgeist to perform her winning song, Crazy Sky, at Zeitgeist's annual Playing it Close to Home concert Feb. 8-9 at Studio Z. 

Debbie writes about her winning song and her work as a songwriter: